German newcomer plays Helen in 'Troy'

NEW YORK, May 17 (UPI) -- Ex-model Diane Kruger admits she was a bit nervous about playing Helen, the legendary Greek queen whose face "launched a thousand ships," in "Troy."

"It's very flattering and, at the same time, it's a little pressure. Everybody has a different idea, I guess, of beauty," Kruger told reporters in New York, noting the filmmakers met with 3,000 women before hiring her four weeks before the movie began production.

"It was a very challenging character for me as a newcoming actor, so I was more concerned with that, as there is only so much you can do physically to become that person. You don't know what the studio is looking for. Obviously, there will be people who see the movie and be like, 'They found the right person,' and then maybe some that will be like, 'What were they thinking?'"

The German actress speaks French, German and English and dubbed her own lines for the foreign-language versions of "Troy."

Before starring in the blockbuster, she acted in the independent film "The Piano Player" and the French film "Mon Idol."