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No Growing Pains Here
Anna Paquin works overtime in Spike Lee's 25th Hour.
Sean Daly
Anna Paquin could have ended up like many
former child stars: unemployed, penniless or worse yet, in jail. She could have
squandered her paychecks from movies like X-Men, Finding
Forrester, and A Walk On the Moon. And she could have been forced to
hawk the Oscar she won at age 11 for The Piano to support an alcohol or
drug habit. Luckily, none of that happened. Today, at 20, the girl who once dreamed of
becoming Prime Minister of New Zealand is a sophomore at Columbia University
and a true-life Hollywood success story one of the rare few who has
successfully bridged the gap from childhood phenom to sought-after adult
actress. In an industry notorious for seducing its youth
with the lure of bright lights and easy money, Paquin has managed to keep her
nose clean thanks to what she calls a really supportive and protective
family.
Her father, Brian, is a high school physical education instructor;
Mom, Mary, is an English teacher. They realized how important it was to
make sure I still had a childhood as well as getting to do something I really
wanted to do. That way I wasnt missing out on something that I can never
get back, says the Canadian-born actress, who plans to spend the
Christmas holidays with her fathers side of the family in Winnepeg.
Thats where she lived with brother Andrew (a Harvard grad, now 25) and
sister, Katya, 22, until 1986. Its her first trip back in nearly seven
years. I have no idea what one does in Winnepeg, she admits with a
laugh. I just remember its really cold. Every childhood photo of
mine is in a snowsuit! Today the fresh-faced Kiwi is safe and warm,
sipping a cup of fresh brewed coffee inside her 16th floor suite at the Essex
House in New York City. She is wearing faded gray denim jeans and a tight black
long-sleeved lycra shirt, and sporting conspicuous pink streaks in her
naturally straight brown hair. Theres not a whole lot you can do
with brittle, broken, damaged, cracked up hair, she reveals, so I
dye it a different color to divert attention. Cosmetic challenges not withstanding, 2002 was
a banner year for Paquin, who briefly put her studies on hold to appear in next
Mays X-Men 2, the London stage production of This Is Our
Youth, and director Spike Lees new drama, 25th Hour.
Im going back next semester, she assures, with a smile.
25th Hour is the fictional story of
Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a convicted drug dealer, who has 24 hours to
spend connecting with family and friends before beginning a seven year jail
term. Paquin stars Mary DAnnuzio, a seductive and free-spirited
17-year-old who becomes the obsession of Brogans much older friend
(Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Shes got the tattoo and the bellybutton
ring
shes sexy all the things that he never was and never
will be, Hoffman explains. Paquin took over the role at the last moment
when Brittany Murphy suddenly dropped out. In between projects, Paquin recently began
studying ballet. With six or seven classes a week, its one of the few
non-work-related activities she admits to doing well. But, Paquin adds, I
can tell you a billion things I do badly. Basketball, for one. I am probably the
worst player you will ever meet, she reveals, blushing from
embarrassment. But dont dismiss the slender 5 5 actress as a
non-athlete. In her free time, Paquin enjoys rugby, swimming, gymnastics and
downhill skiing. She may not be Michael Jordan, but she does have at least one
good hoops story. Paquin begins to laugh and her thick New Zealand accent
becomes more pronounced as she recalls the night talk show host David Letterman
invited her to attempt a foul shot for a prize of $10,000. And guess what? She
made it! So as a joke, he handed me the
$10,000, Paquin recalls, making clear that she never really expected to
keep the prize money. There was absolutely no misunderstanding on my
part, but when people heard the next day that little Anna didnt get the
money, some (of them) thought that I was having $10,000 taken away from me,
which really wasnt the situation whatsoever. To set the record
straight, Paquin returned to the program the following evening and along with
Letterman, donated all of the cash to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Such a story might seem even more special, had
the young actress not already stolen moviegoers hearts on Oscar night in 1993,
when she was the surprise (and surprised) winner of the coveted gold statue for
Best Supporting Actress. The honor was granted for her portrayal of Holly
Hunters angry young daughter, Flora, in Jane Campions The
Piano. She remains the second-youngest winner in the history of the Academy
Awards and the first ever from New Zealand. I had no career until
I made The Piano, she explains. That was the first acting
experience I ever had. (Unless, of course, you count her role as a skunk
in her elementary school play in Lower Hut, a suburb of Wellington).
Paquin doesnt like to talk that much
about her big win anymore, mostly out of modesty. She claims to keep her trophy
in storage because there are no mantelpieces at Columbia. But the
truth is she doesnt want to show off. Nor does Paquin seem to care for
the movie star treatment. Although reports have said she arrived to her first
day at college in a limousine, the actress insists she rides the subway almost
everyday. (At school) I dont really feel like a celebrity,
she says. I think by now the novelty has kind of worn off that I was
something different. Besides, Im definitely not the only somewhat
recognizable face at school. Shes right. In recent years, there have
been more young stars in class at Columbia than on the set of Dawsons
Creek. The ivy-clad buildings have been a home away from home to Julia
Stiles (Save the Last Dance), Rider Strong (Boy Meets World) and
Joseph Gordon Leavitt (Ten Things I Hate About You), among others.
But why with a successful film career and
millions of dollars in the bank, would Paquin feel the need to attend school at
all? I really wanted an education, she insists. I want to be
knowledgeable about a lot of different things, not just acting. Perhaps
therein lies the secret to Paquins remarkable coming of age.
Entertainment Today, December 27, 2002
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