InsaneJournal

IT WAS MAY 3, 2000 WHEN Anneliese Elizabeth Windsor made her theatrical debut. A young lady of 14, she had the title role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland at the Ashmole School in London, England. With a classic grace to her and a charming voice and stature, Anneliese was from that moment destined to be one of the school's brightest dramatic stars. Anneliese followed her first theatircal accomplishment with more, taking the role of Philia in ...Forum and her first straight acting role as the coveted role of Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew. But it was at the closing performance of the latter when everything changed.

A talent agent was in London scouting for an unknown to play the role of Christine Daae in a film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The film was set to begin production, and the agent was desperate. On a whim, he went to local secondary school performances, and at Ashmole he was enchanted by the fresh and talented Anneliese. He approached her and her parents after the show about coming to New York to audition.

Anneliese auditioned before Andrew Lloyd Webber himself, after proving to the agent that she had a serious set of pipes worthy of carrying the difficult Phantom music. She was cast on the spot for the movie musical, after signing a contract that allowed her to continue her schooling despite having to film. The constant travel between London, New York, and Los Angeles paid off; when Phantom debuted, critics hailed its youngest star, and soon directors and producers were lining up to get a meeting with the bright little English schoolgirl, now called a shorter, simpler "Anna".

Five years later, Anna Windsor is one of the hottest young starlets in the film industry. Though beloved for her quirkier roles, such as Stella Bridger in The Italian Job (2003) and Kat Ellis in The Wedding Date (2004), it is Anna's talent for period films that sets her apart. "I've always loved to play dress up, even when I was a little girl," she says. "Being in period films, anything historical, makes me feel like I'm that child dressing up like a princess! To be able to step into roles that are no longer the norm is a great feeling. It's like I get to bring history back to life, and it's a fantastic experience, especially when an audience gets to enjoy it at the end."

In the last year alone, Anna has shone on the stage of two countries; in the spring, she had a six-week run as Fantine in the London production of Les Miserables, and for five weeks in the fall she starred on Broadway as Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac. While not on stage, she made her television debut in SciFi's Tin Man, and she was busy promoting the historical epic 300, based on Rhys Lowe's graphic novel. In the swords-and-sandals drama, Anna had the greatest of the very scarce female roles; Spartan Queen Gorgo. In the film, audiences got to see a new side of Anna that none had seen before; the nude side.

"Oh, God, it was so nervewracking!" Anna explained of the love scene in the film. "There were practically no other women on set except for the ones doing our makeup and I had my entire body out there for everybody to see! But I'm so glad I did it. There's nothing like a nude scene to make you appreciate your art and your body more." The film's special effects were the talk of most critics, but they never failed to praise Anna for her daring choices in roles, and in her actions on screen...with or without clothing.

At 22, it looks like Anna has another wonderful year ahead of her. She has two films slated to open in 2008; one, V for Vendetta, breaks Anna's usual historical feminist mold, set in a futuristic fascist Britain, and the other, The Other Boleyn Girl, places Anna in the shoes of one of history's most controversial queens, the doomed Anne Boleyn. As well, Anna is be going back to her musical theater roots with a self-titled album of Broadway songs said to hit stores towards the end of the year. "It's full of songs I've either performed on stage in the past, or that I just love," she says proudly. "Musical theater is my passion, and it's great that I have this outlet to share my love for it. I hope that this album will maybe convince more people to listen to show music, since it's bloody ridiculous that nobody does right now!"

As for the future? There are rumors swirling of future roles for the lovely Miss Windsor, including Duchesse de Polignac in Marie Antoinette and Lucy Harris in a film adaptation of the musical Jekyll & Hyde (Anna had the same role in Ashmole's production during her 11th year). Knowing Anna, no matter how much we predict, we'll never know what to expect. This young English rose is living proof of a little girl's dream coming true...and that's why we love her.