Far Out Magazine revisits Kate Beckinsale's decision to take the lead role in the 2003 vampire action film "Underworld", a part she has described as something of a personal experiment. Best known at the time for period dramas and literary adaptations, Beckinsale used the role of Selene, a leather-clad vampire warrior, to move into physical, genre filmmaking and demonstrate a different side of her range.

The gamble paid off commercially and culturally, with "Underworld" becoming a cult hit that spawned a long-running franchise of sequels. The article frames the role as a turning point in Beckinsale's career, showing how a deliberate departure from her earlier typecasting opened up new opportunities in action cinema.