SUBMITTED BY Stephanie

May 7, 2004 — Check out 'Dark Horizon' for an interview on actress Diane Kruger, who will be playing Helen in the upcoming film, Troy. In the interview she talks about the expectations for such a coveted role in Troy, working with Orlando Bloom (Paris) and her upcoming films.

If Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, then beautiful German actress Diane Kruger's face is launching a thousand magazine covers. Next starring opposite Josh Hartnett in Wicker Park, and Nicolas Cage in National Treasure, Kruger plays THE INFAMOUS Helen to Eric Bana's Hector and Brad Pitt's Achilles in the monumental epic. If she's a star on the rise, Ms Kruger is not showing signs of ego quite yet. PAUL FISCHER met Hollywood's latest Helen in New York.

Question: Was there any intimidation at all in taking on the role of the most beautiful woman who's ever walked the Earth?

Diane: It's a lot of pressure. I feel like people [are] either going to go, "Yeah, I can relate to her face," or they'll be like, "What were they thinking?" But quite honestly, personally, I was much more concerned - I mean, there's not much I can do about my appearance obviously other than spending four hours in hair and makeup - but I was much more concerned to make - the part was a very challenging part for me - so I was much more concerned to look beyond that and make her more youthful, vulnerable, and show how sad she must have been from stories. So tragic.

Question: Did you want more of the relationship between Helen and Paris to come across? Personally I wanted to see more of why Paris was willing to sacrifice so much for Helen...

Diane: I guess the script was always like that. It's not something they cut out or whatever. I think they went with the idea that people know the story pretty much- knowing that he's going to take her when she's going to go with him. Also, the movie is really focused on Achilles and Hector and their battles.

Question: What is your interpretation? Why did she go if she knew there was going to be war?

Diane: What I really tried to do with Helen was make her show this sad side of her. She was married off at 16, was so young and living in this castle that can't leave because of how she looks, and married to a man she hates and three times her age. Her beauty didn't do her any good and she couldn't use it in any positive way or manipulative way. I just hope that people will look and see and believe in that hope of love, that hope of freedom, even if it was just for a limited time. It must have been so impossible to think about it and dare [to] do that, so they feel compassionate for her. I don't think the movie would work otherwise.

Question: Did it raise your self-esteem to be cast as the most beautiful woman in the world?

Diane: For a while, I guess. It's pretty flattering.

Question: Talk about the love scene with Orlando. Were you nervous about it and did you have any discussions about nudity and how much nudity should be in it?

Diane: The script was very explicit about the nudity that was supposed to be in the movie. Actually, they don't show everything we shot. They would cut here and it was floored. It was very embarrassing. I just met him over a week ago and he had never done a love scene. I sort of have one in "Wicker Park" but never on that scale. He's in full armour and I'm getting up and I'm taking the pins out his dress and it falls off completely and he's like "Uh, huh." That's his speech. Feel free, fifty people standing around, take a good look. Also, the scene that follows when I'm on the bed was actually hard to do because I was naked obviously and I'm sitting up and it's an emotional scene on top of that so it made me feel very vulnerable.

Question: How was working with Orlando?

Diane: It was really fun. He's a really cool guy. I don't know if you get a chance to talk to him but we have the same age, and our careers started a bit similar. They hired him for "Lord of the Rings" out of drama school. He's very new at this still and doesn't have a lot of experience. So we were in this together and we've tried to help each other out. We felt very equal which was good.

Question: Did he try to do anything to make the love scene more comfortable? Did he set you aside and try to calm you down?

Diane: He just took me aside and actually said, "This is the first time I'm doing this." I don't think we looked at each other in the eyes for a week or so because we were so embarrassed by it.

Click on the link below to read the entire interview.