Boston.com
od Lurie, who directs Kate Beckinsale in the new movie "Nothing But the Truth," says the actress's beauty could be an obstacle. "She's too good looking to play Ava Gardner," Lurie laughed yesterday. "Sometimes, you have to apply makeup to make it look like she isn't wearing makeup." In the film, which screens tomorrow at Brandeis, Beckinsale plays a journalist who outs a CIA agent and then spends a year in jail rather than revealing her source. If that sounds familiar, it should. Her character is loosely based on former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who was locked up for 85 days during the Valerie Plame affair. "I did meet with her, but not to copy her mannerisms," said Beckinsale, who's coming to Brandeis with costar Alan Alda. The actress said she also shadowed a few female staffers at the LA Times, and gained newfound respect for their profession. "As an actress, I was slightly prejudiced because I've fallen on the journalist's sword a few times," she told us. "But being with them, I felt similar pressures - to pick up and disappear and not be in touch with family for a while." Alda, whose character is modeled on famed First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, said Beckinsale is terrific and the film is timely. "Having a vote is important, but it's no good if you don't know what you're voting about," he said. "The only way is with a free press."
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