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Proudly hosted by The Fan Sites Network. Layout by Frederik. Other graphics and final touches were made by Annie. Special thanks goes out to my three special collaborators and contributors: Audrey (from France), Beatrice (from Italy) and Stef.
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Map of Asia: Indie queen/action babeBy ELIZABETH WEITZMAN Italian actress Asia Argento has been making movies and headlines since she was a little girl cast in films written by her father, famed horror director Dario Argento ("Suspiria," "Deep Red"). Both her films and her wild-child ways (high-profile love affairs, uninhibited interviews, an exceptionally healthy attitude toward nudity) have made her a household name overseas. Thus far, she has escaped significant scrutiny on our shores, but that may change Friday, when Argento hits screens in two movies, "XXX" and "Scarlet Diva." "Every film is a clear step in a constantly changing life," says the 26-year-old Argento, as Anna Lou, her infant daughter by a former boyfriend, an Italian musician named Morgan, crawls across her lap. Appropriately enough, then, the two films represent drastically different sides of the actress. Argento's prematernal life was the inspiration for "Scarlet Diva," an independent film directed by the actress. As raw and tortured as a teenager's diary, "Scarlet Diva" is a sex-and-drugs-fueled story of "the loneliest girl in the world," a superstar (played by Argento) with millions of fans and no true friends. The film was treated harshly by most Italian critics, who have not been able to reconcile the offscreen siren with the serious actress (Argento has won two David di Donatello Awards, Italy's Oscars). What mattered most to her, though, was simply that it was made. "'Scarlet Diva' was like therapy for me. It is a childish movie, but for me it was also very liberating. I needed to do it, to close that chapter of my life." "XXX," a big-budget, Hollywood action movie in which she plays Vin Diesel's enigmatic Russian love interest, is opening a chapter. "Making 'XXX' was about doing the contrary to everything I stood for before. It was about leaving Italy, growing up and having security for my daughter." However, she's not entirely convinced her permanent place is in the States. "I was surprised that I was cast in 'XXX,' since I'm not the typical Hollywood beauty. I'm really crooked - my nose, my teeth, nothing is perfect! Everyone is labeled in America, and I don't think I can live up to those expectations," she says. Jeanine Basinger, chairwoman of Wesleyan University's film studies program, notes that Argento may actually benefit from her reluctance to be categorized. "It's not easy to be taken seriously after making a big action movie like 'XXX,'" says Basinger. "On the other hand, Asia's not going to be considered suitably 'babe-alicious' by Hollywood if she's starring in heavy indie dramas. For an actress to give us both the yin and the yang on the same day is a pretty rare move. It's also a wise one." Rob Cohen, "XXX's" director, was drawn to Argento's dichotomies. "She's like a hunk of barbed wire wrapped around a very tender heart," he says, noting that he "looked at 500 actresses" before casting Argento. Then again, it's hard to label someone who's still not sure where she fits in.
"It's funny to be considered the 'girl with a gun,' because that's so far from who I am. But you know what?" she says, with only a hint of a smile, "I could be the brainless action chick. Life would be so much easier."
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