For more than two decades, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara have built distinguished acting careers separately. They have never shared the screen. That changed on Thursday, September 3, at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where the sisters walked the red carpet together for the world premiere of Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard.”
The moment was significant for the siblings, who have long been asked about the possibility of working together. At Venice, dressed in coordinating black gowns, they posed for photographers, embraced, and joined co-star Orlando Bloom and director Werner Herzog on the carpet.
The film marks a milestone in both their careers: their first collaboration after years of independent success. For audiences, it offers the rare opportunity to see two accomplished actresses channel their real-life bond into a fictional story about twin sisters who share everything — dreams, a lover, even the same words.
The Venice appearance was more than a typical red-carpet premiere. For two actresses who have been individually celebrated at festivals worldwide, this was the first time they promoted a project together.
Rooney, 41, wore a dramatic black gown with a balloon-like silhouette, while Kate, 43, opted for a shimmering silver-and-black number. They posed arm in arm, embracing several times for photographers, before being joined by Bloom and Herzog.
The sisters’ presence together on the Lido drew attention not only because of their careers but because “Bucking Fastard” is being hailed as a singular film. Herzog told reporters that what the Maras achieved is “unprecedented” and that he doubts “we will see anything like this in the foreseeable future again.”
“Bucking Fastard” is a competition entry at the Venice Film Festival, vying for the Golden Lion alongside films such as Danny Boyle’s “Ink” and the Gaza-focused documentary “NAZA.”
The film is loosely inspired by the real-life story of Freda and Greta Chaplin, British twins who gained tabloid notoriety in the 1980s for speaking in unison and their involvement in a stalking case. Herzog met the Chaplin twins 45 years ago, but the idea lay dormant until someone suggested casting actresses who are sisters but not twins.
Herzog wrote the script in five days. The Maras play fictional characters Jean and Joan Holbrooke, twins whose intense codependency leads them to speak in unison, share dreams, and fall in love with the same man, played by Orlando Bloom. The film also features Domhnall Gleeson as a social worker.
According to the Venice Film Festival synopsis, the story follows how the world reacts to the sisters — “through the courts and the press, through those that want to help and those who want to use them.”
The central hook of “Bucking Fastard” is the sisters’ synchronization. They speak in unison throughout most of the film, sharing a single rhythm.
Speaking at the Venice press conference, Rooney admitted she initially found the project “very daunting” because of “the idea that we were going to be playing this same person.” However, she and Kate discovered their childhood bond gave them a natural shorthand.
“There was just an unspoken world between us that we didn’t have to work very hard to create at all,” Rooney said. “Once we found our flow together, we had so much fun and [it was a] very once-in-a-lifetime, very unique experience.”
Kate described the experience of speaking in unison as musical. “Once we figured out the rhythm of our speaking unison, it felt almost like a song, like we had this unspoken sort of rhythm together. And it just sort of happened quite naturally.”
Their ease with the challenge was so evident that Herzog cut the planned two-week rehearsal period to just five days, telling the sisters he would meet them in Ireland “in front of my camera.”
Despite decades in the industry, Rooney and Kate Mara had never appeared in a film together. Their careers followed different trajectories, with Rooney becoming an Oscar nominee for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Carol,” while Kate gained recognition through “House of Cards,” “The Martian,” and “Fantastic Four.”
Kate addressed their long-awaited collaboration in an interview, explaining that they had been wanting to work together for a while but nothing made sense until “Bucking Fastard.”
“This one was immediately a no-brainer,” she said. “It was so perfectly presented and the script was so special, and odd, so it’s an obvious thing to say yes to. But it kind of felt like it would never happen just because it was like too good to be true.”
The sisters had previously bonded over their shared profession. In a 2017 interview, Kate recalled that when Rooney began acting, they lived together for a year or two, sharing audition stories and even commiserating over negative reviews, which Kate described as “something super special that you can actually bond with a sibling over.”
The sisters have spoken warmly about their experience on “Bucking Fastard.” Rooney told reporters she had “never laughed so much” on a set and that working with Kate rekindled “a lot of childhood energy.”
Kate echoed the sentiment, noting that filming together made them realize how much they missed each other. In an interview on SiriusXM’s The Julia Cunningham Show, she said: “We finished the film and then like months later we were saying, ‘Oh, I miss you so much. We have to work together again so that we actually see each other more.'”
Orlando Bloom, who plays the object of both sisters’ affections, described the experience of acting alongside them as uncanny. “They were almost like they were breathing together, dreaming together, loving together, thinking together,” he told Reuters. “The movie feels like a poem.”
The film is directed by Werner Herzog, the 83-year-old German filmmaker known for works such as “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Grizzly Man,” and “Fitzcarraldo.” Herzog has described “Bucking Fastard” as “unique in film history” because two sisters are playing as one.
Speaking to reporters in Venice, Herzog said he had “a deep, deep understanding” of the late filmmaker David Lynch’s work and dedicated the film to him. “I wish we could turn the wheel of time back and invite him tonight. But it doesn’t happen like this.”
Herzog also praised Orlando Bloom, saying he was excited to see the actor step out of his established persona. “The heartthrob for the teenies,” Herzog said. “And now you are the bucking fastard.”
Rooney Mara, 41, earned critical acclaim and two Academy Award nominations for her work in David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011) and Todd Haynes’s “Carol” (2015). She also appeared in “The Social Network,” “A Ghost Story,” and “Lion.” Known for her intense, committed performances, Mara has maintained a reputation for choosing challenging, unconventional roles.
Her decision to star in “Bucking Fastard” alongside her sister adds a new dimension to her filmography — a collaboration that required her to share the screen in a way she never had before.
Kate Mara, 43, gained recognition for her role as Zoe Barnes in the first season of Netflix’s “House of Cards” and appeared in films including “The Martian,” “Fantastic Four,” and “Shooter.” She also starred in the “American Horror Story” franchise and the independent film “Megan Leavey.”
Mara has often worked in ensemble casts and high-profile productions, but “Bucking Fastard” gives her a central, shared role alongside her sister. She has described the experience as “cool” and “so heavenly,” noting that the forced proximity of working together was a welcome change from their busy lives as mothers.
Sibling collaborations in Hollywood are rare, especially between actresses who have both achieved independent success. The Mara sisters join a small group of acting siblings — including the Gyllenhaals, the Fannings, and the Skarsgårds — who have shared the screen.
What sets “Bucking Fastard” apart is the nature of the roles: the sisters are playing characters who are virtually one person. The film challenges them to erase the boundaries between themselves and their characters, a task made possible by their decades of shared history.
The Venice red-carpet moment is the public culmination of this private collaboration, giving fans a chance to see the sisters together in a way they have never been seen before.
The film was shot in Ireland and, according to critics, is “destined to polarise.” Reviews have ranged from “strange tale of sisterly devotion” to “cluttered, ripely bonkers fantasia.”
Premiering at Venice places “Bucking Fastard” on one of the world’s most prestigious festival stages, alongside films by Danny Boyle and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is leading the jury. Venice often serves as a launchpad for awards-season contenders, though the film’s critical reception remains mixed.
Herzog’s presence as director and the novelty of the Mara sisters’ collaboration have generated substantial press coverage, giving the film international visibility. Whether it wins the Golden Lion or not, “Bucking Fastard” has achieved what Herzog described as a “unique” place in cinema history.
For Rooney and Kate Mara, “Bucking Fastard” is not just a career milestone but a family moment. They have crossed a professional threshold by working together, and both have expressed interest in doing so again. Kate has said they “have to work together again” because filming brought them closer.
The Venice premiere and the months of press coverage surrounding the film have given audiences a new way to see the sisters — not as separate actors in separate projects, but as a pair whose real-life bond enriches their work.
Whether or not they collaborate again, “Bucking Fastard” will stand as their first and, for now, only shared credit: a film that asked them to speak, move, and dream as one.
1. Are Rooney Mara and Kate Mara sisters?
Yes. Rooney Mara and Kate Mara are sisters. They come from an entertainment family and have both built successful acting careers independently before working together on “Bucking Fastard.”
2. Have Rooney Mara and Kate Mara ever acted together before?
No. “Bucking Fastard” marks the first time the sisters have appeared in a film together. They had previously discussed the possibility but never found the right project until Werner Herzog’s script.
3. What movie are Rooney Mara and Kate Mara starring in together?
They are starring in “Bucking Fastard,” directed by Werner Herzog. The film premiered at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2026.
4. What is Bucking Fastard about?
The film follows twin sisters Jean and Joan Holbrooke who are so close that they speak in unison, share the same dreams, and fall in love with the same man. The story explores how the world reacts to their intense codependency.
5. Who directed Bucking Fastard?
The film is directed by Werner Herzog, the acclaimed German filmmaker known for “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Grizzly Man,” and “Fitzcarraldo.”
6. Did Rooney Mara and Kate Mara play sisters in the movie?
Yes. They play twin sisters Jean and Joan Holbrooke. The characters are so intertwined that they speak in unison and share dreams.
7. Where did Rooney Mara and Kate Mara appear together?
They appeared together at the 83rd Venice Film Festival in Italy, walking the red carpet for the world premiere of “Bucking Fastard” on September 3, 2026.
8. When will Bucking Fastard be released?
A U.S. release date has not yet been announced.
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