Celebrity Biographies
Maria Bello
To the envy of other of her peers, the 41-year-old actress (Pennsylvania, United States, 1967), can boast of having played very different characters throughout her career – from the grieving wife of A History of Violence to the authoritarian leader of the girls of El Bar Coyote –, however, she affirms that, as she feels most comfortable, it is with action roles.
At first he thought of studying Political Science but, after a while, he changed his mind. She debuted as an actress at the Off-Broadway venue, named after being located at the intersection between a small street and the famous theater avenue. After she made her first steps in the performing arts, she began to participate in an episode of American television series, such as The Commish , Nowhere Man and even ER . In 1996 she played a spy wife in the series Mr. and Mrs. Smith , of which several remakes would later be made, the last one in 2005, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie .
His first film role was in the biographical drama Permanent Midnight (1998), about drug-addicted novelist Jerry Stahl ; in the film, Ella Bello plays the writer’s ( Ben Stiller ) confidant. After this would come other works, such as Payback , A duo , El Bar Coyote or Defocused , none relevant.
In 2005, Jason Reitman ( Juno ) cast her as the lead in the remarkable Thank You For Smoking , a wry comedy about tobacco cynicism. But her consolidation undoubtedly came after the world premiere, the same year, of A History of Violence , that harsh film by David Cronenberg where Maria Bello plays the wife of a violent Viggo Mortensen . The most difficult and dramatic role of hers, as explained by the actress, but which earned her her first Golden Globe nomination.
Among her most recent films are Knowing Jane Austen and The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , the third installment of the Rob Cohen saga in which the actress replaces Rachel Weisz , improving, by the way, the interpretation of the original protagonist . The actress was enthusiastic about this role, because as she had previously confessed, she had been dreaming of making an action movie for years: “Since I was little I have been a bit macho,” she said, “I always liked being an action hero type Indiana Jones”.
Her latest film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee , currently in post-production, on which she is working with Keanu Reeves , Winona Ryder and Julianne Moore , is scheduled for a 2009 release. Bello is also finalizing details on her first novel, “Under the Blonde”, where he narrates the world of fame and celebrities.