Actress moves into alien territory
Diane Kruger plays an otherworldly being in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host
LOS ANGELES — Diane Kruger might be born in Germany, but she’s making it in America.
Sure, Kruger happily returns to Paris because she began her career there as a model. And most fans know she’s been hanging out in Vancouver because she’s been in a relationship with Vancouver’s Joshua Jackson for more than six years.
It was nine years ago that Kruger introduced herself to North American audiences in the swords- and- sandals epic Troy and validated her arrival with subsequent co- starring parts in the two National Treasure adventures.
Confirmation of the 36- yearold’s elevated Hollywood status came with her acclaimed performance in Quentin Tarantino’s war picture Inglourious Basterds.
Now she’s expanding her demographic horizons with her portrayal in the film version of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series followup, The Host.
The sci- fi movie features Kruger as an obsessive alien Seeker in charge of providing human bodies on Earth for newly arrived alien beings.
In this future, the passive aliens have infiltrated most of the globe’s population and transformed Earth into a safe and peaceful place with only a few human settlements refusing to be controlled.
When rebellious human Melanie Stryder ( Saoirse Ronan) is captured, her body is implanted with an alien soul called Wanderer. But Melanie’s still- viable mind persuades Wanderer to escape to a human hideout with Kruger’s Seeker hot on the trail.
Oscar winner William Hurt co- stars as Melanie’s odd uncle Jeb, the leader of the underground desert hideaway. Max Irons is Melanie’s boyfriend, convinced that the alien in Melanie’s likeness has been sent to root them out. Chandler Canterbury portrays Melanie’s loyal little brother.
Certainly, Kruger’s role is a departure for her. Hardly sexy, her Seeker seems icy cold, wears a spotlessly white uniform and drives the latest Lotus sports car.
“Apparently aliens figured out how to do laundry and drive shiny chrome cars that never seem to get dirty,” joked Kruger in a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel suite while promoting The Host.
Silliness aside, she was seriously involved in the film for an assortment of reasons. She’s a big fan of sci- fi movies and especially The Host director Andrew Niccol’s movie Gattaca.
“Then obviously Stephenie Meyer is a draw,” said the actress. “I really liked Twilight because it appeals to my inner teenage girl.
“And the Seeker was one of the cooler characters to play. She has such an arc in the film, and I thought it would be a really cool thing to be part of the Stephenie Meyer cool kids club.” That doesn’t mean the part was all fun and games. For one thing, Kruger had to wear disorienting contact lenses in her eyes to give her the appropriate alien look, but the lenses seriously curtailed her lateral vision on set.
“They were not fun,” Kruger said of the tailor- made contacts. “You can see but you can’t see people when they come from the sides. Then at night, you don’t see anything, which actually helped with the performance.”
Even more difficult was finding the right tone for her character, who cloaks some underlying contradictions discovered at the conclusion. “What’s weird is to say lines without intent, to just always be pleasant and then pleasantly terrifying,” said Kruger. “It’s a strange exercise.”
She can handle it. In fact, she’s always in demand thanks to her reputation as an amiable and multi- faceted talent.
Born in Algermissen, Germany, Kruger began her performance career as a ballerina who successfully auditioned for The Royal Ballet School in London. An injury ended a promising future, but Kruger, at 16, decided to try modelling in Paris, and it worked out.
A decade later, she enrolled at a Parisian acting school, which eventually led to her 2004 movie debut playing Helen in Troy.
Meanwhile, National Treasure fans want to know: Will there be a third one? After all, both pictures combined to earn an impressive $ 805 million US at the worldwide box office.
“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Kruger said. “There was talk about it a year ago, but I haven’t heard anything since and it’s been like five years. But never say never.”