Bedford's Mara To Star In 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'
BEDFORD, N.Y. (CBS 2) -- One of the hottest books on the shelves has just finished casting for its upcoming movie. The female lead -- from Westchester County -- may be a relative unknown in Hollywood, but she comes from a well-known football family.
25-year-old actress Rooney Mara is all set to star opposite Daniel Craig in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Her biggest film so far has been the remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
Mara is also the great granddaughter of Tim Mara, who founded the New York Giants, and Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jordi Lippe of Life & Style Weekly said Mara beat out big names including Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Ellen Page to win the role.
Mara was born and raised in Bedford and graduated from Fox Lane High School in 2003, where she still has plenty of fans including her former guidance counselors -- Steve Marcisz and Kristin Brown.
"I think she wanted to be a very typical kid, and really just laid back," Marcisz said.
"Trisha would never really mention anything about her family and her parents were also very modest," Brown said.
Mara went to NYU and fell in love with the children she met while volunteering in Africa. She also started the charity "Faces of Kibera."
Those who've known Mara for years say although her Hollywood star is about to explode, they'll always remember her as a young woman with feet planted firmly on the ground.
"She has a really solid family that's not looking to be 'Entertainment Tonight' centerpieces and I think that's something that's been cultivated through all their kids," Steve Marcisz said.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo begins filming next month in Sweden and is due out in December of next year.
