The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

From Kristen Stewart to Rooney Mara and Jonathan Groff, you’ve given leading roles to relatively little-known actors, who have excelled. What do you look for? – Matthew Hope

I look for actors who are ready to go to work. And I like actors who are curious and wanna try stuff. All three of these people had done it before. Kristen Stewart, I think that [Panic Room] was her second movie. And I’d already worked with Rooney [on The Social Network before The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo]. Jonathan was just somebody that I’d seen audition [for Sean Parker in The Social Network] and was like, “I can’t let him get away twice.” But mostly you’re looking for somebody who wants to be there and wants to work to unwrap something. I mean, there are definitely actors that you cast for a role where you know what you’re gonna get. You know, I’m hiring this guy because he brings this and the audience has an understanding of what to expect from them and I can either play into that or I can play against that. But casting younger actors is always fun. With The Social Network there was no expectation that we had to put together the Ocean’s Eleven cast. We could just go and get fabulous, fresh-faced enthusiasts that wanted to be there. As I get older I find myself being drawn to people that I’m rooting for, people that I want to see succeed. That’s certainly the case with those three names.