Move over, Kristen Stewart.
The much-loved star of "Serendipity" and "Cold Comfort Farm" is revving up for the release of the fourth installment of her vampire-werewolf "Underworld" saga. But the British actress didn't break into Hollywood quite as easily as it may seem -- in fact, she wiggled her way in with a strongly-worded letter.
"My audition went very well; I heard I was the favorite," Beckinsale told Manhattan of her audition for the lead role of Flora Poste in 1995's "Cold Comfort Farm." "But then my agent called and said they were looking for somebody older... I went through the book, found all the points supporting that I was the correct age, wrote what was essentially a research paper in the form of a 'Dear John, You're Making a Terrible Mistake and I'm Going to Save You From It' letter, and delivered it to his door. Luckily he found it very amusing, phoned and told me the part was mine.'"
Now, 17 years later, Beckinsale's career shows no signs of slowing down. As the world gets ready for Selene's return to the big screen, Beckinsale isn't quite as enthusiastic. "I wasn't really intending to do another one," she told Collider. "I kind of always heard that it was a trilogy and that was that!" Luckily, the actress has other projects in the works. Her films "Contraband," "Total Recall," and "Happy Holidays, Katherine Sloane" are all slated for 2012.
For more on Beckinsale, click over to MANHATTAN.