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Teen Actress Mia Wasikowska Joins Gus Van Sant's Restless

by Ethan Anderton
October 9, 2009

She may not be a household name yet (and it certainly doesn't help that her last name is an intimidating jumble of consonants and vowels), but 19-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska will soon be thrust into the spotlight when her performance as the title character in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland hits theaters in March. However, the teen actress is already moving onto her next role as THR reports that she is the first actor to join Academy Award nominated director Gus Van Sant's Restless, a dark coming-of-age drama adapted from a play written by newcomer Jason Lew, who will also be penning the screenplay.

The film "delves into the complex tale of a teenage boy and girl who share a preoccupation with mortality."  Many of Gus Van Sant's recent films have delved into the seemingly complex minds and lives of adolescents or those apparently trapped in an immature mind. Van Sant's Elephant, Paranoid Park, Finding Forrester, Good Will Hunting and even parts of Milk deal with struggles of being young, scared, and vulnerable. Writer Jason Lew apparently went to film school with Bryce Dallas Howard who is producing Van Sant's picture along with her father Ron Howard and his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer. The trio is still looking for a male lead to play opposite Wasikowska, so if you're looking for a job... well, good luck!

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