Asia has played the Hollywood game before 'xXx'. When she was 17, Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein helped her land a featured role in the period costume drama 'La Reine Margot' (1994). Then he gave Asia her first English-speaking starring part, the title role of 'B. Monkey', a sultry bank robber. The film had an impressive pedigree, including director Michael Radford, fresh off the worldwide success of 'Il Postino' (1994), and a stellar supporting cast that included Jared Harris, Rupert Everett and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. But after a troubled production - the film was finished in 1996 but unreleased until 1999 - 'B. Monkey' tanked with critics and audiences.
What first attracted Asia was that "Beatrice is full of life. She's a free woman. But she's repulsive too sometimes. I think that lots of women will recognize themselves in her. Every woman, at one moment or another in her life, can make the choice: to become bitchy, or to become a grown-up woman. Usually directors are afraid to show a woman like that. With her bad sides."
Before Michael Radford's arrival, the producers had already seen 270 young British actresses for the role... "We were looking everywhere", reminds Colin Vaines (producer). "Miramax asked us to think about more well-known actresses. We met lots of American actresses". When Michael Radford started to be in charge of the movie, he immediately suggested Asia Argento for the main role. Colin Vaines had only seen her in 'La Reine Margot', whereas Michael Radford knew her other works. New coincidence: when Colin Vaines arrived in Los Angeles, to meet Michael Radford, he saw Asia Argento on the cover of the magazine "CineFantastique". "Inside there was even a picture of Asia with a gun. I said to myself: 'Holy shit!' That's exactly the image of Beatrice that I have in mind for four years!".
"We made her do a test. She was fantastic. She acts since she was nine. It gives her an incredible presence on screen". But they tested other 600 young women. Colin continues: "None of them had what Asia gave to us. There was nothing to do, we couldn't forget her. On screen, she's sparkling. When she says her lines, the words rock, she does something different. Fondamentaly, the character of Beatrice is mysterious. If this mystery doesn't show on screen, the whole movie falls down. We needed a woman who's very sensual and the same time very 'childish'". Michael Radford agrees: "Asia was the only one who was appropriate. She has in her a sensuality, a vulnerability, a strongness that are very Italian. So we altered the script to adapt the role".
Unfortunately, the movie didn't turn out to be such a good experience for Asia: "'B.Monkey' was the worst experience I had cinemawise. I loved the actors and the crew, but I felt the director was very insecure, or maybe just not concentrated, plus he had a problems with the miramax gang, awful bullies, not allowing an artist to be such, that is, to allow him to do mistakes, to allow him-her to do a bad film if he wants to... So I did not enjoy the power struggle, and the character that I imagined when I read the script did not come though in the end. The film is not believable and the plot is very weak".
Music: Asia Argento - Disco Sux/U Just Can't Stop The Rock/Sad Core (2008)
