Rosario Dawson falls for Will Smith in "Seven Pounds"

She has been emerging as one of today's most sought-after leading ladies, with roles ranging from the action of "Eagle Eye" and "Sin City" to the drama of "Alexander." Now, Rosario Dawson reunites with her "Men in Black II" co-star Will Smith in Columbia Pictures' new suspenseful tale "Seven Pounds."

The film begins with a list of seven names. The only thing they share in common are that each has reached a turning point and is in dire need of help, from financial to spiritual to medical – and unbeknownst to them, Ben (Smith) has carefully chosen each to be part of his plan of redemption. But it is Emily Posa (Dawson), a lively cardiac patient, who throws a wrench into the works as she does the one thing Ben thought impossible – grows close to him – and turns his view of the world and what is possible inside out.

"Rosario carries a tangible vulnerability that matches with her sensuality," notes director Gabriele Muccino. "There's a cleverness that comes across through her attitude – and it was that cleverness that I felt we needed in order to believe that somebody like Ben could be rescued by a woman like Emily."

Dawson fought hard for the role. "This was one of the best scripts that I've read, period," she says. "As soon as I read it, I knew that this was a character that I loved, this was a journey I wanted to take. These characters just really moved me with their authenticity. Every single person was just incredibly real."

Once on the set, Dawson was up for the challenge. "I think the tightrope of this performance was trying to be as true as possible. What this film is trying to achieve in the bigger picture is quite subtle and powerful, and the key to that is allowing the audience to believe in the reality of these people," she says. Muccino made that easier, she explains. "He might be the most emotional person, let alone director, I've ever known," she muses. "And that has been absolutely vital for this project."

It also helped that she had such a strong affinity for Emily. "I love that Emily is stubborn and independent. I love that she's a survivor and she's always found a way to take care of herself," she says. "But now she's feeling alone and there's part of her that realizes she's going to be increasingly at the mercy of others. So the challenge was to show that loneliness while also showing her curiosity, youthfulness and fierce resolve to live."

All of this, says Dawson, was further inspired by her collaboration with Will Smith. "I've worked with Will before but I was blown away by this experience," she says. "The way he plays Ben, with his emotions hidden away, was an incredible choice. I just appreciated the level of commitment Will was willing to put towards this character."

Dawson ultimately sees the love story of Emily and Ben as part of something larger. She sums up: "I see Seven Pounds as being about a lot of different kinds of love: the love that you hope for, the love that you have to accept, love for yourself, love for strangers and most of all, love for life itself."

Opening soon across the Philippines, "Seven Pounds" is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.