00 ::: o z ;;: o z: ::J C/) (0 o o N • N N Q; .D fl o :> m u § U1 MOVIES AREAl) ST D Vera Farmiga, the only woman in 'The Departed,' holds her own BY MICHAEL GILTZ The cast of Martin Scorsese's "The Departed " -Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson , Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin -have been in the cross hairs of critical praise.</p><p> But Vera Fanniga, who plays a shrink dating apparent straight-arrow cop Damon but drawn to bad-boy undercover mole DiCaprio, can't help but stand out, even among all that talent.</p><p> She's the only gal in sight. "It never really dawned on me until I actually saw the film," laughs Farmi· ga about taking on the lone major female character in the testosterone-heavy crime drama "It's not till now that I realize the tremendous responsibility I had in this film.</p><p> It was going to be a representation of my gender' But I never felt that pressure ." With Scorsese back on the mean streets -this time in Boston -the film opened at No.1 and looks set to become the acclaimed director's biggest hit.</p><p> And it's the first box-office success for New Jersey-born Farmiga, who's spent the last decade working steadily.</p><p> The actress. whose looks and perfor. mance in "The Departed" have drawn comparisons to Cate Blanchett and even early·career Meryl Streep. is certainly not a generic hottie·of-the-mom ent. but she is definitely enjoying her first Big Moment. "J've never been part of a huge hit," says Farmiga, 33. "I'm excited.</p><p> But then it takes very littJe for me to get excited -\ get excited about earthworm s.</p><p> I get excited over hydrangeas.</p><p> But I'm also excited for myself because hopefully it gives some visibility to some other proj· ects I really care abouL" Indeed, Farmiga's labor of love, the 2004 drama "Down to the Bone" comes out on DVD next week.</p><p> Though it was here-and-gone in theaten;, it garnered Farrniga the best -actress award from the L.A.</p><p> Film Critics Association and was a favorite at that year's Sundance Film Fes tival.</p><p> And while some acton; might care· fully follow a movie like "The Departed" with another big-budget HoUywood proj ect, Farrniga describes a string of intrigu ing independ ent films due out in the next year or so.</p><p> In "Quid Pro Quo," which co-stan; Nick Stahl, she plays a woman suffering from an illness that makes her feel like a paraplegi c trapped in an able-bodied woman's body.</p><p> In "Joshua." she plays a woman scared that she and her hus band (Sam Rockwell) raised a socio path "In Tranzit" finds Farmiga play ing a Russian nurse during World War II who may be falling in love with a high-ranking Nazi. "Never Forever" has Farmiga married to a Korean-Am erican man but plan ning an adulterous affair with an other so she can get pregnant and, she believes, save her marriage.</p><p> A more high-profile project comes this January, when she co-stan; opposIte Jude .. ,., .......</p><p> Jersey's Vera Farmig; In the upcoming draIT "Breaking and Enter· ing" (far I.) and in "The Departed " (above, with Matt Damon), in which she plays a conflicted police psychologist .</p><p> Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Wright Penn in director Anthony Minghella's drama "Breaking and Entering ." "It's not a matter of Hollywood or in· dependent film," says Farmiga, who was raised in a tightly knit Ukrainian com munity in Passaic County. ''I'ni going to go for where the most interesting charac ters are and I'm going to go for where th most interestin g and unique story lines are, and risky filmmakers , filrnmalcers who have a vision, an undiluted vision.</p><p> That's what I'm drawn to." She's also drawn to hard rock.</p><p> Living now in upstate New York, Farmiga talks up a Japanese thrash band called Dir En Gray and men tions she's dating a member ( the hard rock group Deadsy.</p><p> Living away from the city let her play her music loud and keep the hype of Hollywood in check. "I Jive upstate and it gives IT a good pen;pective," she says." steady vantage where J can c1earl) see the business and the industry and a gorgeous view, the beautiful arch of the sky -and that's where my answers lie." A dream project is turning Milan Kun· dera's 1999 novel "Identity" into a film. but Farmiga is happy to have an identity of her own as an actress devoted to chal· lenging rotes "The way 1 choose my projects now is different," says Farmiga. whose early break, in 1997. was the cheesy summer TV series "Roar," a "Braveheart " wanna be co·starring Heath Ledger. "I call truly pick the slories I feel compelled hy." •
