Fresh fromplaying Helen of Troy, the face that launched 1000 ships, in WolfgangPetersen's $200 million epic, Troy, German-born actress Diane Kruger isto appear alongside Ed Harris in Agnieszka Holland's low-budget, US independentfilm, Copying Beethoven. "I think this year I'm going to try to dosmaller films and more character work," Kruger told Screen.

In Cannes today ,Kruger will be taking part in a press conference to promote Christian Carrion'smulti-lingual First World War drama, Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel.) Thefilm, about the famous incident in the trenches on Christmas Eve in 1914 whenBritish, French and German troops played football together, is being producedby Christophe Rossignon. Kruger is to play a German opera singer. The cast alsoincludes Daniel Bruehl, Thomas Kretschmann, Gary Lewis and Guillaume Canet.Shooting is to begin in the autumn.

Kruger has twoother features waiting release. She is to be seen shortly opposite NicCage in the Bruckheimer production, NationalTreasure (due to be released in the US on Thanksgiving weekend), in whichshe plays the curator at the National Archives in Washingtron, taking care ofthe Declaration of Independence. Meanwhile, she is reunited with Rose Byrne,her co-star from Troy, in Paul McGuigan's Hitchcock-style thriller, WickerPark

Kruger won herpart as Helen of Troy against fierce competition. She made her own auditiontape. Director Wolfgang Petersen has revealed that he evolved a complicatedpoint scoring system for judging potential Helens. He sat in front of tapes ofactresses, trying to work out just how many ships their faces might launch."I'd say 'how's she'' 342 ships. If you were at 812, you were getting hot. Idon't know if there's ever (an actress who could launch) the full thousand, butlet's put it this way, she (Diane Kruger) is way up there," Petersen commented.