A place in the sun

Rachel Weisz will portray Elizabeth Taylor in new film

Jewish actress to play Hollywood icon in ‘A Special Relationship,’ chronicling her journey from film star to activist

By Marcy Oster 29 October 2019, 4:15 am

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Actress Rachel Weisz poses for photographers backstage with her Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the film 'The Favourite' at the BAFTA awards in London, February 10, 2019. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

JTA — Jewish actress Rachel Weisz has been tapped to play Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor in a new film.

“A Special Relationship” chronicles Taylor’s personal journey from Hollywood actress to activist through the lens of her friendship with her Roger Wall, a gay man who grew up in poverty in the Deep South, Deadline Hollywood reported.

Taylor, who was married eight times to seven men, had two Jewish husbands and converted to Judaism in 1959. She became an active supporter of Israel and Jewish causes.

A social activist, Taylor became one of the first major celebrities to publicly join the fight against HIV/AIDS in the 1980s.

Weisz, like Taylor, is British American.