December 7 , 2004

She slumps down as she walks, still seemingly childhood-aware of the height of her lanky frame. When she finally throws her shoulders back, her long thin body and super-sized actors' head, she is like the most beautiful version of a Spielberg alien… huge eyes, pillow-like (natural) lips, gentle features and a lovely shade of beige.

She is in the early morning of her movie career, the first slivers of light breaking the day. A hooker in her first high-profile performance seen in America and now a lioness of a mother, fighting for survival with Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda...

Sophie Okonedo has arrived.

She has arrived, of course, via first class. And she still has the giggles about the experience. She and her daughter, she and her mom, she and her best friend… they have made their way through too much of the real world to be overwhelmed by all the high priced perks. But they've also gone too far to not be amused, delighted, and giddily appreciative. Sophie is no kid. But there is simply something about her.

Meeting her after seeing her in Hotel Rwanda would be a shock. You look at Sophie and see someone who you would assume knows the hippest thing in any room. But you're not going to find her hanging out with Paris and Tara and Lindsay. She is well past that. She is a mother and it seems, there is nothing more important to her. It doesn't take long to start chatting about her daughter's life on sets across the globe or the downside of a single parent trying to find romance. There is no game playing here. And you get the feeling that Ms. Okonedo's being dipped in the magical oils of Hollywood late enough in life to remain the woman she is for the next 40 years of her career.

Sophie's making Aeon Flux opposite Charlize Theron right now. You quickly realize that this casting was inevitable. Sophie's body seems built to bring Peter Chung's animated vision to life. She's flown from the set in Germany back to L.A. for Hotel Rwanda events a couple of times now. Charlize's on-set accident shut things down for just long enough for Sophie to spend the entirety of the Toronto Film Festival promoting this film. And back and forth and back again.

She's ready to move to Los Angeles with her daughter and see what happens. But she doesn't like the idea of living in her car all day. How far is the Beverly Center from her hotel… Robertson… Beverly Hills' shops… she's going to walk. She's not going to hire a driver… she's going to walk. Ahhhh…

As a performer, she cut her teeth in the British theater and lots & lots of time on the tube (American meaning… television). So when you see the kind of diversity that is apparent in the few roles America has seen her in, it is second nature to this young actress.

Any awards attention she gets for Hotel Rwanda will likely be the start of something, the launch, the encouragement. But with it or without it, my guess is that we will all learn how to pronounce Sophie Okonedo's name correctly before to long. And if we don't, she will smile, and think, and wait, and the conversation will go on, because there are more important things on her mind.

READER OF THE DAY: THE FRIZZ writes: "I saw Closer yesterday and I thought I would share my thoughts with you. I liked the movie, however It took me all afternoon to recover from it. I did not find the movie shocking in the least (not sure what that says about me) but the dialogue was raw and witty. But I believed in it for the most part. It took me all afternoon to recover because of how depressing the film was from beginning to end. I tnever let up. I think that we all need a little comic relief at times. I know I do.

This movie is not for everyone. I compare it to last years Lost in Translation, a film I adored. It had the same slow moving feel to it. Closer forces you to listen to every word these actors are saying because really nothing else is going on. However in regards to Lost in Translation, I was never bored, I was intrigued the entire time, so involved with the characters and their experiences. At times Closer dragged. I found myself looking at my watch a few times, thinking okay enough!

On a positive note, this is some of the finest acting I have witnessed in a long time. All four actors played there parts beautifully. It is always a joy to watch a film where the acting is flawless. Julia Roberts put in her finest piece of work. And I was never bored or looking at my watch when she was on screen. This is to date, her finest piece of acting. It was when she wasn't speaking that you saw the despair in her face. I really believed she was Anna, I really believed she was depressed. I really believed she was searching for love. A love she was incapable of ever finding. I hope she is nominated for an academy award. She deserves it here more than she ever has. Acting isn't always about the loud and in your face. Julia's subtle despair, overwhelming show of neediness should be recognized.
Often people talk about how easy these characters are to hate. The only one I truly hated was Larry. The others I only felt sadness for. They seemed bound and determined to ruin their lives. They were the walking wounded. They functioned at a very high level superficially, but were incapable of ever finding happiness. I found their inability to be happy a reflection of previous damage. Dan, I think exemplified the man who is unwilling to commit. He only loved the beginning of relationships, where all of the lust is. Once that ended he needed to search for the new to get that feeling back.

This film will divide. This film will not be nominated for BP. But I really believe all four actors deserve to be recognized by the academy for outstanding work."

E-ME: How do you pronounce Okonedo?