No stranger to an alien existence

NATASHA Henstridge left her hometown in Alberta, Canada, at the age of 14 for life as a model on the Paris runways. Armed with only an Elite Model's Look of the Year contract, Henstridge had no friends or relatives in France and didn't speak a word of the language.

'Everything was alien,' says Henstridge, now a movie star entertaining the press in her Korean hotel suite. 'That's how I identified with SIL; that and the overwhelming loneliness.' SIL is the sex-starved alien Henstridge portrays in the hit movie Species, currently ravaging town.

Not, of course, that Henstridge is the type of girl to let things drag her down. 'I don't recommend it as something 14-year-olds should do,' she says. 'And there were some girls the same age as me who had a really difficult time. But, fortunately, it's like God just had his hand on me and led me through all this stuff.

'I never made any huge life decisions, I just went along with everything. I'm very free spirited. If I liked it, I would do it; if I didn't, I said no thank you. It keeps things easy if you don't dwell on things too much.' At 21, Henstridge is a statuesque, beautiful bubbly blonde - not that anyone who has watched Species will need a reminder of how impressive her body is.

SIL, which is technically the lead role in this gory invasion movie, is a mix of human and alien DNA. Programmed with an overwhelming desire to reproduce, SIL cruises the clubs of Los Angeles - quick to tear off her clothing.

'I was a little apprehensive - mainly because of my family,' she says. 'They live in a small town [Fort McMurray, Alberta] and I knew it would bother them; they mean a lot to me. That was my biggest concern.' But she cautions: 'I don't want to take off my clothes in every film. I don't want to be known as the girl who will do naked scenes.' Thanks to the success of Species, Henstridge is now a hot commodity. Her next film is a remake of the classic And God Created Woman, while January 1996 will see her in Hong Kong for a week of shooting on Jean Claude Van Damme's next project Bloodrage.

'He's trying to tone down his action image so there'll be no kick-boxing for me.' she says.