Herzog's New Film Features Mara Sisters Acting in Unison

Werner Herzog’s first narrative feature since 2019, "Bucking Fastard," debuted at the Venice Film Festival with Kate and Rooney Mara playing a pair of Irish sisters who speak and move in perfect unison. The concept, inspired by the real-life Chaplin twins who communicated in sync, had stalled for years because no twin actresses were available. Producer Jeremy Thomas suggested casting the Mara sisters instead, allowing production to move forward.

Herzog said he wrote the script in five days and, after a brief rehearsal period, declared the cast ready to shoot. The film was fully financed by Clara Wu Tsai, co-owner of Nets/Liberty. Orlando Bloom appears as the sisters’ love interest, a limo driver, while Domhnall Gleeson plays a caretaker who teaches the sisters to open a can of sardines.

"At first it was very daunting, the idea that we were going to be kind of playing the same person," Rooney Mara said.

"It was like looking between two eyes from the same head," Gleeson recalled.

Herzog described his directing approach as akin to conducting an orchestra, emphasizing timing and rhythm over extensive rehearsal. The film includes a subplot in which the sisters care for a wild fox and a climactic scene featuring a real stag that entered a cave in Ireland, a moment Herzog said was not scripted.

The project is dedicated to filmmaker David Lynch, reflecting Herzog’s admiration for Lynch’s work. "Bucking Fastard" marks a departure from Herzog’s typical animal portrayals, incorporating live animal performances rather than CGI.