Playing Pocahontas opened up a whole new world for her
Fourteen-year-olds aren’t usually burdened with the demands of historical accuracy, outside of book reports.
Not so with Q’orianka Kilcher.
The little-known actress plays the American Indian princess Pocahontas in the epic new film “The New World.”
Kilcher gives a quiet, honest portrayal of the girl who saved the life of Capt. John Smith (played by Colin Farrell).
Yet she still has had to answer familiar starlet questions. Her favorite: What was it like kissing notorious bad boy Farrell? (It was her first kiss, too.)
“Everybody’s asked that!” says Kilcher, who, at 15, is poised and thoughtful. “I was actually scared of doing it. But I know kissing is different in the movies than in real life, and so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll figure it out when it comes along.’ “
When filming began, Kilcher was 14, a few years older than the real Pocahontas was when, in 1607, she helped create a temporary peace between the Powhatan tribe and the British settlers of Virginia’s Jamestown colony.
“The New World” also depicts Pocahontas’ later years, after she was disowned by her father and married the English tobacco farmer John Rolfe (Christian Bale), with whom she had a son. She died of pneumonia at 22, shortly after an audience with King James I.
“I wanted to do her justice,” Kilcher says. “I don’t care if I never make another movie, or if I’m nominated for any awards. That’s never been important, from the moment I became involved with the film.”
Kilcher’s mother is Swiss-Alaskan and her father is an Inca Indian of the Huachipaeri tribe; they never married.
Q’orianka (the name is Huachipaeri for “Golden Eagle”) was born in Germany and traveled the world with her mom until age 2, when they settled in Hawaii. When she was 6, she began singing on the streets.
“My idol was Shirley Temple,” she says. “I saw her singing and dancing in a movie and thought, ‘Hey, I can do that!’ “
When Kilcher was 9, her family moved to Oklahoma after their motor home broke down in Los Angeles. She performed her songs in an upscale shopping district until her sound equipment was stolen. A newspaper story about the family’s plight led to her signing with the William Morris Agency.
At 10, she got a bit part in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” While she was auditioning for a TV series, her photo caught the attention of the “New World” casting directors.
Kilcher – a second cousin of singer Jewel – says it was her musical skills that finally got her the role.
“I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pull off the more mature scenes,” she says. “But at a callback, I sang Aretha Franklin‘s ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ and that helped everyone believe I could do it.”
Kilcher’s goals include wanting to start a school, pursuing environmental concerns and recording an album.
She has a hopeful but romantic view of the relationship in “The New World.”
“I think John Smith was an explorer of worlds and Pocahontas an explorer of hearts,” she says. “When you have a vision, you do all you can to help it along.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Chita Rivera is 73. Actor Rutger Hauer is 62. Actor Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) is 56. Actress Gail O’Grady (“American Dreams,” “NYPD Blue”) is 43. Actress Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 42. Actress Tiffani Thiessen (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 32.