By Joan Vadeboncoeur
Finding Sil (the alien in Species which Natasha plays) proved the casting equivalent of tossing a fish net into an ocean. Donaldson says, "We put out a call for a part that required someone between 18-20. There are a limited number of actresses in that age range who could do the role without bringing baggage to it.
That's why we had this talent search in New York and Europe.
"From hundreds, it was winnowed down to 100 the director personally interviewed.
"I got down to a short list and then it came down to two. We shot a piece of film on both. What appealed to me about Natasha was that she could act.
"She had lived on her own in Paris and that made it more likely she could cope with the stress of being thrown into a major motion picture. Besides, she had a good sense of humor and would be uninhibited about the nudity.
"The new star is applying her poise and humor to a series of interviews to hype "Species." Crowded into a small hotel room, she remains cool in her cream cotton sweater topping a T-shirt and slacks. Her shoulder-length hair is brown, in contrast to the blonde locks she sports in the sci-fi film.
Her character is the focal figure and Henstridge is called upon to do much of the tough acting, as well as display her shapely body and Julia Roberts look-alike face.
Sil may be a killing machine. But the fledgling actress prefers to look at the flip side.
"She's very innocent -- a confused child. Her killing is all done on animal instinct. I don't think of her as provocative at all.
"So, when she read the script, Henstridge wasn't daunted by the prospect of being the central character. "I thought, That's me. I can play this person. I have this naive, child-like side she has.
"Still, the neophyte actress has been far from sheltered. At age 14, with parental consent, she left her Alberta, Canada, home for Paris. "I entered the Look of the Year contest and was first runner-up in the world. The prize money paid for my trip.
"Parental consent to move to the world's most sophisticated city at a mere 14? The model-actress admits, "They freaked out. But they finally gave me the ticket. I had said, "I'm going.'" She pauses, then concedes, "I'm a brat.
"Once ensconced in Paris, Henstridge claims she was not swayed by the night life or any other of its temptations.
"I have a really good head on my shoulders. I didn't go crazy.
"Curiously, Henstridge has never been a fan of sci-fi films. "I never rent them. Now, UFO movies, I like those." The naivete she admitted surfaces when she asks, "Are they sci-fi?"
Five years of professional modeling and now acting have not jaded Henstridge so much that she doesn't almost yelp with excitement over the experience, saying, "I was treated like a queen."
The critical and public verdict comes in this weekend. But already the Canadian actress has jumped into another film, "Adrenaline," also a futuristic flick.
One casualty of her freshman acting career is her boyfriend. "We had problems before the movie, and during the movie we broke up."
