We have seen the future. And wow is she weird looking.
The sci-fi movie "Splice" is getting plenty of attention for the topic -- genetic cloning -- and its two main stars, Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. But it's a supporting actor who is generating the most buzz: Otherworldly beauty Delphine Chaneac, who plays the part-woman, part-beast hybrid hellion created by Brody and Polley.
The Web certainly picked up on the newcomer quickly: Searches from the last 7 days on "delphine chaneac" bubbled up the charts almost 500%.
The up-and-coming actress and singer -- who got her start on French television and film -- was discovered by the movie's director Vincenzo Natali ("Cube") on the streets of Paris. He liked her look. Hey, who wouldn't. The porcelain skin, the wide-set eyes -- and the ability to make being a monster actually enviable are some major assets.
One hitch: The French native didn't speak English. Turned out, for this horror movie, that wouldn't be a problem, unless she didn't speak mutant: squeaks, trills, and cat purrs. She got the part.
In the trailer, the bald beast is seen hopping in a menacing way on top of her human mother, actress Sarah Polley, who loves her even though she's different -- and deranged. The 32-year-old who channels the monster had help through a background in karate. She told TwitchFilm that the martial-arts training was useful since her character "Dren" expresses herself through movement: "You have more control on your feet, on your arms and maybe on your mind."
The New York Times review calls the CGI-acting hybrid "a seamless amalgam of computer-generated effects, mechanical effects, and human performance." The "Frankenstein"-like creation appears to have hands for feet and a long, poisonous tail, (and did we mention the hairless head?) but still looks fetching in frocks. She is, quite literally, scary beautiful. NPR notes that the "beautifully played" performance as "a cross between a plucked chicken and a Velociraptor. With vocal stylings to match." Director Vitali told the Montreal Gazette: "Delphine is the film's very best special effect."
If you'd like to see what the new talent looks like with hair, you can check her out in the upcoming crime thriller "Verso." Or, if you can stand to watch "The Pink Panther" -- the version with Steve Martin and Beyonce -- the young star plays a ticket checker. Don't blink.
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