May 15, 2009, 11:30 GMT
Rachel Weisz thought skateboarding was "dangerous".
12/16/2008 - Rachel Weisz - The actress took lessons from her 'Brothers Bloom' co-star Adrien Brody to prepare for her role in the film as an eccentric heiress and admits she was terrified the first time she stepped on the small board. © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos
The actress took lessons from her 'Brothers Bloom' co-star Adrien Brody to prepare for her role in the film as an eccentric heiress and admits she was terrified the first time she stepped on the small board.
She said: "I had never been on a skateboard on my life. Actually, Adrien Brody is a really good skateboarder, so he took me out in the parking lot and tried to help me. He was very supportive, but all I could think of was, 'This is really dangerous.' Fortunately, I didn't crash."
However, Adrien was less-than-helpful when Rachel had to master rapping - and she admits she was so bad, most of her scene was edited out.
She added: "Adrien wasn't as helpful when I started rapping for a scene. He's from Queens, and he's deep into hip-hop. I'm from North London. I'll never forget the look on his face when I butchered an American rap classic. Maybe that's why you only see a millisecond of it in the movie."
Despite having to learn a multitude of skills - including karate and banjo playing - Rachel struggled most with a card stunt.
She added to Parade.com: "The hardest was the card trick because I had to do it while delivering a monologue about my dysfunctional childhood. I used to play cards as a kid, but I couldn't do the - whatcha call it? Shuffle or whatever the hell you call it."
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