Noureen DeWulf

You can see the Indianness in her face and hear the Indianness in her voice, but 24-year-old Hollywood hottie Noureen DeWulf doesn’t want to make it in the world of showbiz as an Indian. Cameos in big movies and appearances on top American TV shows later, Noureen’s biggest claim to fame remains her turn as a Palestinian falafel seller in the Oscar-winning short West Bank Story. That is if you are not turned on by the fact that Noureen made it to the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2007. You will get to watch her on screen soon in the Matthew McConaughey-Jennifer Garner-starrer Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. t2 spoke to Noureen over phone from Los Angeles...

Tell us about your character in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past...

I am the Ghost of Girlfriend Present. My character is called Melanie and I play the assistant of Matthew McConaughey’s character Connor. I am not really his girlfriend. I become the Ghost of Girlfriend Present because I am the only consistent woman in his life. I take him through the girls that he is dating at the moment.

And why do the ghosts of his girlfriends visit him in the first place?

(Laughs) Well, because he deserves it. Basically, it is loosely based on Christmas Carol and how Scrooge met all the ghosts. So Connor here is similarly visited by the three ghosts — Ghost of Girlfriend Past, Ghost of Girlfriend Present, which is me, and Ghost of Girlfriend Future. They teach him a lesson for his womanising ways.

With Matthew McConaughey in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

With Al Pacino in Ocean’s Thirteen

In the Oscar-winning West Bank Story

So, what was the experience like of being part of a big Warner Bros film like Ghosts...?

It was amazing. Those involved with the project are hugely talented people. Michael Douglas is also in the film. We shot it for about three months in Boston last year. The whole thing was a really great experience.

We know that both your parents are Indians but how strong is your own India connection?

It’s pretty strong. Both my parents are Indians. I have been to India several times. I can speak Hindi and Gujarati and Urdu. I mean I would definitely not consider myself an outsider in India. I am definitely American but I am definitely Indian.

Do you think the roles you are offered in Hollywood has more to do with your Indian roots ?

You know, I think it’s another layer as an actor. Sometimes it’s useable, sometimes it’s not. I have played a lot of “American” characters on TV shows. You know, I have guest-starred in a lot of TV shows and I have done pilots and they have been normal characters. And in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Melanie was a regular American girl. Then the director Mark Waters thought that it would add another layer of comedy if I added an accent to the character. We tried a bunch of accents. We tried British, Arab, all kinds of accents and the Indian accent really worked. You know yelling at him (Matthew) in an Indian accent really made everyone laugh. Being an Indian is a part of me. If they want to use my accent or turn my character into an Indian, that’s great! And if not, that’s fine too. I have been lucky enough to overcome being slotted into an ethnic box.

How important was West Bank Story in the way your career has shaped up?

In my particular case, I starred in the film and it won an Oscar two years after it was made. In between I ended up doing many, many other projects. I did American Dreamz (Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid), I did a movie called The Comebacks (David Koechner). When West Bank Story won the Oscar, it gave me as an actor a really big sense of legitimacy. It was only 25 minutes but it definitely made people really value my work and what I do.

Is there a temptation to head for Bollywood now that it has become such a global industry?

I am definitely tempted by the idea. But I am American, you know. I live here in Los Angeles. And this is the cinema that I fully understand and this is the system I am good at. I don’t know whether I will be able to fit into Bollywood. The styles are pretty different. There is a subtlety in American acting that isn’t necessarily there in Bollywood. That is not a bad thing but I am not used to it. Then again I think it will be fun to make a bold choice and do a Bollywood film. I think it will come down to like if I find the right script, I will definitely entertain the idea.

Do you watch Bollywood movies?

I do. I am not running out to them but I watch the big ones. Growing up I watched Seeta Aur Geeta all the time (laughs). That was one of my favourite movies.

Are you concentrating on movies or TV work?

My emphasis is definitely on films because I have a short attention span and it’s nice to be able to do something for three months and put it away. The next big film I have got coming out is called The Goods with Jeremy Piven and Will Ferrell. I am shooting right now with Jennifer Lopez for a film called The Back-Up Plan which comes out in January. I have got two major studio comedies coming out in the next eight or nine months. My dream would be to play the lead in a big comedy film.

And your thoughts on making it to the Maxim Hot 100 list...

It felt really good. You know, I don’t have blonde hair and blue eyes and I don’t look like a typical American. I am not Scarlett Johansson, I am Noureen DeWulf (laughs). That said, beauty is from the inside and it’s not the way you look.

Before we hang up, how was it like sitting next to Al Pacino on that casino table in Ocean’s Thirteen?

It was amazing! I got called in to audition for the film and it was for two scenes. They pulled me to Vegas and put me in a room in Bellagio. It was just a lot of fun. My role got cut down but it was so much fun. I mean when you have a scene with Al Pacino, you don’t go asking what’s the part; you say: “I would love to!”