THERE aren"t many women who would be brave enough to take on a role once performed by Audrey Hepburn,but Natalia Vodianova is up for the challenge. "I"d love to play Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face". "She is one of my heroes - she was such an incredible philanthropist." Last week,Vodianova premiered her first film as a leading lady for a cinema adaptation of Albert Cohen"s 1968 novel,Belle du Seigneur,starring alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers. She plays a Swiss married woman,who has an affair with a Jewish diplomat,defying traditional perceptions of women. "I just fell in love with my character,Arianne". "The film"s set in the Thirties and,for that time,she really did make decisions that were above preconceived ideas of what she should be. She considered herself free even when she wasn"t. I always knew I would love acting,I was just waiting for the right role to come up. The story really moved me." Although she is open to new roles and is currently reading a few scripts, fashion remains her day job. It "pays the bills",as she , and she doesn"t feel inextricably tied to it. In fact,it was her dissatisfaction with modelling that led to her establishment of the Naked Heart Foundation,her charity that raises money for underprivileged children living in her native Russia. "As soon as I felt comfortable financially,which was a while ago now, I started to feel really unfulfilled". "Work as a model wasn"t enriching for me. I enjoy it, but it"s not something I could never give up. The Naked Heart Foundation gives me a higher purpose and fills that void. I can be choosy about what jobs I take now - they have to meet a certain criteria,do they have a positive impact? Do they have a good image? Is the brand elegant? Does it serve women? Sometimes,if I feel strongly about a brand,I"ll work with them for free. For example,with Stella McCartney,I am paid,but it"s symbolic - and that"s because I love Stella and what she stands for." This year Diane von Furstenberg - one of her personal role models - gave Vodianova an Inspiration Award at the designer"s annual awards ceremony for demonstrating leadership,strength and courage within her work. Does she ever wish that she could change anything about the fashion industry? "My heart lies elsewhere"."You have to choose your battles and the problems within fashion are not mine to fight."
