|
|
|
HYPE: Marton Csokas Name the actor: Born in New Zealand, this darkly charismatic performer first made American audiences take note by playing a violent thug caught up in racial tensions amidst the immigrant classes Down Under. If Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper is the first thing that comes to mind, then maybe you just haven't heard of Marton Csokas yet. His role as the drug-dealing, Maori beating, over-protective older brother from hell Darko in the harrowing Kiwi drama Broken English is well worth renting, and it positioned him to follow Crowe, Jackman, Pearce et al. to Hollywood. Since then he's had "blink and you'll miss him" parts in The Fellowship of the Ring and Star Wars Episode II. All that will change this summer as Csokas tackles the most visible role of his career, playing the evil anarchist Yorgi opposite Vin Diesel in xXx. Of Hungarian descent and trained in the theater, Csokas lived in Moscow for several weeks prior to filming to immerse himself and perfect his Russian accent. Next up for Csokas he'll have roles in the kangaroo mob comedy Down & Under for producer Jerry Bruckheimer; Garage Days, Alex Proyas' tale of musicians struggling in Sydney; and the big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's Timeline. |
|
|
|
But unlike many headline-grabbing actresses, Jolie is even more interesting on-screen than off. The dangerously screwed-up beauties she has played in George Wallace, Gia, Playing by Heart, Pushing Tin and Girl, Interrupted have all been tangible, believable creations. In her first big-budget thriller, The Bone Collector, she easily matched the skill and intensity of Denzel Washington. She's likely to stun audiences as the take-no-prisoners action heroine Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, a fantasy adventure adap from the video game by director Simon West (see story on p. 54). And who isn't looking forward to watching her later this summer when she plays the sex-obsessed femme fatale who enraptures Antonio Banderas in Original Sin? When Angelina Jolie greets me for this interview, she strikes me as someone fully capable of doing all that she has done offscreen and all that she's expected to do on-screen as Lara Croft. She's dressed in a black T-shirt and black leather jacket, and she looks like she might throw a mean right if provoked. "Call me Angie," she says, reaching out to shake my hand. I can tell she is indeed something like her father--intense, focused. And I have little doubt that, like her father, she'll be original in her thinking. For Lawrence Grobel's interview pick up the June issus of Movieline. PAGE 1 | 2 |