'Mummy's' new Mommy: Maria Bello's the new undead chaser in 2nd sequel

HOLLYWOOD - It's never easy for an actor to step into a role previously played by or closely associated with another actor. For Maria Bello, replacing Rachel Weisz as erudite tomb raider Evelyn "Evy" O'Connell in the third installment of Universal's hit "Mummy" franchise was a decision to which she gave careful thought before saying yes.

"Rachel is such a beautiful and brilliant ingenue in those [previous two] films, and I knew I could never fill her shoes," Bello said. "So we decided to make a new pair of shoes."

Weisz reportedly opted not to return to the "Mummy" franchise because she had a newborn at home and didn't want to travel with an infant to China, where part of the film was shot. The 37-year-old actress also wasn't keen about playing the mother of an adult son in "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."

For Bello, 41, the appeal of starring in a big-budget adventure ultimately outweighed any concerns she had about being compared to the British actress. She had dreamed of playing a swashbuckling action hero for as long as she could remember.

"Growing up, I wanted to BE Indiana Jones," she said with a laugh during a recent interview.

If Weisz brought an Audrey Hepburn-style glamour to the role of Evelyn O'Connell, the archeologist wife of explorer Rick O'Connell (played by a returning Brendan Fraser), Bello brings a level of experience, sophistication and humor to the role, not unlike another Hepburn: Katharine.

Director Rob Cohen told Bello that he wanted her to bring "an American sensibility within this Englishwoman."

The Norristown-born actress adopted a British accent, dyed her golden locks brown and learned how to stage fight convincingly. She got a bit banged up while filming her action sequences, but insists it was worth it.

"I did have one accident where I was shooting my Winchester in the rotunda and a cartridge came up and hit me below the eye," she said. "If it had been a quarter inch higher, I would've been in real trouble.

"I felt like . . . I was a 12-year-old boy at the playground. I took gun lessons and sword-fighting for two months and worked on wires. I did 90 percent of my own stunts because I had a great team of trainers."

Fraser described his new leading lady as "wonderful."

"I promise you, Maria was enthusiasm, bottled," he said. "It's been seven years since the second 'Mummy' film, so it gives you liberty to have the roles recast."

The movie picks up in 1947. The O'Connells are enjoying semi-retirement, having sworn off mummy chasing to shield their son, Alex. When they are offered an opportunity to deliver an artifact to China, the two jump at the chance.

Unbeknownst to his parents, Alex (Luke Ford), is on a dig in China, where he discovers a tomb containing the mummified remains of an ancient leader and his army. According to legend, a sorceress placed a curse on the "dragon emperor" 2,000 years ago. Now, the awakened mummy threatens to wreak havoc.

It is up to the O'Connells to stop the mummy and his undead army. Martial-arts star Jet Li plays the vengeful dragon emperor. Michelle Yeoh ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") is the powerful sorceress. Isabella Leong plays her resourceful daughter.

Bello described director Cohen, who took over for previous writer-director Stephen Sommers, "a Buddha bulldog."

"He is really Zen and really spiritual," she said of the filmmaker. "But, gosh, he knows what he wants and would fire away about everything that was going on."

Bello, who studied political science at Villanova University, planned on becoming a lawyer until a drama class forced her to consider another path.

She started performing in theater before she was cast in the short-lived TV spy comedy, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," in 1996. When the series was canceled, she rebounded with a guest role on NBC's "ER," playing pediatrician Dr. Anna del Amico.

The producers liked her so much, they invited her to join the cast in 1997. Though she left the show at the end of the season, many fans still identify Bello in that role.

In addition to acting, Bello has explored writing plays and directing. She also supports a number of humanitarian causes that have taken her all over the world, including Kosovo and war-ravaged Darfur.

Bello recently wrapped production on two films: writer Alan Ball's feature directorial debut, the controversial drama "Towelhead," and "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee." *