Actors Jude Law and Rooney Mara were all about business as they premiered gritty new film Side Effects at the Berlinale Festival. Both star in Steven Soderbergh's psychological thriller, and Jude admitted he was nudged out of his comfort zone as he got into character as an overly experimental psychiatrist. The star told reporters in the German capital he was faced with "overcoming the reality that I wasn't going to be able to go to medical school in the time it took to prepare for the part."
He added: "I didn't have a huge relationship with pharmaceuticals or an understanding of them." Jude's struggles don't seem to have affected the final outcome though, and the movie is expected to wow crowds at Berlin's famous film festival, where it's one of 19 contenders for the top Golden Bear award. The movie also sees girl-of-the-moment Rooney Mara capitalise on her reputation as the Girl With the Dargon Tattoo.
The starlet looked stunning in a stylish pinstripe ensemble with a masculine edge as she carried out promotional duties alongside Jude. While her British co-star had to get to grips with his part, Rooney previously spoke of the positive experience she had under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, the filmmaker behind Ocean's Eleven and Erin Brockovich. "When you're making a film with Steven, you actually have a life," she said. "I hadn't had a life in a very long time. We'd be done, I could go out to dinner, or I could go to the gym. You could go to a movie." Welsh star Catherine Zeta-Jones also stars in the film, but the mum-of-two missed the photocall, leaving promotional duties in Jude and Rooney's capable hands.
