Diane Kruger: "Treasure" Girl

Hey, the "face that sank a thousand ships", Troy's beautiful Diane Kruger still has guys swooning and this reporter coveting the great dress she wore to our interview; classic black cocktail dress with intricate white applique around the hem, an antique pendant and very high white heels. Class act all the way.

Diane is reprising her role as Abigail Chase, preserver of antiquities and significant other of Nic Cage's treasure hunter Ben Gates in their fun action sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Diane has been busy with foreign films in Germany and France but was happy to re-visit the Abigail character and told us all about reuniting with her castmates for fun but physical stunts and wild rides and how she loves making movies that huge audiences really enjoy. We also got the goods on Diane's upcoming films. Read on for the latest from this gorgeous, classy blonde...

TeenHollywood: Was it hard to get back into the swing of the character again?

Diane: No. It was just like that [snaps fingers] because we all stayed in touch the two or three years it has been. And, both Nic and myself and Jon [Voight] were a little cautious about 'do we really want to make a sequel?' We never anticipated when we shot the first one that we were going to make a sequel. So that is a weird thing for an actor. You go 'I don't know.' And then they showed us a synopsis of this one, the plot. And it was terribly interesting; the [Lincoln] assassination and the whole thing. So we cautiously signed on with the right to leave if the script did not turn out so well. I have to say I love the script. I really like where they took my character in comparison to the first film.

TeenHollywood: You and Nic's character are on a rocky relationship road in this one.

Diane: Yeah. She is separated. She's more fun. She's lighter and more sure of herself. She is so smart and so strong. I would like to be a little bit more like her.

TeenHollywood: You two have a great personal argument right in the middle of Buckingham palace. How much of that was improvised?

Diane: [laughs] Quite a bit. Everything up to the arrest was scripted. And then everything else is just like us going off. I watched with my boyfriend [Joshua Jackson]and he leaned over and said 'I can't not believe you used that in the movie.' I think every boyfriend or husband goes 'Ah. No!' [as they recognize the argument]. That was actually in London at Lancaster House.

TeenHollywood: So what did your boyfriend recognize from your own arguments?

Diane: It's that line [she says] 'Just because you may know what my answer is going to be, you still have to ask me.' That thing is definitely part of my life.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk a little bit about working with Nicolas Cage? Is there a lot of energy?

Diane: Oh Yes. He's wild! You never know what you are going to get. Every day is different. He comes to the set and you don't know what mood he is going to be in. And his mind goes four times faster than mine. He picks you up and takes you on this wave kind of thing.

TeenHollywood: How about the physical challenges? That balance thing [the gang is caught on a huge 'table-like" device that moves with their weight and could dump them off] must have been weird. Was there anything that was hard to handle or was it just fun?

Diane: The balance thing was okay. It was the water that really got to us, I think. It sounds silly but you are in water for three weeks, every day. You are fighting water currents, water falls. It is loud. You have to scream your dialogue in a confined space with 60 people. It is like gross water too. UUGHHH! It gets old real fast. But it looks pretty good, like it was effortless But, I go 'Ohhh, I remember that day'.

TeenHollywood: How long to shoot that?

Diane: We had about a week on the big waterfall set. And then 2 1/2 weeks in the drowning room. And a couple more going down into the City of Gold and water and stuff.

TeenHollywood: A lot of stuff was shot on actual location, right? Like the Library of Congress?

Diane: Yes, in Washington. That is actually the Library of Congress.

TeenHollywood: What was the most fun scene you shot?

Diane: Us in the Oval Office. That was really fun because Ty [Burrell], the actor who plays Connor was so funny. He's just so easy going. To me it was the first time someone allowed me to be comedic and play dumb. It was just so fun. It was way cool. [Abigail is crawling around on the office floor looking for a lost earring as a distraction].

TeenHollywood: There is a wild car chase in the film. Was Nic actually driving?

Diane: Yeah but it was not that fast. Some of it was fast for a little while. You know as actors you don't get to do some of the crazy stuff. But they had this thing where it looked like he was driving but there was someone actually on top of the car that actually turned the wheel for us. So when we hit the bus, we actually hit the bus, but not as hard. You had no control of the car. You can't brake. You totally trust this guy up above our heads with your life. That was pretty awesome.

TeenHollywood: When you were in school, did you like history?

Diane: I liked history. But I am not very good with dates. Like I don't remember dates. But I was fascinated with history. I am very well-traveled. And I make it a point to always go to the monuments and read up about it. If anything, I hope this movie would encourage that. It is one thing to read about it in a book and remember a date. But it is another to stand in front of Mt. Rushmore and see it. I just think people should travel more if they can.

TeenHollywood: This movie is based on a lot of historical facts.

Diane: Yes. The Booth diary really existed. People don't know that. There were really two Resolute desks [made] from the H.M.S. ship. I didn't know there were three Statue of Liberties. I knew there were two. I had seen the Statue of Liberty in Paris. But three I did not know. So there is some stuff that is actually correct and I find that cool.

TeenHollywood: What difference did you feel doing this film? It has a bigger budget.

Diane: To be honest I felt a lot freer. First of all I felt like they let me be a lot more alive and funny and sort of feisty, much more than the first one. I did not have to worry about establishing a character because it was already there. So I felt like I could just let loose. I saw the first movie for the first time with an audience. It is the first time in my career I have had a commercial success. I can tell you as a person, as an actor, that changes everything. People were cheering. They were so happy and laughing. There is no greater reward than that. These were children and teen-agers and grandparents. You know it is really nice to have great critiques and have a movie go through to the Academy Awards but there is nothing as rewarding as an audience. Really, it carries you. You don't make movies for the N.Y. Times film writer.

TeenHollywood: I was wondering what kind of career you really want as an actress.

Diane: Well, let me put it this way. I would much rather aspire to be a character actress than movie star per se. You know. But I am not saying it is not good to be a movie star because it is nice to be queen for a day. To be able to chose whatever you want to do. But I want to make films that I bleed for, that I feel passionate about, or that tell a story that I want to tell.

TeenHollywood: You were talking about being a character actress and a movie star, you worked with Helen Mirren, who seems to be both. [Helen plays Nic Cage's feisty mom in the film]. What was it like working with her? Did you learn anything from her?

Diane: What is nice to see, and it is the same for Ed Harris who is such a character actor, and I had worked with him just before on Copying Beethoven which was such a great character piece but it is such a great lesson. They take this kind of job just as seriously as the little pieces. They are not snobbish about it. They know as well as everybody else there is no greater prize or reward than an audience. Once you have an audience they will follow you anywhere. Helen would say of herself she is a working actress.

TeenHollywood: Did she ever break out and do some of the Queen for you?

Diane: Well she has that English accent anyway. The first day everybody goes 'Helen Mirren's going to come to the set today.' Everybody learned their lines and were very serious about it. And then she comes on and (with English accent) 'Darling I can't remember any of these words. It is impossible to say.' (stops accent) Then she put the [script pages] on walls or on the table because she couldn't remember. It totally took the pressure off.

TeenHollywood: Do you know what you are working on next?

Diane: I am going to make a French movie next. I just wrapped Mr. Nobody three weeks ago.

TeenHollywood: Tell me about Mr. Nobody.

Diane: It is the most interesting script ever. Jared Leto plays Nemo Nobody. And you see him from being born until he is 120 and the last mortal man to die of a natural cause of death. You see him on his death bed, basically, in the future. And he remembers his life and the things he could have done, or should have done or did not do. Myself and Sarah Polley and a Vietnamese actress play three girls he grew up with. I am Anna who was his big first love. And I moved away with my parents to America. And we lose touch. And he is always looking for Anna. Sarah Polley is the girl he ends up marrying but she is really unhappy at the wedding. So the movie talks about no life is insignificant. And, whatever decision you make, you will encounter love and hate. It is just the most beautiful, poetic script. And Jared is quiet something. He plays himself as 120. He has six and a half hours of makeup every day. When I left, they were still shooting, by the way.

TeenHollywood: Jared is now quite the rock star with his band 30 Seconds to Mars. What was it like filming now that he has music fans?

Diane: It is funny because we had the music fans, all black eyeliner, and the movie fans on the other side. And they sort of don't like each other. Yeah, it was kind of weird. And he won a European MTV award while we were filming.

TeenHollywood: What are your Christmas traditions? Or what are you doing this year?

Diane: This year I am going to go home [Germany]. I haven't been home in two years. My mom made it pretty clear that if I don't come home I am not a daughter anymore. Paris is my home. But I was born in Germany. My family is still in Germany.

TeenHollywood: What is the best gift you remember ever getting?

Diane: Ummmm. Probably a model kitchen when I was a little girl.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.