Patricia Clarkson's role in the upcoming Martin Scorsese picture "Ashecliffe" (formerly "Shutter Island") is epic, it's life-changing, it's a tour de force. And, oh yeah, it's a complete mystery.

"I don't want people to know who I'm playing," the talented actress teased us when we recently caught up with her. "It's a great character and it's very exciting. It's a challenging role and I'm looking forward to it.

"I've had a very long talk with [Martin] about it," the actress added when we pressed her for more details.

An adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel, "Shutter Island" follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates the escape of a murderess from a hospital for the criminally insane. Read more...

Article by Alyssa Vitrano

On the Line: I was at a Women in Film panel over the weekend, and Patricia Clarkson was talking about how the movie had 3 really strong female lead roles (played by her, Felicity Huffman and Elle Fanning). You never know if that means it'll be chick flicky, but later an older guy was telling me he saw it and afterwards called his wife practically in tears saying how the film made him want to be a better father. Wow, ok. Was also curious to see if Elle Fanning was as freakily good as her sister Dakota.

In the Theater: The scenes with Elle and Felicity, who plays a writer whose trying to figure out what kind of disorder her daughter has, are completely heartbreaking. I was sitting next to an older man and we were both crying. But the scenes where the kids put on the Alice in Wonderland play go on way too long and feel like you're at a grade-school production--only kids' parents should have to sit through that.
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Earlier this year, "Easy Rider" icon Peter Fonda paid tribute to his motorcycle movie lineage with an enjoyably evil role in "Ghost Rider." Now, his legendary partner-in-crime is eager to do the same...with some help from Quentin Tarantino. "I am doing a motorcycle movie this year that Quentin Tarantino is producing," Dennis Hopper told us this week, confirming rumors that he'd been cast in the currently-filming action film "Hell Ride," which co-stars the pic's writer and director, Larry Bishop.

The old-school flick, which tells the story of three tough guys (veteran "Kill Bill 2” actor Bishop, Michael Madsen and "24” heartthrob Eric Balfour) settling a score between them, is described as a modern day "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly," and is currently filming in the Los Angeles area. "I am playing Eddie 'Scratch' Zero," laughed Hopper, a "Blue Velvet"-like wickedness growing across his face. "And I couldn't possibly begin telling you who that is, but he is weird enough."

Adding that "I know Quentin and I love all of his work," the actor who so memorably delivered Tarantino's dialogue in "True Romance" added that when Tarantino and Bishop asked him to hop back on a hog one more time, he couldn't say no.

In other news, Hopper revealed to MTV that he hopes to step behind the camera again soon. "I am going to direct another movie this next year," said the tireless counter-culture icon, who recently turned 71. Hopper also will be seen in two more films coming out later this year. "I just did a thing with Charlize Theron, who produced her first movie," he said of the drama. "I play her father in it, and it's a terrific thing called 'Ferris Wheel.' [Another is] a wonderful thing with Penelope Cruz and Sir Ben Kingsley called 'Elegy,' based on the Philip Roth novel 'The Dying Animal,'" Hopper said of the impressively-cast sexual drama, which also includes Patricia Clarkson, Deborah Harry and Peter Sarsgaard. "I play Ben Kingsley's best friend. We are both womanizers and college professors, and I am giving him advice on how to have an affair with a younger woman."