Camilla Belle: From “When A Stranger Calls” TO “10,000 BC”

At age 21, Camilla Belle is already an internationally known actress.  She recently starred in the hit remake of the 1979 thriller “When a Stranger Calls,” which opened at No. 1 in the U.S. in February 2006.  Now, Belle stars as Evolet, the young woman who holds the key to an important prophecy, in Warner Bros. new epic adventure “10,000 BC.”

In the film, a young hunter, D’Leh (Steven Strait), has found his heart’s passion – the beautiful Evolet.  But when a band of mysterious warlords raid his remote village and kidnap Evolet, D’Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her.

“At the heart of the film is also a powerful human story,” says Belle.  “D’Leh and Evolet are torn away from each other, and then have to find each other again, in the midst of this amazing journey.  For them, and for the audience, it is really an escape into another world.”

D’Leh’s adventure begins with the introduction of outsider to the group, Evolet, a refugee from a tribe that has been taken by what they called “four-legged demons.”  “She is found in the mountains clinging to a dead woman,” says director Roland Emmerich.  “Before the tribe finds her, they believed they were alone in the world.  She is the first sign of other civilizations.”

“Evolet is an orphan and was taken into the tribe as a child,” says Belle. “She’s in love with D’Leh and he’s in love with her.  She wants to run away with him, but he knows they can’t.  They’re like Romeo and Juliet, because the tribe’s spiritual leader, Old Mother, believes Evolet is destined to marry someone else.”

Producer Michael Wimer notes that Camilla Belle possessed the exotic qualities they sought for the character and recalls that they were immediately struck by her in their first meeting.  “When Camilla came in for the reading she had on some very interesting jewelry and I assumed she’d put it on for our benefit.  But then I realized it was her own style.  She is extraordinarily beautiful and talented, but she also brought so much strength to the role that it took your breath away.”

Producer Mark Gordon agrees, adding, “Camilla has a vulnerability but at the same time you believe she could rise to the occasion and become heroic.  Despite what happens to her, she’s not a victim.”

Belle posits that the character’s journey in the film brings out her inner strength, offering, “It took me some time to find a way to portray her strength.  I wanted her to be someone young girls can look up to as a role model rather than just a damsel in distress because she’s really fighting not only for herself but for her people, too.”

Opening across the Philippines on March 5, “10,000 BC” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.