Born and raised in New York, Jennifer Connelly began modeling at the age of 10 and was cast at 14 by legendary director Sergio Leone in Once Upon A Time In America as a little girl who danced. It appeared she was on a fast track with other young actors of her generation. Connelly was then paired with David Bowie for the 1980s classic Labyrinth, and several years after that she appeared in The Rocketeer. Despite solid performances in both films, Connelly's career seemed to stall. Interesting portrayals in films like Dark City seemed to go by largely unnoticed; it wasn't until years later that her career began to blossom again with unbelievably enigmatic, shocking turns in Requiem for A Dream, and Waking the Dead.

With this year's Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind, Jennifer Connelly returns to the spotlight now as a single mom - she has a son named Kai with photographer David Dugan - a greater sense of picking only those projects that really matter to her. Here she talks about working on A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe and Ron Howard and why she signed on for Ang Lee's The Hulk."

You seem to have been drawn to very daring, independent films like Requiem For A Dream in the past. But A Beautiful Mind was a big Hollywood story with huge industry names attached. What drew you to this project?

It was such a beautiful script. I love the story. I thought it was well handled. I thought it was even more moving because it was a true story. Russell Crowe was involved and I think he's a great actor. And the woman I was playing was kind of ferocious, spirited and beautiful character. I was drawn to her.

Could you relate to her?

I could. And I was happy that it was important to Ron (Howard) to preserve her. He wanted to preserve her humanity. He didn't just want her to become this implausible martyr, you know, the long suffering wife. She kind of falls apart in self-pity and rage and doubt and really struggles and breaks down herself. I thought that made her really human. In that sense - I don't think there's anyone who hasn't felt those things - I can relate to her.

Did you meet the real life Alicia before you started work on the film?

I did. I went out to New York and New Jersey where she works. I sat down and had lunch with her. Even though this movie is inspired by them and the events of their lives, our Alicia is a fictionalized version of the real Alicia Nash. I still kind of wanted to meet her for some piece of mind and ask her if there was anything that she thought it was important that I convey about her. But in reality it just became kind of a nice lunch and she wanted to know about Russell Crowe and what kind of movies I made.

Did you see that kind of ferocious quality in her that you were talking about before?

She's very commanding. She's very exuberant even now. She's very sharp. You know when you get into a room with someone who is irreverent and not particularly self-conscious? She has that kind of spirit to her. So you would believe her as the kind of woman who would go to his office and talk her way past the military guards. She has that kind of spirit to her even now.

Russell Crowe has a reputation for being very intense and very committed to his work. How was it to act with him?

I appreciate that. I like that. He doesn't want to take anything for granted. So, if it says in a scene that if you walk over there and say this. There'll be a conversation about whether that's the best thing for that character to do. He makes interesting choices. He likes to explore on the set. He's spontaneous and available as an actor. You just need to be there with him and enjoy that kind of work. I really do enjoy working that way.

Did you, Russell Crowe and Ron Howard pretty much stick to the script or were there a lot of things that developed there on the set?

It was very collaborative. Ron Howard was very open. He's someone who really knew where he wanted to go with this film but he also really respects and trusts his actors. He really let us try different things.

I remember there was one scene that had been blocked a certain way and I felt really strongly that I should be doing something else and Ron's reaction was, "Let's try it." He's someone who is flexible. I was happy to do anything that he asked of me in this movie. I trusted him enough with this movie to do that. And I felt that it was likewise. I never came away feeling that he wouldn't experiment. He worked that way with me and with Russell.

Your portrayal of this character is generating a lot of attention for you right now. Do you enjoy all the press or would you rather not have it?

I can't comment on any outside perception. I'm happy to come out and talk about movies that I've made in settings like this. Otherwise, I have my own life that is very different and very private. I live in New York and I'm a mom and (my son and I) are in the playgrounds together. I hang out with my son.

How old is your son?

He's four going on fourteen.

Has your perception of yourself as an actress and the kinds of roles you want to take been changed by having him in your life?

Everything changes as a mother. I feel it has changed in a couple of ways. The projects that I choose are even more important to me now. I don't want to put things up there that are going to hurt, confuse or cause more pain for no reason. If you feel those things for a reason then that's okay. But it has to be for a reason. And beyond that, it's a huge catalyst for growth and change.

There's this e. e. cummings poem that has this line in it, "...nobody not even the rain has such small hands." I kind of think of my son in that way in the way he's reached inside me and helped open me up.

You recently signed on to do THE HULK. How does this fit into your commitment do interesting, important work? What did you see in this story that made you want to do it?

I met with director (Ang Lee) and I asked him why he wanted to do it. He told me it was really a Greek Tragedy. It's really a psychodrama. It's about the rage inside all of us. It's about fathers and sons. He's talking about it in these heightened terms. You know, the green monster of rage and greed and jealousy and fear in all of us. So I definitely wanted to do it.

•••