Babes in Boyland

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But this season's crop of action actresses know who's in charge: boys and men. Some relish their second-class status. Says Hu, who also co-starred in last year's The Scorpion King: "I get to be in a great blockbuster and bask in its success without having the responsibility if it fails." Others are happy for an early career push. "You have to get known, and in summer films you do get attention," says Elizabeth Banks, 29, who has the female lead (supporting Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges) in the horse opera Seabiscuit. For an actor, working beats not working — so why not in a movie that people will pay to see, rather than one that plays twice at Sundance and then vanishes?

Michelle Rodriguez's first film, Girlfight, won two prizes at the 2000 Sundance fest. The indie film helped get her the female lead (supporting Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and a lot of souped-up cars) in The Fast and the Furious. This summer she has the female lead (supporting Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell) in S.W.A.T.

Still, Rodriguez is not satisfied. "I'm tired of the tough-guy thing," she says. She's not crazy about the Lara tough gals either. "Female leads can be too harsh. There's nothing psychologically exciting in them." So she is stoking her own projects and hopes to play Lucrezia Borgia and photographer-firebrand Tina Modotti — "respected women who were powerful."

Respect. Power. Can women get those in Hollywood? It's fine that a few young actresses are getting a break, but small steps don't answer big questions. Here are two to munch on, along with your popcorn. Why do the femme sidekicks have to be young? There are talented, sexy actresses over 35, as Hollywood remembers each year at Oscar time. And why do nearly all the big films have no loftier intent than to blow stuff up? Movies would be less predictable, more entertaining, if for just one summer the lords of show biz put action in traction.