After the polyglot heaven that was Inglourious Basterds, many of its actors have become just as well known for their facility with accents and languages as they have for their actual performances. Diane Kruger is no exception -- formerly wasted in arm candy roles, the actress came alive as if for the first time when speaking forceful German and English in Basterds, and now she's bringing that skill set to the upcoming thriller Unknown White Male, starring Liam Neeson and January Jones.
When I asked Kruger last night what she could tell me about the film, she said, "Not that much! I mean, it's Liam Neeson starring, and I play an illegal immigrant from Serbia to Germany. It'll be a cool part. Another accent to master!"
Kruger was much more effusive when discussing the relationship between Quentin Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender, who was honored last night. "I have to be honest with you, I've never witnessed quite such a fusion and faith between a producer and a director," she said. "It's one of those old school relationships -- like O. Selznick and Hitchcock, for example -- where they just rely on each other."
Kruger's happy to have had the opportunity to work with them, and she told me the film has given her career some new juice. "I think Quentin certainly pushed me in certain directions and made me explore things that I wasn't sure I was capable of. I think [with] the next movie, I will be even more into trying new things."