BY ANTONY TEOFILO | Persephone is quite the bombshell enigma. A darkly elegant ice queen, she glides across the scene with all the poise of a royal goddess; yet hovering behind her placid gaze and deliciously pouting lips is a steel trap that can spring with deadly force at any moment. Shes a killer queen, equal parts brutal and regal. Like a venomous, delicate flower, you must look. But definitely dont touch.

Is she a villain or a confederate? Only she knows, and Persephone isnt talking. Persephone does assist Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity at a crucial part of their journey to save the world. Why does she do it? To give her reason would be telling you too much; but the answer can be found at the heart of one of: Reloadeds funniest, sexiest scenes.

Monica Bellucci carries Persophones graceful aire on her person, but her mellow demeanor suggests no Machiavellian murderers instinct. Shes just happy to be a part of the world of the Matrix, happy to have gotten to work with the Wachowski brothers. She has been a fan of theirs since Bound became a hit for the Wachowskis a few years ago in Europe. Reloaded returns the brothers to their roots in that, like Bound, when things get dangerous, they also tend to get extremely sexy.

Monica Belluccis Persephone gives an insanely gorgeous face to that idea.

Q: Youre playing a brand new character in The Matrix: Reloaded. Who is Persephone?

A: Persephone, in Greek mythology, is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and the goddess of fertility, Demeter. [Persephone] was kidnapped by Hades, the king of the underworld to be his queen. She was allowed to come back into the living world for part of the year. This tells us a lot about Persephone [in The Matrix: Reloaded]. Shes living between two worlds. Shes just another program from an old matrix, so shes not human, but she wants to feel human emotions. Shes like a vampire of emotions. She doesnt feel anything herself, she can only feel things through others. Theres something really sad and tragic about her. Shes sensual, shes dangerous, but shes also desperate.

Q: How many times did you have to kiss Keanu Reeves.

A: Oh, so many. [Laughs] It was a long, long scene. For the Wachowskis the scene was so important. We had to do the scene maybe twenty times, maybe fifty times, I dont know. Many, many times. But it wasnt painful. Keanu is a good kisser. In our work, we have to get so intimate with people that we dont know. Its such a strange thing to get so intimate and so deep, and I dont know Keanu very well, even though Ive known him a long time. Nine years ago when he did Dracula, I was just a model at the time, and I had a little tiny moment in the film, and it was a kiss with Keanu. So every nine years, I kiss him. [Laughs]

Q: What makes a good screen kiss?

A: What makes a good kiss is when an actor can give something. In this case, I couldnt do anything. Persephone is so cynical. All my reactions come from his way of kissing me. He did very well.

Q: Do you think audiences in Europe will respond positively to the fast pace this movie?

A: I dont want to think that in Europe, we only do intellectual movies, and in America we only do popcorn movies. I dont think [thats] true at all. In America, there are so many beautiful, deep movies. You can see The Matrix, and Magnolia, and American Movie, and Far From Heaven. These are incredible stories.

What I like about America is the energy. There is so much going on here. Things dont have time to get old, because everything is so fast. Americans dont walk, they run everywhere. For this reason, after awhile, I cant stand it. I need to go home, I need to relax in the calm and quiet of Europe. But I love it here. Its so amazing.

Q: In this movie, how much of your character is your costume?

A: A lot. Kym Barrett did such an amazing job with my costume. [Persephone] is very much in my dress, and my high heels. Its because of the way she walks and the way she moves: so feminine, so elegant, so sensual.

Q: How do you think French audiences will like your husband in the movie, The Merovingian?

A: Its so funny Lambert [Wilson] speaks English so well, unlike me. I have a very strong accent. He speaks so beautifully. And then in the film, he has to speak with a heavy French accentbecause the brothers told him to. Hes so funny, and hes such a good actor.

Q: You talk about the old Matrix programs having created myths like vampires and werewolves and things in previous versions of the Matrix. Your character kills with a silver bullet in one scene. Does that mean that the character you kill is a werewolf?

A: Yes. But it also means that Persephone just knows how to kill another program from an older Matrix.

Q: What is the origin of the name Merovingian?

A: The name comes from an old aristocratic family, and a man who destroys families. The real evil his him, not me. He kidnapped me. [Laughs]

Q: Tell me about working with the Wachowskis

A: They Wachowskis to me are so mysterious, so European. What I like about those guys is that they are completely in control. In Europe, directors have complete control of the movie. In America, sometimes its different. In America, sometimes the producer has a lot of power, and sometimes also the actors. The lead actor in an American film has so much power. Sometimes he can say, Put the camera here, instead of there. This doesnt exist in Europe. I think if an actor can direct, why doesnt he do his own movie? The Wachowski brothers are completely in control. If they dont like something, they reshoot. I love to work with people who are in control of their movies, who are precise, and they know what they want. Its great to work like that.

Q: Are they different personalities, or are they very similar?

A: They are complementary. They talk about the same scenes, and sometimes they come to you, and say things that are completely opposite, and then [the actor] has to [find the common ground]. Even though they respect the script, you are completely free as an actress. I gave to them my interpretation of Persephone. You start from that part, and you work together, and you find the best way to give life to your character. I had a lot of freedom in the interpretation of Persephone.

Q: Did you ever discuss the ideas behind the movie with the brothers?

A: I would love to speak to the Wachowski brothers. I would love to know where this film comes from. I would really love to know which kind of books they read, which kinds of herbs they drank. [Laughs]