Keisha's explosive role
By Sophie Tedmanson, Entertainment reporter
October 14, 2004

http://entertainment.news...bv,00.html


KEISHA Castle-Hughes created headlines around the world when she became the youngest best actress nominee in Oscar history for her role as a Maori girl in the New Zealand drama Whale Rider.

Controversial ... Keisha Castle-Hughes in a scene from the video


And her next role - starring in a Prince filmclip - is likely to garner the 14-year-old just as much attention.

Castle-Hughes stars in the clip for the US singer's new single Cinnamon Girl as an Arab-American schoolgirl who experiences prejudice in post-September 11 America.

The filmclip for the bluesy-pop single features Castle-Hughes (who spent part of her childhood in Australia) as a mixed-race schoolgirl who, according to the lyrics, prays to God "in the face of a holy war'' after a terror attack.

In the most shocking scene, the girl goes to an airport and, with her hand on the detonator of a bomb hidden in her handbag, imagines blowing herself up while surrounded by families and children.

The single will be released in the US next week followed by Australia where the filmclip is likely to screen on local music programs.

Castle-Hughes's NZ agent Graham Dunster, from Auckland Actors, said she was handpicked for the role by Prince who became a fan of hers after watching her Oscar-nominated performance in Whale Rider.

Dunster said he did not think the filmclip was controversial when put into the context with the song's lyrics.

He said Castle-Hughes treated the filmclip, which was filmed at Prince's Paisley Park property in the US, as "any other character in any other role'' but said she agreed with the sentiment in the song.

"Well, she's Maori, so she's up for racial tolerance - anything that can help people have more understanding of each other is something she would always give a tick to," Dunster said.

The Prince filmclip is likely to create a stir in the US where Eminem's latest video for his single Just Lose It has caused outrage because of the controversial rapper mimicking Michael Jackson.

In the clip he wears a Thriller-style jacket, his hair catches on fire, his nose falls off and he is seen bouncing on a bed with young children.

Jackson has called radio and TV stations to try to ban the song which features the lyrics: "Come here little kiddie, on my lap. Guess who's back with a brand new rap? And I don't mean rap, as in a case of child molestation.''

So far only one TV station has banned the clip, which is currently screening on local TV stations including MTV Australia, which will show a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the filmclip next month as part of a special on the rapper.

The Australian