Stereotypes are very hard to escape: Noureen DeWulf

New Delhi: From playing Matthew McConaughey`s girlfriend to Jennifer Lopez`s best pal in rom-com `Backup Plan`, Indian-American star Noureen DeWulf has come a long way but the actress believes Hollywood is not easy for ethnic actors as it is hard to escape stereotypes. "Yes, it is a challenging journey for an ethnic actress in Hollywood. Stereotypes are very hard to escape and an ethnic actor/actress has to know how to find a balance between playing characters," DeWulf told reporters in an interview.

"You have to make responsible choices both to yourself as an actor and also on behalf of the society to the best of your ability and it is somewhat of a burden," said the 26-year-old actress, whose parents are form Pune, Maharashtra. DeWulf, a Gujarati Muslim by origin, has carved out a successful career for herself in Hollywood and her repertoire includes Hollywood films like `West Bank Story` and `Ghosts of Girlfriends Past` besides TV shows `Maneater`, `90210` and `Girlfriends`. She is also looking forward to star in a Bollywood film but says the script has to suit her. "I would definitely love to work in Bollywood, with the right script, I think it would be a very interesting fit. I do follow it to an extent and I grew up watching Bollywood films," said DeWulf. Returning to her role in the `Backup Plan`, which hits Indian theatres tomorrow, the actress says she is more of a Brooklyn hipster in the film. "I play a character named Daphne who works in Zoey (Jennifer`s) pet store. I am also her friend. Daphne is zany and irreverent also somewhat of a Brooklyn hipster," she said. The 26-year-old actress says she drove for 12 hours to get to the audition of the film as she was in Arizona shooting for TV series `Maneater`. "My manager sent me the script and said that they were interested in auditioning me for the role of Daphne. I loved the part, so I drove back to Los Angeles and then drove back to Phoenix to resume shooting Maneater. I got an offer to be in the film. So the six hour drive each way was well worth it," said the actress. Directed by Alan Poul and starring Lopez and Australian actor Alex O`Loughlin in lead, the film is about a woman, who tired of waiting for the man of her dreams, conceives through artificial insemination, only to meet him on the very same day. DeWulf, who played a Palestinian character in film `West Bank Story` will next be seen working in `The Taqwacores`. Directed by Eyad Zahra, the film is about a fictitious Islamic Punk Rock scene through characters living in a punk house in Buffalo, New York. She is also working in a comedy on MTV called `Hard Times of RJ Berger`and has an important role in `Hawthorne` (a nurse drama on TNT starring Jada Pinkett Smith). PTI