Casting Casting Psycho was as dangerous a process as any in the production. The filmmakers wanted to avoid direct comparisons between the new cast and their iconic counterparts in the original; but at the same time, there was a sense of needing a group of actors who would be just as fresh and extraordinary in the roles. Anne Heche was faced with taking on one of the most famous female roles in motion pictures-the evocative Marion Crane, who checks into a motel on her way to freedom and finds herself on a journey for which she didn't bargain. Originally played with a bold sensuality by Janet Leigh, Heche took on the role knowing she would have to take it somewhere different. "Marion is a woman who is very close to her dream but she gets stuck," says Heche. "I think she's a woman who wants out of the life that she's created for herself to some capacity, even though I don't think she's conscious of it. But Psycho plays on so many different levels that the conscious and unconscious, the subliminal and the real are equally important." "I would say the behavior of Marion is still the same in the re-creation but her inner workings are what's different," she explains. "I obviously had to modernize her because she was very risqué for her day in the 60s but what was risqué back then is not so risqué now." She adds: "I don't think this version is about taking something away from the original or trying to make it better. It was more about trying to expand on the way Hitchcock wanted it only more so and in a more modern way. Part of the fun and challenge of doing it was to make those same words in the original Psycho seem like they were said today and it just kind of creates a different tweak of energy, a different time and space for the characters." Nevertheless, Heche found constant inspiration in Leigh's performance. "I think she's a brilliant actress," comments Heche. "I looked closely at her every scene before we shot." Finding a new Norman Bates also gave the filmmakers pause. In the original, the wiry, stammering Anthony Perkins brought his own frightening, edgy energy to the role, an energy that Van Sant felt was so strong it couldn't be replicated. "At first it was hard to imagine the part without envisioning Anthony Perkins," he admits. "What helped was looking back at the novel and seeing what the original character was like-he was nothing like Perkins. It helped me to focus on finding someone new, someone conceivable as this character, yet who didn't play into the way Perkins did it so much." Vince Vaughn, an actor with his own unique intensity, suited Van Sant's new vision. Explains Brian Grazer: "What Vince has is a sort of charming, sweet quality that hooks you in. He's funny and he's found a way to organically integrate that into the character. But he also has this sort of weird, freaky side and Gus is really good at getting to that." Vaughn realized that the role would come with a certain baggage of controversy, but that didn't deter him. "Although I was a big fan of Psycho, I figured just because something like this recreation has never been done before doesn't mean you shouldn't attempt it. I was open to it. I think art is meant to be interpreted and played with. It happens in music all the time, where one singer does a version of another's song years later in a different style that moves you in a different way. How do you compare Ray Charles' version of 'Unchain My Heart' to Hank Williams' version, you know?" Like Van Sant, Vaughn tried not to be too influenced by Perkins' very individual read of the role. "Clearly, Anthony Perkins did a brilliant job, his signature performance," he states. "But I'm Vince Vaughn and I've had my own life experiences that I bring to the screen. I tried to pay tribute to his performance and honor his choices, while at the same time changing things to a certain degree." Viggo Mortenson, cast in the role of Sam Loomis, Marion's lover, also brought his own interpretation to the role originally played by John Gavin. Notes Brian Grazer: "Viggo changed the character a bit through intonation. He adds a sort of Texas flair that's at once odd and very cool." Adds Mortenson: "I think we've had an opportunity to flesh out the characters a bit more this time, giving a little more to them while still using the same dialogue." Academy Award® - nominated actor William H. Macy plays the role of private detective Milton Arbogast, originally played by Martin Balsam. Like many of his generation, Macy's first reaction to the new Psycho was "Why? Why remake it?" But this is what I decided," he explains. "First, I think there are a lot of folks who don't see black and white films and aren't going to start but who will see this. Second, the biggest reason I wanted to do it was Gus Van Sant. I mean if he were directing the phone book, I would do it. Third, he got this cracker jack cast. And finally, I think that this is going to be at once an homage to the original and a brand new movie in its own right." Unlike some of his fellow actors, Macy chose not to refer back to the original in his own preparation. "I chose not to watch the film again," he comments. "Martin Balsam was such a great actor that it was a relief to me to find that I had a slightly different take on the role. I'm trying to keep the framework of what he did, while putting my own stamp on it." Also, putting a unique stamp on a classic role is Julianne Moore, cast as Marion's sister Lila, the role created by Vera Miles. Moore was attracted to the challenge of giving a 40-year-old script a fresh reading. "The script reflects a certain style of the 50s and 60s, slightly different in tone from scripts we're used to today. That in itself was interesting to me, to try to adapt yourself to making something modern that isn't quite modern. Our job was to find a way to bring it alive," she notes. Moore also wanted to honor Miles' original performance, but she admits: "I'm sure glad I didn't have to wear a swing coat like poor Vera did through the entire movie." In addition to the principal cast, the production was completed with some prominent names in smaller roles. Robert Forster was cast in the role of Dr. Simon, Chad Everett took the role of millionaire Tom Cassidy and Rance Howard, father of Imagine's Ron Howard, played real estate broker Mr. Lowry. Other cast members include Rita Wilson as Marion's co-worker, Caroline, James Remar as a patrolman, James LeGros as the car dealer, Philip Baker Hall as Sheriff Chambers and Anne Haney as Mrs. Chambers. Comments Brian Grazer: "It would be rare to get these caliber actors in small parts, but they did it because of Gus and because of the other extraordinary actors we've attracted."