“Miss Potter” is directed by Chris Noonan, produced by Mike Medavoy, and star Oscar-winner Rene Zellweger.At a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage, Beatrix Potter became an iconic figure, swimming with great fortitude against the tide. She created a series of books and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago; since their publication they have never been out of print. She was also a distinguished painter and–had she been a man–her botanical drawings would have been snapped up by the Royal Horticultural Society at Kew Gardens. Decade After BabeAustralian Chris Noonan committed to direct in spring 2004. The more he read, and researched, the more Noonan became fascinated by the woman, her life and her achievements. Signing Noonan for the project was inspirational?the director of “Babe” had waited a decade before choosing his follow-up movie. “I was offered every project under the sun, but I just couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for them. And when I did find something, the producers didn’t want to concentrate on what I found interesting about it.”Noonan on Zellweger“There is nothing over-produced or over-rehearsed about Ren?e’s performance,” said director Chris Noonan. “There’s real spontaneity. You know she has an anarchic, subversive sense of humor, and when you learn more about Beatrix Potter, you discover she had real wit, and was far earthier than you might suppose.”Ewan McGregorThe first choice to play Miss Potter’s secret sweetheart, publisher Norman Warne was Ewan McGregor. He and Zellweger worked together on “Down With Love” and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and were actively looking for another film to do together. McGregor, recently a celebrated Sky Masterson on the West End stage in “Guys and Dolls,” plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ three prequels to “Star Wars.” To read the complete article, visit www.emanuellevy.comThanks to Roberta for the find!