Rachel Weisz thrilled with Wicked Witch role

Rachel Weisz was thrilled to land a role as the Wicked Witch of the East in The Wizard Of Oz prequel because it gave her the chance to play a villain.

The British actress stars alongside James Franco as the wizard in upcoming movie Oz: The Great and Powerful, which is based on the books of L. Frank Baum and tells the story previous to Judy Garland's famous 1939 film.

Mila Kunis plays Theodora, the Wicked Witch of the West, while Weisz tackles the role of Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East - and she relished the chance to show off her bad side.

She tells Deadline.com, "It's the prequel to The Wizard Of Oz, the genesis of how he became the Wizard and got to Emerald City. There are huge, fantastical special effects - and I can fly. I'd never done anything like that. I play Evanora the Wicked Witch of the East. She's so bad, so it's a total departure (from my other films)."

The Mummy star now prefers to tackle smaller, independent movies, but she is always open to returning to blockbusters to give her a break from the emotional intensity of her more challenging roles.

She adds, "Working with a green screen (on blockbusters) is easy. It's just like being a kid. But it's not nearly as satisfying. I prefer smaller movies because they tend to be more about character than about story... (But) you can't plumb the depths (of emotion) all the time."