“It’s… a little fragile”: how Kate Beckinsale turned into an “Underworld” action hero overnight.

Kate Beckinsale admits she wasn’t a natural action star, recalling how she prepared for the role of Selena. In the 2003 film Underworld, Beckinsale plays a vampire killer caught up in a war between vampires and lycans, a type of werewolf. Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, the film became more popular with audiences, and Beckinsale would return to play Selena in four sequels.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! To celebrate Underworld’s 20th anniversary, Beckinsale recalls having reservations about the exciting role. While the physical aspect of playing a character like Selena was daunting at first, the actress clearly learned very quickly. Here’s what Beckinsale said about her role:

“I was in the States for a while, and every now and then I would audition for policewoman roles or something stronger, and people would say, ‘Oh, but she’s too much like Jane Austen,’ and very period-based, a little fragile. . . Oh, I thought, “I can’t accept this.”

“And then all of a sudden they sent me this script, and I also thought, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do this.’ I never thought I was that kind of person.”

“It was really scary because I had never shot a gun before. I ran like a girl. In short, it was a disaster. I really needed help with this. I remember the stunt doubles were terrified. (They said): “Give a few blows.” They’re like, “Oh my God. It will take some time”.

A saga like Underworld wouldn’t work without Beckinsale’s compelling performance as an action heroine. Like Milla Jovovich and the Resident Evil saga, Underworld relies heavily on its female protagonist being able to reliably defend herself against terrifying monsters and formidable enemies.

One of the reasons why Selena succeeds as a leading actress is her excellent screen presence. Her character has a reputation as a warrior in the world of underworld films, and Beckinsale’s failure to capture that element of physicality would have meant the whole idea fell apart. No matter how well he plays the quieter and more emotional scenes, not looking convincing while shooting, running, or throwing punches would simply ruin the illusion of the entire film.

While the dark, monster-filled world of the Underworld Saga is one of the reasons for its success, it’s the characters that make the setting fascinating. Selena is one of the few characters to appear in all five films in the saga, and it’s hard to imagine the saga continuing this long without Beckinsale’s involvement. The actress played the action heroine so skillfully that after “Another World” she took on other action-packed roles.

Source: Yahoo!