Ultra-beautiful, Ultra-lethal

Hot off killing zombies as the heroine Alice in "Resident Evil," Milla Jovovich now stars as the ultra-beautiful, ultra-lethal avenger Violet in Columbia Pictures' new sci-fi action-adventure "Ultraviolet."

Set in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans has emerged with a genetic mutation causing enhanced speed, incredible stamina and acute intelligence. As more people are infected and the government becomes increasingly terrified of their growing power, those with the mutation are treated as outcasts, subjected to terrifying tests and put into quarantine. The government sets out to destroy them, but one woman is determined that that doesn't happen: Violet (Jovovich). With eye-popping martial arts skills and chameleon-like abilities, Violet becomes a rogue warrior bent on protecting her new race - and seeking revenge on those who created it.

With its dramatic scenes and martial arts set pieces, the filmmakers of "Ultraviolet" had to sign an actress who could handle the physical demands of the role while turning in an affecting, emotional performance. Fortunately, writer-director Kurt Wimmer wrote the role of Violet with only one person in mind and was lucky enough to get her to sign on for the role: Milla Jovovich. Wimmer knew that as an actress, Jovovich had the talent, beauty, and athletic ability integral to playing such a complex, fascinating and fun character.

"I fell in love with Violet," says Jovovich. "I can relate to her. She's like a comic book character, but I can relate to her as a human being and the problems she goes through, even though they're extreme." She was surprised at how quickly she got the part. "I met with Kurt and talked about it and told him how committed I would be. Then we basically shook hands and said 'Alright, see you in Shanghai,'" she laughs.

Later, when she found out he'd written the role for her, Jovovich says it was flattering and exciting, and she clicked with Wimmer immediately. "Kurt is such an exciting person to work with," she says, "because he's so passionate about this movie. He fell in love with this character, Violet, and was so excited about seeing her come to life."

Shooting a gun backwards while doing the splits and spinning on one foot is no easy task and that's just one of the moves Violet has to master. To prepare for the role, Jovovich trained for a full year to get into shape, working extremely closely with stunt coordinator Mike Smith to hone the skills necessary to perform the style of fighting they had in mind. "We trained on an Olympic level, but it was worth it," Jovovich. "I've never been involved with a movie with this much complex maneuvering, and never had such a long stretch of preparation time."

Jovovich loved the experience of putting Violet's story on screen. "The education I got on this movie, on a physical level as well as an emotional level, is really intense," she says. "I've never been in this kind of shape before; I've never been as fluid in my life. I've always thought of myself as a big, clumsy oaf, so it's amazing for me to learn and flip the swords and do these moves. I'm taking this with me for the rest of my life - I'd look at the screen after we were done with a scene and say, 'Oh, my God. I did that. That's me!'" - Columbia Pictures