Source: Warner BrosThandie Newton stars as Stella, the smart and sexy accountant with ties to the underworld in the upcoming Warner Bros release "RockNRolla. "Stella is extremely good at what she does," Newton describes, "so good, in fact, that I think she's getting a little bored and wants to try and mix things up and make things more exciting for herself. And, of course, there's nothing more exciting for a strait-laced accountant than to get involved in the criminal world."
Her prowess with money has placed her within the inner circle of Uri Obomavich, the Russian billionaire seeking to invest in London real estate. "Stella captivates Uri in more ways than one," says Karel Roden, who plays Uri. "She embodies sophistication and he trusts her implicitly with his money, but this trust is perhaps misplaced. In some ways he can easily dominate this new world he's entering, but clearly not in matters of the heart."
With Uri's impending pay-off to Lenny Cole, money intended to smooth the way for a huge mega-complex he wants to build. Stella sees an opportunity to get inside a whole new network of activity...and knows just the man to help her. "One Two becomes her puppet, or so she thinks," Newton says. "But then she falls for him, which compromises her position."
Though initially only partners in a high-stakes swindle, One Two and Stella, two people from opposite sides of the tracks, electrify one another. "I really like the dynamic between our characters," costar Gerard Butler comments. "We share some very funny, off-key scenes. They are definitely sexy, but there is an unusual energy between us and I think that made it different from the typical guy-girl relationship you often get in thrillers."
For Newton, the collaboration with Butler and Guy Ritchie was one of the film's most exciting experiences. "Gerry is just a full-on powerhouse; he has an incredible energy," she says. "He wants to try different ways of doing everything. And no matter what time of the day or night it is, Gerry is always trying to bring something fresh and new to it. It was great because Guy is also so confident in the material and so trusting of us as actors that he gives us the freedom to come up with new ideas and to be spontaneous. To be able to really bring our own ideas to it and make our characters alive, that was getting the best of both worlds. Guy doesn't just want the surface of a character, he wants there to be real truth to everything and real depth to every character."
Newton next stars in Oliver Stone's political biopic "W," in which she portrays Condoleezza Rice. She is currently filming the epic drama "2012," under the direction of Roland Emmerich.
Newton previously won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash." In addition, she shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Cast Performance as part of the film's all-star ensemble cast. Newton more recently earned praise for her work in Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit "The Pursuit of Happyness," in which she played the estranged wife of Chris Gardner, portrayed by Will Smith.
At age 16, while studying modern dance at the Arts Educational School, she won the lead role in the critically acclaimed 1990 coming-of-age film "Flirting," playing a Ugandan girl isolated in an Australian ladies academy who begins a romance with a teenage boy from a neighboring boarding school. After completing the film, Newton returned to England to continue her education, earning a B.A. with honors in anthropology at Cambridge University.
While pursuing her degree, Newton continued to act in feature films, working with several acclaimed directors. Her early credits included Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire," starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; James Ivory's biopic "Jefferson in Paris," in which she played Sally Hemings; Vondie Curtis Hall's comedy-drama "Gridlock'd," with Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth; and Bernardo Bertolucci's "Besieged."
In 1998, Newton received critical praise for her performance in the title role of Jonathan Demme's "Beloved," the film adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, produced by and starring Oprah Winfrey. She later reunited with Demme to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in the 2002 contemporary romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by the 1963 classic "Charade." Newton's additional film credits include John Woo's action hit "Mission: Impossible II," opposite Tom Cruise, and the indie comedy "Run, Fat Boy, Run," directed by David Schwimmer.
On television, Newton had a recurring role on NBC's hit drama "ER," playing Noah Wyle's love interest, an African aid worker named Kem. The role marked Newton's American television debut.
Earlier this year, Newton visited Mali to bring attention to the work of international relief and development charity World Vision and their collaboration with Volvic. The program will provide over six billion litres of clean water to hundreds of thousands of people living in Africa. There, she met with people directly benefiting from the campaign and personally witnessed the difference a well can make in a community.
See Also: RocknRolla - The London You Haven't Seen / RockNRolla: Shoot Fast And Get Out Clean / Warner Bros - Comic Con 2008 Sneak Previews
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