August 2009 Pin-Up Girl: Rose Byrne

Of Irish and Scottish descent, Mary Rose Byrne broke into acting in 1994's Dallas Doll. Turning in amazing performances in films such as Troy, Wicker Park, Marie Antoinette, Just Buried, and The Tender Hook, Rose Byrne is more than just a hottie from Australia. I thought her acting was subtle and amazing in all of these movies, Troy being the first time seeing her on screen (unless you count Star Wars: Episode II), but my favorites would definitely be Sunshine, Damages (though I've only seen the first season), and, of course, 28 Weeks Later. I'm even debating watching that recent shit Nic Cage movie, Knowing, with Byrne being the sole purpose. Interesting story about Troy: Rose was originally tipped to play Helen of Troy, but she felt more affinity for the character of Brisies. She's also co-starring in the Forgetting Sarah Marshall spin-off, Get Him to the Greek, with Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, due out next year.

In 28 Weeks Later, sequel to the zombie film 28 Days Later, Rose Byrne co-starred as Scarlet, a doctor in the newly militarized, quarantined section of London after the initial outbreak roughly 6 months prior. While Rose doesn't do much zombie-slaying herself in the film, surrounded by children and leaderless soldiers, her character becomes the voice of reason to the group. So that definitely qualifies her as August's Pin-Up Girl. SPOILER: "In the shooting script, it is Scarlet who is burnt to death whilst trying to get the car started and Doyle who is beaten to death by Don in the subway. Writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and writer/producer Enrique López Lavigne changed this at the last minute because they felt that killing Doyle first and leaving the children with Scarlet would create more tension for the audience, as leaving the children with Scarlet as opposed to Doyle makes them seem more vulnerable."

She's gorgeous, intelligent, modest, soft-spoken, and she doesn't give off that typical Hollywood bitchy actress aura that most seem to have these days. She's also one of the few actresses that can act through her eyes alone. I'd even go so far as to say she's the most beautiful actress working today. Well, aside from Monica Bellucci, but that's just unfair competition. I'm pretty open-minded, but this one isn't up for debate. If your girlfriend isn't slightly jealous of Rose Byrne, then the only possible explanation is that you're dating Rose Byrne. Lucky bastard.