Meet Josh Hartnett's New Babe

• Sep 6, 2004 04:00 AM ET
• by Daniel R. Coleridge

There oughta be a law! Canadian actress Jessica Par&#233 is the latest presumptuous Canuck starlet to move south of the border and start mackin' on our American hunks. In MGM's Wicker Park (opening today), she gets to play Josh Hartnett's pretty girlfriend. "It's a small part, not very central," she tells TV Guide Online apologetically. "My character thinks he's going away to China for four days, but it turns out, he's actually chasing this other woman. She's clueless."

Hmmph. Well, she still had a plum gig as Josh Hotnett's main squeeze, if only briefly. "I loved him in The Virgin Suicides and I've enjoyed his work, but he wasn't up there with my favorite actors," the 21-year-old admits. "When I met him, I decided I wouldn't get psyched out that he's a big star. But he's such a charming gentleman and so sweet that I was blown away.

"I had a little teenybopper crush, for sure," Par&#233 concedes with a chuckle. "I mean, c'mon. He's pretty g--damn gorgeous. He's even better looking in person, I think."

This month, look for Par&#233 to co-star on Jack & Bobby — the WB teen drama that's not about the Kennedys — as Courtney Benedict. "It's about two brothers who are in high school, and one grows up to be president of the United States," she says. "My character is the new girl at their school, who will grow up to be first lady. The show is set in the present day, but with flash forwards to the year 2049."

Maybe it's just her Canadian roots, but Par&#233 doesn't quite fancy the idea of being first lady. "It's sort of a weird post," she says. "It's the White Housewife! If John Kerry wins, I think Teresa Heinz Kerry will make an interesting first lady because she obviously has had her own thing going since long before he was ever around. She'll have to find a balance between doing what she thinks is important, while also not appearing to stand out too much from what her husband thinks. To me, the idea of measuring everything I do against my husband's ideas is tricky. I'd rather be the leader of a country than the leader's wife."