Carey Mulligan’s riding one of the hottest streaks we’ve seen in some time. She regularly works with challenging directors, from Oliver Stone (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) to Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go). This year, she’s co-starring in two instant classics in Drive and Shame. And she’s currently hard at work on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby opposite Leonard DiCaprio.
Wow.
But don’t think Mulligan’s content to rest on her laurels. Variety reports that the actress has secured two high-profile gigs that would make any talent salivate. The fact that she's in both almost isn’t fair. According to the trade, Mulligan will be the female lead in Joel and Ethan Coen’s folk-music drama Inside Llewyn Davis. Following that, she’ll appear in an as-yet-untitled feature to be directed by Spike Jonze.
Both projects sound great. The Coens already have cast Oscar Isaac as a musician breaking into New York’s scene in the 1960s. As the trade notes, if Mulligan needs to sing, Shame proves the actress has the pipes. As for Jonze’s feature, it reportedly reunites him with screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann (Adaptation) for a film about global leaders having to meet to discuss what Variety calls “cataclysmic events.” Joaquin Phoenix has already been cast in the picture, which would begin shooting next spring.
About the only other actress touching Mulligan’s streak right now is Anne Hathaway, who also continues to add one major project after the next. Actors rarely go wrong collaborating with storytellers like the Coens and Jonze, and we’re happy that a legitimate talent like Mulligan is getting these outstanding chances to flex her muscle and make what we hope are great films.
