Wearing skintight costumes in the horror romance, "Underworld."
April 21, 2004 - With her irresistible charm, England’s Kate Beckinsale (Anna in "Van Helsing") has captured the attention of audiences and critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
In a challenging role that broke from all previous characters that Beckinsale has portrayed, she was most recently seen starring in "Underworld." The film tells a modern tale of deadly action and forbidden love between a beautiful aristocratic vampire, Selene, portrayed by Beckinsale, and her mortal enemy, a werewolf who is also the member of shrewd gang of street thugs, played by Scott Speedman.
Beckinsale was also recently seen in the ensemble drama "Laurel Canyon" for Sony Pictures Classics. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, the film also stars Frances McDormand, Christian Bale and Alesandro Nivola. Beckinsale portrays Bale’s fiancé who returns with him to LA and becomes seduced by his free-spirited mother’s lifestyle and by her lover, a British rocker.
Beckinsale starred in Peter Chelsom’s "Serendipity" for Miramax Films. Beckinsale and John Cusack portray strangers who meet and fall in love one night. 10 years later, when each is on the verge of marriage to someone else, they become convinced they are soul mates and they embark on a race against time to find each other again.
Upcoming, Beckinsale will be seen portraying Ava Gardner opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes in the Martin Scorsese-directed screen biography "The Aviator." She will also be seen starring in the independent film "Tiptoes," opposite Matthew McConaughey. Beckinsale portrays a young woman who finds out she is pregnant, but becomes concerned when she learns her boyfriend (McConaughey) comes from a long line of little people.
Her U.S. debut was in Kenneth Branagh’s critically acclaimed film, "Much Ado About Nothing," with Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington. Beckinsale’s roles for television have included the Hallmark telefilm "One Against the Wind" and the series "Anna Lee" and "Rachel’s Dream."
