The actress talks about landing the role, playing a pyschotic assassin and making music
Garnering a big role in a major motion picture is no small feat even for the most seasoned actor or actress. One can work their whole life and often never even come close to realizing their dreams of gracing the silver screen. Which is precisely what make’s Kate Nauta’s experience in the business so interesting. Beginning modeling at the ripe age of 15, Nauta had never acted before when she first landed the role of Lola in the Transporter 2. Apparently Luc Besson, the film’s producer (and also a very accomplished director), saw some pictures of Nauta and after meeting her, cast Nauta in the co-starring role of Lola, a psychotic assassin who dons a very scantily clad wardrobe.
When something like this happens it seems as if your life could essentially change overnight. However, when she sat down to talk with MovieWeb, Nauta seemed to be taking everything in stride. In fact, she’s currently working on an album for Sony in addition to fielding other acting offers. Kate Nauta is obviously the kind of person that doesn’t sit around waiting for things to happen, which probably explains why she’s had the amount of success that she’s had.
For the people who don’t know, could you tell us a little bit about the character of Lola who you play in the Transporter 2?
Kate Nauta: Well, I will do that. She is a psychopath. A maniac trapped, this is what Luc says, in a supermodel’s body. She doesn’t care whether she lives or dies. She kills only for pleasure and it’s pretty much a substitute of that which she would get sexually, actually.
How did you get cast in this film?
Kate Nauta: It fell in my lap. Luc Besson, who’s the producer and the writer of the film, he saw a picture of me at my agency in London, and he phoned them and asked for my whereabouts. I was in New York, because we had a meeting, and he told me a little bit about the character. And he said, “How do you feel about it? Are you interested? Are you up to take this challenge?� And I said, “Of course.� That’s how it all started. And he actually cast me.
Did you have any training prior to that as an actress?
Kate Nauta: No, actually, none at all. I feel like being a musician and modeling helped me make the transition, and ease my way into it a lot more. It wasn’t as difficult, I guess, because I’ve been exposed to the business on a different side.
Once you got the role what type of training did you have for the more physical aspects of the Lola character?
Kate Nauta: I trained with an incredible choreographer, his name is Cory Yuen and we did the martial arts training together for a month prior to shooting the film. Then, also, I had to train with the FBI. Obviously, it was private lessons. It was nothing too crazy but it was so much fun working... here I am on this private course and then you see to the left of me a 100 trainees shooting at their targets. And I’m running around on this grassy area shooting at four targets at once, because that’s what I’ve gotta learn, that’s what I have to do.
Did you take to it all relatively easily or was there a large learning curve?
Kate Nauta: No, I felt like I was right at home. Honestly, I wasn’t intimidated, I felt like this was where I needed to be.
Was there anything specific that you wanted to personally bring to the role of Lola? How she carried herself? The way she killed people? The way she handled weapons?
Kate Nauta: I think more than anything it’s her passion, I guess. She has a passion for life but yet it doesn’t matter. I carried it off as though there was a past... what made her get to this place in her life, so there’s a sensitivity about it as well. Because nobody is going to be that messed up unless you have a dark past.
Having done this role now, I believe you began modeling at the age of 15...
Kate Nauta: I did.
Do you have a choice between acting and modeling? Or, ideally would you like to continue doing both?
Kate Nauta: No, I’m no longer modeling, actually. That’s a closed chapter in my life. I’m not opposed if... I’ve had a contract with L’Oreal, if they want to renew my contract, stuff like that... I would do that, obviously, because it helps, it’s exposure. Right now, I’ve got a lot on my plate already as it is and I’m gonna focus on the movies and the music.
What is the name of your band?
Kate Nauta: It’s solo. I’m a solo artist. It’s under my name Kate Nauta.
You mentioned it a bit earlier, did you find the transition between acting and modeling to be a difficult one in terms of how the work is? Or, did you think that they were so similar because of the stuff that you’d already done that one went right into the other?
Kate Nauta: No, I don’t feel like it was an easy transition because I feel like it is two completely different things. If anything it was, for me, starting at 15 and educating myself in culture and with people, I learned do much. So that is communication and that’s everything, so when I showed up on set I felt completely confident and really comfortable just interacting with these people. If it’s Jason Statham who’s obviously a star, if it’s Matthew Modine... I felt confident because modeling has actually given me that. So that was important.
What aspect of acting did you find to be the most challenging?
Kate Nauta: Let me think here... really? It was probably the training. I was training four days a week, three hours a day and then I would go to the gym and push myself and do two hours in the gym. Just because I got a little crazy about it... I wanted to look good, but thinking back I probably didn’t need to go that extreme. That was challenging for me because I’ve never been a go-getter at the gym, and I had a little bit of time to prepare myself before, but... it was difficult.
What is next for you?
Kate Nauta: It looks like I may be doing a couple of movies this Spring. Shooting is starting this Spring. The music, I’m just continuing on my album.
So you’re already working on an album?
Kate Nauta: Right, I’m working with Sony Records. I’ve been splitting my time with both but it should be, hopefully, this year.
Transporter 2 comes out on DVD January 10th, 2006 through 20th Century Fox.
DVD Release Dates
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