Juliette Lewis was only seen in a couple of poorly received films last year — “The Switch” and “Conviction” — but here’s the thing: she was the best part about either film. As the hippy dippy friend in the former and the key white trash witness in the latter, Lewis was alive and engaging in a way the rest of the film around her wasn’t (and yes, she did a brief cameo in “Due Date” as well). Moving into this year, the actress is lining up a couple more films that will hopefully fire on all cylinders.
Variety reports that Lewis has signed on to “Hick” starring Chloe Moretz, Blake Lively and Eddie Redmayne. Set to be directed by Derick Martini (”Lymelife”), the film is an adaptation of Andrea Portes’ coming-of-age novel of the same name (she penned the script as well). The story revolves around Luli (Moretz), a 13-year-old Nebraskan girl and her hard-going life on the road after she runs away from her neglectful parents and home. She’s taken in by Glenda (Lively), a hard-living grifter who takes her under her wing. Redmayne will play a loner who has a history with Glenda and tries to lure Luli away. No word yet on Lewis’ role.
And sticking in the vein of gritty indies, Lewis will also tackle “Single Shot” with Juno Temple and Emily Mortimer. Written by Matthew F. Jones and based on his novel of the same name, the film follows a poacher who accidentally kills a runaway girl who is carrying a stash of money. He hides the body and takes the loot only to be followed by a killer looking for the money. The film will be directed by David M. Rosental who is making a decided shift from the lighter (and admittedly) forgettable fare like “Falling Up” and “See This Movie.”
Lewis will be on the set of “Hick” this month, before moving over to “Single Shot” in April.