Indie Icons: Asia Argento

Asia Argento is the daughter of Italian horror director Dario Argento (Suspiria) and Italian actress Daria Nicolodi. She comes from a family of artists and entertainers, perhaps destined to follow. While Asia’s career hasn’t included what most would call any great accomplishments, I would say she’s not the typical b-movie icon as we’ve spoken of before. Instead, she’s an artist of a different sort, growing into here talent within a rather tight body of genre work. Generally best known for her roles in Italian horror films, Asia has also branched out into independent action and drama films. Asia first appeared in Lamberto Bava’s Demons 2 (1986), also written by her father. The story follows a group of people trapped within a ten-story apartment building that is crawling with demons, hunting and feeding on the humans. Asia returned to Demons 3 (1989), directed by Michele Soavi (Cemetery Man).

It wasn’t until her father cast her as Aura in his horror film Trauma (1993) that Asia would attract the eyes and interest of American audiences. Trauma stars Brad Dourif (Dune, Blue Velvet) as Dr. Lloyd in a story of a young woman, played by Asia Argento, who escapes from a hospital. Her parents are violently murdered by a wandering serial killer and Aura sets out to uncover the mystery behind their killer. Asia would return again to work with her father in Dario Argento’s Stendhal Syndrome (1996), playing a young detective who slowly loses her mind as she tracks down a serial killer through Italy.

	Asia would next land a role on Abel Ferrara’s New Rose Hotel (1998), starring along side Chistopher Walken, Willem Dafoe and Annabella Sciorra. The story takes place in the future when two major corporations are feuding over the greatest minds in the world. Asia plays Sandii, an Italian girl that X, played by Dafoe, hopes to train as a double agent to win over the heart of Hiroshi, considered the greatest mind. Hiroshi is the target of both corporations, but the mystery behind what is and is not really taking place only begins here.
	With her growing success, Asia would play Beatrice in B. Monkey (1998). Alan Furnace is a typical London schoolteacher, but he longs for excitement in his life. He finds it in Beatrice, a beautiful and wildly reckless jewel thief, whom takes him full throttle into the underbelly of London. However, when the two of them become more serious and Beatrice gets a glimpse of a quiet life as a schoolteacher’s wife, she must decide if she can remain true to that path, or will she be drawn back into the excitement of the criminal life.
	Asia would enter into her most visible Hollywood roles as Yelena in Rob Cohen’s xXx (2002), starring along side Vin Diesel. In a complete 180 degree shift, Asia would write, direct and star in The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things (2004). The story follows Sarah, played by Argento, who is a young mother who steals her seven-year-old natural son Jeremiah away from his legally placed foster family and runs away with him. Over the years, Jeremiah is subjected to his mother’s low-life, led to alcohol and drugs and is abused by his mother, her lovers and her psychotic family. Jeremiah discovers the way of the world, first-hand, at an early age.

Asia would follow this with an appearance in Gus Van Sant’s Last Days (2005) and in the role of Slack in George Romero’s Land of the Dead (2005). Slightly out of her normal character, Asia played Madame du Barry in Sofia Coppola’s modernized retelling of Maria Antoinette (2006). She would also star as Zingarina in the drama Transylvania (2006) before starring in the thriller Boarding Gate (2007) and Abel Ferrara’s comedy Go Go Girls (2007). Having gradually developed an independent career out of her father’s support, Asia Argento is just beginning to bloom. She is currently working on three more films in 2008.