Life or Something Like It

She’s battled giant robots, bathed with Antonio Banderas, and undermined authority as an institutionalized misfit, but playing blond TV journalist Lanie Kerrigan might be Jolie’s most challenging role yet. ”I had to run in heels and I couldn’t wash my hair and I couldn’t even zip my pants up with the nails I was wearing,” says the actress.” She’s all the things that I find ridiculous — clumsy and girly and extremely giggly. Plus, it was me doing comedy, which everybody said I could never do.”

A comedy with a carpe diem hook: Lanie’s life is superficial until a homeless man (Tony Shalhoub) tells her she has only a week to live. ”She tries to put her priorities right [without getting] too philosophical,” says director Herek (”Rock Star”).

According to Jolie, her transformation continued after Herek yelled ”Cut!”: Her voice got higher, and even her hand gestures became prissy. ”When you’re wearing an outfit and hair like that, you can’t just suddenly be serious,” she says. ”I was just a ditz, an absolute ditz.”