Franka Potente Runs On in 'Bourne Identity'
June 17 -- It's not just anyone who can go from a quirky little independent film to Matt Damon's love interest, but that's exactly what Franka Potente has done, snagging the female lead in the spy thriller, The Bourne Identity.
It opened in second place this past Friday, taking in nearly $28 million at the box office.
Potente, 27, has been the Julia Roberts of Germany for nearly a decade, but it wasn't until 1998 that she sprinted onto American screens with the German film, Run Lola Run, in which she plays a woman with cherry-red hair literally running through the streets of Berlin to try to get enough money to stop gangsters from killing her boyfriend.
Now, she's on the run again, this time with Matt Damon in the summer blockbuster, The Bourne Identity.
Living in ‘Movie World’
The Bourne Identity was filmed mostly in Europe, Potente's home turf. But Potente says she has no real preference when it comes to film locations.
"I don't really care where I work, actually, because you know making a movie is like living in movie world," Potente said. "There's such a secluded world, and the director is the king ruling the country, and everybody's building this little town to speak in symbolism."
Potente said that starring opposite Damon is a slightly humbling experience.
"I'm the less famous person so they ask me how is it to kiss him — how was it to work with him," Potente said. "And I always say do you ever ask him how it was to kiss me? Maybe that's an interesting answer as well!"
Working together, she and Damon became friends.
"He totally helps you out. Like one day in Prague I remember we were in the hotel and we had to re-dye my hair and he ran down he brought all these water bottles and donated all the water," Potente said. "He helped rinse out the color. And I thought that's awesome — you know, he just does that like that."
Potente was not quite as relaxed in her first big American movie, Blow, in which she starred opposite Johnny Depp.
Related Stories
ABC News Live