Wiest owes her two Oscars to Woody Allen movies, and in July Arianda begins her first film with Allen — in Paris, for two months. Michael ("Frost/Nixon") Sheen, who attended her Venus in Fur opening, will co-star (reportedly, as her husband).
Contrary to how he historically does these things, writer-director Allen announced in advance the title, cast and plot of the picture. "Midnight in Paris" stars Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni and Corey Stoll. It's described as a romantic comedy about a family traveling to Paris on business.

But, first — at the end of this month — Arianda will play Vera Farmiga's sister in "Higher Ground," in a film Farmiga will direct in upstate New York. Earlier this year, Farmiga was in the Oscar running for her performance in "Up in the Air."

As for stage work, Arianda said, "There's a very good chance that Venus in Fur will be transferring uptown to Broadway in winter" — a nice time for a Venus in fur.

Next week, she will join Raul Esparza and Michael Urie for a Manhattan Theatre Club reading of Golden Age, a play her Venus in Fur director, Walter Bobbie, directed in the spring at the Kennedy Center's Terrence McNally festival. McNally substantially rewrote the piece, and a brand-new cast will give it an airing.

— Harry Haun