Cook goes to the head of the class

By Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant, 03/16/2001

Pixieish, petite, sloe-eyed Rachael Leigh Cook takes a supporting role as an American hair model and would-be colorist visiting her stylist champion father in England in ''Blow Dry.'' But the sentimental British satire is a minor effort for the 21-year-old star, who scored a $1.5 million payday for her upcoming ''Josie and the Pussycats.''

Entertainment Weekly made Cook and her ''Josie'' costars, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson, cover girls in the magazine's wrapup on spring movies. Cook also has two other releases in the pipeline: the western ''Texas Rangers'' and ''Tangled.'' Earlier this year, she played a leading role in ''AntiTrust.'' In five years, she has won roles in 15 films, most notably the breakthrough ''She's All That,'' a hit ugly-duckling teen romance.

In a new Hollywood where stars hit the top before they reach the age of 20, Cook ranks near the top. Her rivals for starring roles were all born between 1978 (Katie Holmes) and 1982 (Thora Birch, Leelee Sobieski, and Kirsten Dunst). These young women are among the busiest and hottest of a new generation. Some, like Birch, Dunst, Christina Ricci (born 1980), and Natalie Portman (born 1981), began as child stars and have hovered in the public consciousness so long that it seems they should be older. Others, such as Stiles (born 1981) and Kate Hudson (born 1979), have emerged more recently.

Many of the stars began as models. Television has fostered the careers of others. A horror film, ''I Know What You Did Last Summer,'' brought Jennifer Love Hewitt (born 1979) to prominence.

A number of the young women have starred in prestigious projects as well as teen films.

Hudson is nominated for an Oscar for Cameron Crowe's ''Almost Famous.'' In 2000, Mena Suvari (born 1979) was seen first in ''American Pie,'' then in the multiple Oscar winner ''American Beauty,'' which also starred Birch.

Sobieski was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film, ''Eyes Wide Shut,'' along with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Stiles, who attends Columbia University, has worked in three adaptations of Shakespeare, ''10 Things I Hate About You'' (based on ''The Taming of the Shrew''), ''Hamlet,'' and the upcoming ''O'' (based on ''Othello'').

Portman, best known as Princess Amidala, has also won raves on Broadway for ''The Diary of Anne Frank.'' She has put her career on hold, except for the ''Star Wars'' sequels, to devote herself to her studies at Harvard.

Thanks Chaos.