Rachel Weisz is grappling with the complexities of her latest role, even months after wrapping production on the upcoming Netflix limited series, “Vladimir.” The Oscar-winning actress portrays “M,” an unnamed literature professor whose life unravels as she becomes increasingly obsessed with a new colleague, Vladimir, while her husband faces professional scrutiny.
Weisz, 55, described the character as profoundly challenging, admitting she’s still processing the experience. “What we have is the first time I’ve spoken about it to anybody,” she told The Los Angeles Times in January, adding, “I may be a little creaky.” She’s currently preparing for a new film, “Séance on a Wet Afternoon,” but remains connected to the role, having been involved in the editing process as an executive producer.
“Vladimir,” based on Julia May Jonas’ 2022 novel, premieres March 5th. The eight-episode series centers on a professor at a liberal arts college whose carefully constructed life begins to fracture. As her husband is investigated for misconduct, she finds herself drawn to Vladimir (played by Leo Woodall), leading to a series of increasingly risky behaviors and internal conflicts.
Jonas, who wrote the pilot, initially conceived the story without a specific actress in mind. Weisz discovered the novel through a friend’s recommendation before receiving the script. “It was a damn good piece of writing, the novel and the pilot,” Weisz said, leading to a meeting with Jonas. “I think I was really intrigued about getting into the skin of this character… I thought it would be challenging and hopefully fun.”
A key element of the series is M’s direct address to the audience, a technique inspired by Jonas’s background in theater. Still, Jonas sought to subvert the traditional function of this narrative device. “In most direct addresses, the actor tells you the truth about what’s really going on,” Jonas explained. “I wanted to flip that to where she’s talking to someone and she’s always trying to massage the truth or sometimes outright lie.”
Weisz described the experience of speaking directly to the camera as addressing a “special friend” on set, a technique that required her co-stars to ignore the interaction. “There was somebody I was imagining,” she said. “On set, we called it my special friend. The other actors had to pretend it didn’t happen.”
Leo Woodall noted Weisz’s ability to seamlessly transition between scenes and monologues. “It was really fascinating watching Rachel and all the creators involved navigate that,” Woodall said. “She did a really remarkable job at staying within a scene while also having to pivot and deliver a monologue and then come straight back into the scene.”
The series, shot in Toronto in July 2025, is structured in approximately 30-minute episodes. Weisz, known for her dramatic roles, including her recent work in the remake of “Dead Ringers,” acknowledged the comedic elements of “Vladimir,” but emphasized her commitment to the character’s reality. “For me, everything was intensely serious,” she said. “It was about committing to her reality and what she cares about and what matters to her and how she’s trying to convince herself that everything’s just fine.”
Weisz emphasized the importance of empathy in portraying M, even while acknowledging the character’s flaws. “People are contradictory,” she said. “They can be brilliant at their jobs and have a extremely messy personal life. This is someone who is human.”
Jonas characterized M as a deliberately ambiguous figure. “Is she right? Is she wrong? Is she psycho? Is she sane? Is she brilliant? Is she all of those things? Or none of them? You can’t pin her down,” Jonas explained. “And that’s what makes her so exciting to watch.”
While Weisz has also been linked to a potential fourth installment in The Mummy franchise alongside Brendan Fraser, she remained focused on the complexities of “Vladimir” and the challenge of embodying a character she continues to dissect. “I deeply empathize with her and understand her,” Weisz said. “But I left her when I got home. She’s like a projection of what a viewer might want to live out.”
