'I see them to check they haven’t gained 200lbs': Woody Allen on casting Penelope Cruz and Rachel McAdams

His is known for finding and showcasing some of the world's most beautiful, unique and talented women.



But famed director Woody Allen has revealed he is terribly shy when it comes to the casting of his muses which have included Penelope Cruz, Naomi Watts, Scarlett Johansson and now Rachel McAdams.



In fact the 75-year-old has said he finds it so hard making small talk with the women that he only meets them to check they haven't put on weight or undergone facial surgery.

Muse: Penelope Cruz features in a W Magazine spread about director Woody Allen's female inspiration

Allen spoke candidly with W Magazine of his approach to casting the women who have inspired him to write some of his most popular roles.

'Casting is so awkward,' he admitted, despite having a movie career that spans five decades.

'I’m too shy to meet them. I have the women come in and I don’t let them sit down. I make up some questions, but I couldn’t care less about chatting.

'I only see them to make sure that they haven’t gained 200 pounds or had five face jobs. I want to see that the woman I saw on the DVD is still intact.'

Bombshell: Naomi Watts featured in You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, in which she played the wife of a philandering husband Due to his dislike of the auditioning process, Allen finds most of his female leads from watching them in other acting roles. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

1

Next Gwyneth Paltrow serves up her spring fashion... My, how you've grown! Jerry Maguire's adorable child star... Share this article Share One such woman was Penelope Cruz, who along with Naomi Watts and Rachel McAdams, was photographed for the editorial spread in next months issue of the fashion bible.

Cruz was cast as Marie Elena in Vicky Christina Barcelona - a role which won her an Oscar.

New inspiration: Rachel McAdams is the star of Woody's new film Midnight In Paris which premièred at the Cannes Film Festival 'Woody and I had a meeting in New York for 40 seconds, and when I left, the people who worked in his office said, ‘Oh - you have been there for a very long time,' Penelope said of her meeting with the socially awkward director. Checking her out: Woody Allen with his most recent star Rachel McAdams However he raved about her despite their brief initial introduction.

'I had so much confidence in Penélope,' Woody told the magazine, 'that I let her and Javier Bardem improvise in Spanish in Vicky Cristina. To this day, I have no idea what they were saying.' Penelope's co-star in the film, Scarlett Johansson, has also become a slight obsession for the director and starred in three Woody Allen, written and directed films including Match Point and Scoop. But one actress her pursued for years was Australian beauty Naomi Watts. 'I wanted to work with Naomi Watts for a long time,” he said, “and then I cast her in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger as the discontented wife of a philandering husband. And she was very funny and very sexy.' The directors newest inspiration is drawn from his current leading lady Rachel McAdams.

After seeing her performance in Wedding Crashers he knew there would be a role for her in one of his films.

He cast her in his new film Midnight In Paris which premiered earlier this week at the Cannes Film Festival.



'I wanted her to play the bad girl, the girl who’s sexy enough to be negative and still interesting,..But I’m crazy about Rachel.'

However it seems that Woody falls a little bit in love with every woman he chooses to portray the characters he creates.

