The filmmakers found everything they were they were looking for in actress Kate Beckinsale, who says, “I love action movies with girls. I think it’s unusual to find a role in an action-adventure where the girl actually has something to do. My character, Anna, has a real vendetta with Dracula. There’s a whole family curse that’s been going on for hundreds of years—unless she kills Dracula, her family will remain in purgatory forever. So the stakes are, needless to say, quite high for her.”
The actress—who showed she could do more than hold her own in the recent action movie Underworld—continues, “Then along comes this character, Van Helsing, into her life and her world. Thanks to Stephen’s writing, Anna doesn’t suddenly become this dopey, heaving-bosom girl. She and Van Helsing remain equals right up to the end, which I think is refreshing.”
With genuine affection for her co-star, Beckinsale adds, “There’s something very solid about Hugh—you immediately trust and like him. You totally believe he’s somebody that will be around ‘saving the day’ for a long, long time. And he’s not too hard to look at, either.”
Jackman echoes the feelings and says, “Kate is funny, probably due in part to growing up with brothers. These action movies, for her, are mainly about ballsy women. She looks incredible, almost like a princess, but trust me, she’s tougher than most girls I know. She’s physically very able, which is terrific.”
“I don’t know what ‘chemistry’ is all about,” says Sommers. “But when we put Hugh and Kate together, suddenly we had two great actors in front of the camera and it was magic.”
“There’s nothing you can do to guarantee chemistry. We were fortunate to have it between Hugh and Kate. Together they make an incredible pair,” agrees Ducsay.
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