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Rosario Dawson was a natural choice for the role of 'Naturelle.' Dawson and Spike Lee had previously worked together on "He Got Game," and had been looking for another project to work on together.

“I love working with Rosario, and right away there was very good chemistry between her and Edward [Norton],” says Lee.

Dawson's onscreen love interest, Edward Norton as Monty, had nothing but praise for his co-star's approach to acting. “She has a very natural sense of understatement. She is very comfortable with stillness, which I think is the key to film acting and which I think is very rare in an actress as young as she is. I was very impressed with Rosario’s talent in ‘He Got Game’ and really wanted her to play this part," explains Norton.

ROSARIO DAWSON ('Naturelle')

Was Spike Lee intimidated when you demanded this role from him?
No, you know, he loves a good fight so he was kind of excited. I was like, “Don't even show me who else is up for this because I don't want to have to put any tabs on anybody, know what I mean?”

Did you know that in the book the character was Naturelle Rosario?
Yeah, I was like, “Dude, it's my role, so that's it.” I think we just danced around and it was really cute. It was nice actually because we'd been wanting to work together again for a long time. He was excited about having something that he felt would be challenging and wonderful for us to work with again, but he was just worried that it might've been too similar to Lala in “He Got Game.” That was something that we really worked on, not repeating ourselves. But I was like, “This is not going to be a problem because I'm playing a woman. It's very different from the little girl that I was playing before.” So, that was really interesting, tackling this and being so specific and cautious and focused on it.

Was it different working with Spike Lee again after making two movies with Ed Burns?
I've noticed a growth in Spike and definitely in myself. I feel like the seeds that he planted in me five years ago have ripened up to a place where I could even tackle this role in the way that I did. This was really challenging.

He has changed so much. It was really interesting. His passion was charged in a way when he was younger, and he was just in a different place in his life than he is now. It was really wonderful this time around and being able to see that, and I think vice versa, because over the years we keep bumping into each other and talking and stuff, just seeing each other grow has always been really nice. It just only made me anticipate more and more the opportunity to work with him again. And it was very rewarding.

Why is Naturelle with Monty (played by Edward Norton), a drug dealer who many would consider the scum of the earth?
I think if you look at it superficially, yeah, you could say that about him. What I like is that you see that there's so much more. We did so much, like things that aren't in the book, [such as] how he loved his photography. How in the very beginning of the film when you first meet him, yeah, he is a drug dealer and he's about to go on a drug run, but he stops to pick up this dog and nurses it back to help.

When we meet, I'm interested and I'm curious about what he's doing because he's burning a number from a client. And I'm like, “Who is this?” and my girlfriend's like, “That's a drug dealer. Stay away from him.” So I'm automatically peaked and what do we talk about? Basketball. It's like our relationship is always about the other side that isn't the obvious side. It's like who we are as people and then that's the other side, what he does for a living. We've kind of ignored it and kept it away. I think what's interesting about how it's done is that it's not black and white. I think you like Monty. I think he's a really good guy. He's charming, he's interesting, he's got good friends and I think it's those exact qualities about him. He uses his good powers for evil, and that's when it gets to the dangerous side of it. I think the dangerous element, again, she's young [and] it's very attractive. I think that's what keeps her there, but it's not something that would have lasted for very much longer.

It's exactly those qualities that are almost irresistible to the people in his life. Most of the people, especially the people who really care about him, his good friends, the people who know him the best, are all these people who have regular, morally sound, jobs and lifestyles. But every single one of them admires him and to some degree is a little jealous, a little envious, and covet the lifestyle that he has. Maybe not the means by which he gets it, but definitely the lifestyle that he has. I think that's what they all share and that's where they want to superficially deal with him in that way, not really take on the bigger picture.

I thought my character definitely was very much in love with him and wanted to be with him, but I think at some point they were going to have to draw the line. You can only avoid responsibility for so long. The catalyst ended up being the law coming down and finally saying, “You guys suspended judgement and that's fine, because we're not.” They kind of took it out of our hands. We're still able to deal with him on an emotional level. He got his just means because that's just how it works. He got his consequences but none of us fed it to him.

Monty's friends and his father stay very loyal to him. How do you explain considering the fact he's a drug dealer?
I'd love to be the first one to say this, but it automatically turns into - we all have those responsibilities that we ignore because we don't feel like they're ours. And it's very easy to go into a Gap or whatever, those stores, and buy a $15 shirt from Old Navy and completely ignore the fact that that family tears down trees in Brazil and is causing deforestation and desertification and go, “That's not really my problem.” So, it's really easy for Monty's father to be like, “I can't believe you're doing this. It's a really hard life that you're doing and selling drugs.” But [Monty's] like, “You had no problem when you were in debt, taking the money from me, and you knew where it came from.”

It's that same sort of idea that the relationship we have to lots of people in our lives that are not... All the times that you take the easier route of just kind of ignoring how that transaction's going down and not taking responsibility of putting your foot down. We all do it to a certain level. It's very subtle. But this person just took it a little too far and he suffers for it.

But again, I think it's all the opportunities that we have at every single one of those moments that's in our face, it's glaringly obvious and we always ignore it. All the times being like, “Who rented this car and why are we going to this place?” You take the easy route and go, “Oh, thanks for the champagne. I'll have another.”

How is the boyfriend situation?
Well, I'm alone now. I know that's not what the trades say. It's actually been really weird. People keep asking me, "So, how is it with so and so?"

The trades or the tabloids?
Both (laughing). But I'm sort of doing the alone thing right now, which is cool.

Want to clear up rumors about Cris Judd?
I'm alone, so I think that clears that up pretty quickly.

Was it just made up?
It was completely, which is actually really funny. I didn't even remember it because it kind of came up, and then a week later it said I broke up with him. Then a week later I supposedly dumped him to date Adam 12, this other friend of mine that I was seen hanging out with. I was just sort of like, "Whatever." Then yesterday people were asking, "So, how's it going with Cris?" And I was trying to figure out what it was and I was like, "Oh, you mean Judd? No, nothing." It's so not where my life is right now.

How about the one where you were engaged to Joshua Jackson?
Yeah, that was a funny rumor. It was funny actually because that was still during the time we were dating. He would get all these calls because supposedly before we broke up, we had already broken up in the trades, in the rags or whatever. It was saying that I had called off the wedding and all this stuff. It was so funny because he'd get calls and I'd get called from people saying, "Are you okay?" He'd get calls like, "Oh, that really sucks, man. You must be so down." I was like, "What are you talking about?" I heard you broke off the engagement. "What engagement? What are you talking about?"

Why are people so interested in your love life?
I have no idea. It's literally so brand new and I think that literally is so funny because I think it's just the film work. Just like, "Rosario's working with this person and this person." I'm getting all my friends being like, "Wow, now you're in a tub with Edward Norton?" You start watching me with multiple partners in films and you start going, "Well, who's she dating in real life?" That's a lot of men. But damn, people in Hollywood don't have that much sex, or at least I don't.

Is it weird to work so hard and be recognized for things said in a magazine, that may not even be true?
That's what really cemented the Cris Judd thing is because we were in "US Weekly" together. It was one thing when it was in the rags, but if we actually had pages in "US," then it's definitely true. It was so funny when I read it. I was like, "I always look at this and think this is true." It totally broke down my whole way of viewing the propaganda that is.