4 months ago 08th Mar 08:15
Natalie revealed: "You're in this garb, and it separates you from the guy eating the salami sandwich reloading the camera and puts you together. It was so important for us to maintain the connection, even in-between shooting."
Scarlett also believes their attire helped them get into character, explaining: "As modern women we're used to being able to move freely, not think about what we're wearing. These costumes were uncomfortable to wear. It's a constant reminder of the restrictions that were placed on women of this time. "
Scarlett believes the fact that neither watched their screen love rival's scenes with Eric's King Henry VIII lent an authenticity to the uncertainty and tension inherent to a love triangle.
She said: "We never had any scenes with Eric together. Because of that, I never knew what Natalie's relationship was with him. I was able purely out of circumstance to define my own relationship with Eric, but I had no idea what was going on with Natalie."
Natalie agrees: "Obviously we knew from the script that's he's gentle and sexy with her and rough and challenging with me, but beyond that we were left wondering, and I think that helped inform the performances."
Both agree working with the 'Hulk' star was a pleasure, with Scarlett noting his remarkable ability to be "intense and regal" one minute before switching into a "goofy comedian" off screen.
Ultimately, both women seem to have revelled in their shared celluloid experience, with Natalie insisting the project represented "my best acting experience opposite someone my own age" and Scarlett describing it as her "most rewarding" time in front of the camera for good measure.
It is certainly easy to believe Scarlett and Natalie have kept a close eye on each other's careers; their ascent to the highest echelons of Hollywood stardom has enjoyed a striking symmetry.
Natalie, now 26, first came to prominence at the age of 13 with her astonishing turn as a young girl who befriends an assassin in 'Leon'. Scarlett, just two years Natalie's junior, made her first significant impact on tinseltown when she appeared in Robert Redford's 'The Horse Whisperer' at 14.
But it is not just a matter of dates and timelines which brings these two together though. Both followed up their initial success with a series of carefully considered choices.
While it may not be reflected by her decision to take the role of Queen Amidala in George Lucas' big budget 'Star Wars' prequels at the age of 17, Natalie has spent much of her time working on relatively low budget, self-consciously cerebral projects.
'Garden State', for example, was a thoughtful 2004 movie directed by and starring 'Scrubs' actor Zach Braff, which won critical plaudits while making only the slightest splash in Hollywood. Her role as a poledancing ingénue alongside Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in 'Closer' the same year won her more recognition, including a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Natalie is a well-educated, politicised woman who has a degree in psychology from America's prestigious Harvard University. Playing to the masses for career's sake is not something she does. Her films are chosen, it seems, entirely on the basis of whether they spark her imagination.
Similarly, Scarlett followed up her initial success by turning to indie projects such as 'Ghost World' in which she featured with Thora Birch. Her coming-of-age equivalent to Natalie's 'Closer' came in the form of the much lauded 'Lost in Translation' in 2003, which earned its director Sofia Coppola an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and had critics purring over Scarlett's skilled, subtle performance.
Like Natalie, Scarlett is marked out by her fierce independence. She has always spoken her mind, campaigning for Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama long before he became a global household name. She has steadfastly refused to cash in her fame by hankering after big budget blockbusters or the sort of simpering romantic comedies which must surely land on her doorstep in van loads.
However, for all their sensible and careful choices, the pair also share the unfortunate similarity of having a number of duds blotting their respective CVs.
'V for Vendetta', for which Natalie shaved her head to play a girl who is rescued by a dark vigilante, was widely lambasted, as was last year's 'Goya's Ghosts', in which she stripped off to play the muse of Spanish painter Francisco Goya.
With both films, however, it was obvious to see how the potential of the two challenging projects had enticed the star on board. Less obvious is what Natalie saw in last year's farcical family fare 'Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium', in which she played the assistant to Dustin Hoffman's enchanted toy store owner.
Respected Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers even declared it the Worst Family Film on his list of the Worst Movies of 2007.
Scarlett too has been far from immune from lapses in judgement. Since the critically acclaimed 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' in 2003 she has featured in a number of flops, including such sub-standard fare as 'The Island', in which she featured with Ewan McGregor, and last year's 'The Nanny Diaries'.
What cannot be doubted is that when these actresses find movies which utilise their abilities the results are spectacular.
In what Woody Allen declared was "arguably the best film that I've made", 2005's 'Match Point' proved that Scarlett's acclaimed performance in 'Lost in Translation' was no fluke. This young woman can be relied upon to fulfil the role of leading lady with aplomb.
Christopher Nolan, one of Hollywood's brightest acting talents, also got the best out of her in his Oscar nominated film 'The Prestige', in which she takes a smaller role as a magician's assistant alongside Edward Norton and Hugh Jackman's warring conjurers.
Scarlett and Natalie's place in the good books of the industry bigwigs looks unlikely to be threatened by the sort of wild partying and law-breaking which dogs some of their peers.
Both women fiercely maintain their privacy. Natalie, by all accounts generally open and friendly with interviewees, politely declines to discuss her long-term boyfriend, British model Nathan Bogle.
Scarlett, despite being what is commonly termed "great tabloid fodder", has recently kept steadfastly silent on her reported romance, and possible engagement too, Hollywood funnyman Ryan Reynolds.
Both women prefer to use their profiles for charitable causes and to raise awareness of issues which matter to them.
Last week, speaking about non-profit organisation the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA), often dubbed 'The World Bank for the Poor', Natalie said: "If people are going to follow me around and take pictures I'd rather talk about FINCA than what dress I'm wearing or who I'm dating."
Scarlett, for her part, has toured both India and Sri Lanka visiting Oxfam-funded projects including a refuge for battered women and various sites left devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
Earlier this month she auctioned off a pair of tickets for the premiere to upcoming film 'He's Just Not That Into You' to raise money for Oxfam.
'The Other Boleyn Girl' has been met with a lukewarm reaction from critics, but what is notable is the praise reserved for its female stars, described in various reviews as "mesmerising" and "utterly enthralling".
Both actresses clearly possess the talent to keep them entrenched in the Hollywood elite for many years to come, they just need the scriptwriters to keep up!
Natalie recently expressed frustration that parts written for women either offer the chance to play a "whore", or someone who is unfeasibly "pure".
Clearly concerned with the necessity to empower women on and off the screen, Natalie and Scarlett are too of the smartest, savviest and sanest stars in the industry.
Through their careful choices and powerful performances, the duo have shown that celebrity and actress do not have to go hand-in-hand and they are much more than just two pretty faces in corsets.
By Robbie McIntyre
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