Jacinda Barrett: Natural Beauty |
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Australia continues to be the breeding ground for remarkable film talent. Following in the foot steps of Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette, the next down-under ingénue appears to be the 34-year-old, Jacinda Barrett.
Jacinda, the Greek word for 'Beautiful Hyacinth' seems to be an appropriate name for the natural beauty.
Opposite Zach Braff in THE LAST KISS and Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder (NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE) in SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS, in addition to displaying her sough-after-girl side, the appealingly fresh-faced Barrett unmasks her comedic and romantic abilities.
Within THE LAST KISS, Barrett plays Jenna, the girlfriend to Braff's Michael. Of the role and making the film, Barrett stated, "It was a real tour-de-force part. I have a really big arc and it's really strong and feisty. It's incredibly emotional and something I was dying to get the chance to do."
As Barrett's star meter continues to grow, she seems to have increasing control over the projects she picks and those she declines.
"It is not like I'm getting the opportunities that Nicole Kidman's getting not even anywhere near it; but within your own realm you make choices based upon what is offered to you at that time. So I guess you want to be a little bit picky in the sense that you want to choose things that keep challenging you as an actor, because not only will you get bored seeing yourself play the same character, the audience will as well," commented Barrett on the Australian website girl.com.au.
While Barrett has admittedly played the 'good-looking girl' quite a bit, she has also taken on roles that portray her as being much more than just a pretty face.
Oh her role choices, Barrett explains, "It's a combination of being a bit selective and then also taking the movies when the opportunity comes when you're free and the movie's right."
Holding her own against the likes of Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas (2006 remake of POSEIDON, based on the 1972 disaster classic) Hugh Grant (sequel to the beloved British single female flick-BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON, 2004), Joaquin Phoenix (camaraderie of the firehouse-LADDER 49, 2004) and Anthony Hopkins (racial-ageism complex film also starring Nicole Kidman-HUMAN STAIN, 2003), Barrett demonstrated her abilities to create characters with such well-defined traits as: warmth, compassion, intelligence and 
Barrett and Braff, Coupling in THE LAST KISS |
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courage.
Of her varied screen roles, Barrett conveyed in a recent interview, "I think it is good. I think it's nice to have really diverse material in different genres, and I think it shows that you have a range and you're willing to put yourself out there."
Born August 2, 1972, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the age of 17, the 5'10" Barrett began her professional career as a model traveling throughout Europe. Her first 'on-screen' gig was as a cast member on MTV's Real World: London.
Able to effectively cross-over from realty television to feature films, Barrett enhanced her acting skills by attending the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.
Since appearing in countless films, being featured in People's Magazine 50 Most Beautiful List (1997), Esquire's Women We Love, and on the cover of a handful of magazines including: Tattler and Town & Country; Barrett was fortunate to carve out her own niche.
Yet, nothing is ever carved in stone. Recently married to actor Gabriel Macht in 2004 (the couple honeymooned in Viet Nam), Barrett remarks that, since her nuptials, her outlook on life has changed.
As Barrett revealed, "I think that my concerns are different, where I put my time...All of it is so exciting, because for thirteen years I lived on my own overseas and made all my choices on my own."
With a relatively new husband and surging career, Barrett has a great deal to juggle. A surprising realist who continues to question her status in the industry, Barrett acknowledges the fact that she is in a business where it is virtually impossible to predict what will happen next.
As she remarked, "It's such a business of extremes that it's really hard for me to take stock of where I am at this point."
Sitting pretty, Barrett has a third film entitled, THE NAMESAKE due out in 2007.
Of shooting the film, Barrett stated, "I was in a culturally completely different world. The story of an immigrant family, almost everyone in the cast and crew was Indian. It is a really powerful, powerful story."
Steadily continuing to bloom, Barrett seems intent on seeking out films with diverse themes and interwoven subtexts. Well, at least according to Barrett, she is interested in doing another comedy where she could demand a bit more of herself.
Jacinda Barrett on MatchFlick
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| Nancy Simon |
A Chicago-based freelance writer and film enthusiast, Nancy has an insatiable curiousity and knack for picking out talented, promising individuals.
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