by Paul Fischer

Evil is fun, at least on the big screen. In Universal's larger-than-life The Mummy Returns, the baddies are as fascinating as the film's heroes. Paul Fischer spoke to Arnold Vosloo (as the Mummy Imhotep), and Patricia Velasquez (his love, Anck-su-Numam) about being bad, and discovered two very classy and eloquent individuals.

PATRICIA VELASQUEZ is one of those actors who exudes stardom, minus the ego. Beautifully attired in leather pants, her jet-black hair and tanned face define her ethnicity. "I'm part South American Indian", the ex-model explains with her thick South American accent in toe. She is also a vast believer in reincarnation, a dominant theme that runs through The Mummy Returns. "I have no doubt I was someone very interesting in a past life. I also feel that if you were evil, then next time around you would be very good."

Velasquez does a devilish job playing the evil yet beautiful, Anck-su-Numam, the reincarnated lover of Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) in The Mummy Returns. She never thought that the much smaller role of Anck-su-Numam in the first Mummy would end up so substantive in the much bigger sequel, set 10 years after the original. "No matter how little things are in life, you should always try to do the best you can, because you never know what can happen." Obviously, that philosophy paid off for the Venezuelan beauty, because here she is in The Mummy Returns, evil as can be and engaged in a powerful fight scene with on-screen heroine Rachel Weisz. Now, there's no turning back, and Patricia revels in playing the bad gal. "Every time you play a bad girl or guy in a movie, you really come from a place of pain", Velasquez says about playing this character. "If you connect with that pain, it somehow makes it more understandable for audiences. It's, like, when you want something in life, you want it so badly that you start taking action to get it, because you want it. I actually think this is the reason why everybody likes the subplot, between Arnold and me, because we're really in love."

Comparing the two films, the actress comments tells us that "the first film was good, but in this one the characters have a great arc and the special effects are great. They all work in conjunction and really well." Such as a scene where a CGI Imhotep runs his fingers through her hair before kissing her. "What was great was that Arnold was always there for those scenes to help make it all real." Velasquez, who considers herself a highly spiritual person, spent some time studying the ancient Egyptian aspects of the film, ensuring that her language "was as precise as can be" when speaking the old language, and other, minute details regarding ancient Egypt with which she is clearly fascinated. " Every little symbol you see has a name, it's not just decoration. I don't think anyone could make a movie to represent history that is so right on."

A pivotal moment in the movie is a climatic fight scene between Patricia and co-star Rachel Weisz. "I don't think audiences will have seen anything quite like this. At the beginning we went at it very carefully and slowly, then, bang, it was full on, but very carefully choreographed."

Velasquez's own journey carried her from poverty in her native Venezuela to modelling to a Hollywood career. Velasquez says she's committed to her work, her family and herself. The fifth child out of six remembers hard times for her educator parents. "Teachers in a third world country," she says. "You never get paid." Velasquez herself was all set to work in the huge Venezuelan oil industry, the only way out for Indian children from the tiny border village of Guarijez, where she was born. She was studying accounting and engineering; a friend wanted to become a model. The friend took portfolio of photos-one including Velasquez-to an open casting call in Caracas. The modelling agency called Velasquez. She can laugh about it now, as she sits in a hotel room chatting about her new movie. But it was the break of a lifetime. "When they asked me to go to Milan," she says, "there was no question I was going to do it. Because I wanted to help my family." The first big money came rolling in. Velasquez walked runways in Japan, Italy, Spain, and France, but she didn't forget about where she came from. She bought her family a new house and saw to it her three brothers (who are back home in Venezuela) and two sisters (in New York City) completed college. She's also launched a foundation to help native Venezuelans. After nine years of modelling, film beckoned, first in Europe and then a small role in the box office hit The Mummy followed by the comedy Committed, starring Heather Graham. With The Mummy Returns, Velasquez also persuaded Universal "to arrange big premieres for the film throughout every Latin American country," including her own. "That makes me very proud." After seeing her work in Mummy Returns, this villainous star has much to be proud of.