Scriptwriters invented the obscure African language of Ku as part of the plot for Nicole Kidman's interpreter who claims to overhear an assassination plot. Kidman not only learned to speak convincing nonsense but brushed up on her Spanish and French as well. Steve Pratt reports.

THE redhead attempting to sit in anonymously on United Nations Security Council meetings looked familiar. The same woman could also be spotted meeting with interpreters at the New York building. This was Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman researching her latest screen role in The Interpreter.

Not that she wants too much emphasis placed on research. "It's not really for anything else other than your own preparation," says the Australian who's become one of Hollywood's leading actresses. "It's about creating a character and you do whatever is necessary, but at the same time it's almost like your little secret."

She believes too much importance can be given to this aspect of acting. As a result, a lot of the mystery of film-making is being taken away by everyone talking about how they prepare, she feels. "It's far more interesting to just go and see the movie and put it together that way rather than being told what to think, what to feel and what an actor did in preparation."

In The Interpreter, Kidman stars as African-born translator Silvia Broome, who alleges that she's overheard a death threat against an African head of state, spoken in a rare dialect few people other than Silvia can understand. A federal agent (played by Sean Penn) is assigned to protect her after people fear her knowledge will make her a target for the killers.

The Interpreter is notable as the first picture to get permission to film inside the UN headquarters. Director Sydney Pollack only gained admission after a direct appeal to General Secretary Kofi Annan. He was able to film in rooms such as the General Assembly, usually only seen on the TV news during major world events.

Part of playing the interpreter was learning the fictional African language of Ku, which has a key role in the plot. "Silvia's supposed to be speaking this language fluently, so she had to find a way to do it without any hesitation, as if it's totally natural to her, even though it doesn't exist," says dialect coach Tim Monich.

"Then she had to be able to move back and forth between speaking English and Ku without missing a beat. That's terribly, terribly difficult to ask of anyone, even the very best linguists.

"Luckily Nicole turned out to have a fantastic ear. She's brilliant with accents. And she works so hard. It's the best combination you can ask for. For this film she not only had to learn Ku but practice Spanish and French. She mastered them all."

She'd wanted to be directed by Pollack, whose credits include Out Of Africa, Three Days Of The Condor and The Way We Were, for some time. They'd acted together in Eyes Wide Open (with Kidman's ex, Tom Cruise) and he produced Anthony Minghella's drama Cold Mountain.

She can recall them having many conversations about wanting to work together. "Finally this came about. He sent it to me, said he was going to work on it and rewrite it," she recalls. "So when this script came along, I was really excited. I especially loved the idea of doing a political thriller with Sydney, who's made such great films in this genre. I thought it was a really good match."

Even so, she approached the project with a certain amount of trepidation . "I just think if you look at Sydney's movies and the women he's directed, you kind of go, 'oh, there are too many great actresses he's worked with. He's going to think I'm terrible'," she says.

"But he's so nurturing. You have somebody who's an actor, a writer, a director and who produces. He can do everything and knows how to structure a film."

If making the movie hasn't changed her political views, it has taught her an enormous amount about the UN and its work. "As with most of the things that I do at the moment, it's been a learning experience, which is rather good that I've been able to learn about this and Africa," she says.

"As a backdrop of a thriller, the UN couldn't be more intriguing. I especially love the belief in the power of communication the institution represents. "Like Silvia, I really came to be quite inspired by what the UN is trying to accomplish in bringing people all over the world closer together, despite all the complications and potential for conflict and danger.

"As a backdrop, it's really good but this isn't a film about the UN. I mean this film is about two people meeting each other and I feel that there's a very strong relationship between a man and a woman. That to me was very appealing."

She hopes the film works on an entertainment level first and foremost, while still believing it's a movie that says something. "I hope that it delivers on those levels, I think that's where Sydney is incredibly adept," she says.

"I've watched all his work now and it's just lovely to see him in his element. You know he's produced so many movies and I keep saying to him, 'Sydney, you're a director, it's in your blood, you're meant to'. He just commands a room."

* The Interpreter (12A) opens in cinemas tomorrow .

Published: 14/04/2005