There’s a moment in Bug during which I was so significantly moved, I almost crumbled in my theater seat. It comes when Agnes (Ashley Judd), the worn out, drug abusing, but still beautiful (in that way only certain kinds of damaged women can be) realizes she might be a alone again. As her newfound future partner in psychosis, Peter (Michael Shannon) leaves her; she closes herself in her seedy motel bathroom and sobs.
But there’s more to the story…
Ashley Judd (“Tooth Fairy,” “Double Jeopardy”) stars as a single mother raising a troubled son in Warner Bros.’ heartwarming family adventure, “Dolphin Tale.” The film is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin named Winter and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life.
Judd remarks, “I didn’t really know anything about Winter before I became involved in the movie, so it was an exciting process of discovery. As soon as I finished the script, I went to seewinter.com to look at her. I couldn’t wait to meet her, and it was even more magical and moving than I anticipated.”
In the film, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Without a tail, Winter’s prognosis is dire. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle—a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help scores of people around the world.
Judd plays Lorraine who is worried about her son, Sawyer, until she is introduced to the thing—or rather being—that has altered the course of his life. Judd explains, “Lorraine finds out that Sawyer’s been spending every waking moment at an aquarium and he’s in a whole new dimension about which she knew nothing. She goes from being understandably upset to seeing with her eyes, and feeling with her heart, the profound changes in him that are all happening because of his friendship with Winter.”
“Ashley conveys the warmth and concern of a mother facing the challenges of raising her boy on her own,” director Charles Martin Smith says. “Then when she sees the bond between her son and this dolphin, the look on her face tells you everything. Ashley is really a wonderful actress.”
Judd has equal praise for her director. “Charles Martin Smith is a filmmaker I greatly admire. ‘The Snow Walker’ is one of my all-time favorite movies, so the opportunity to work with him was very appealing. And this film seemed like something I would enjoy doing, as well as a project I will always be grateful to have been a part of. I appreciate the theme that the found family—the chosen family—is an important part of our sense of community. I also like the principles espoused by Clearwater: that an animal should be rescued, rehabilitated and, if appropriate, returned to the wild. That is very congruent with my personal values.”
Today Ashley turns 43 
People Magazine recently named Jennifer Lopez as the “Most Beautiful” for their 2011 issue, but could Ashley Judd have been a more worthy candidate? Ashley, 43, is an actress and humanitarian, and the oft-forgotten daughter of singer Naomi Judd and half-sister to Wynonna Judd.
Beauty is more than skin deep. It also has to do with character, generosity and the nature of one’s beliefs.Ashley Judd is beautiful inside and out.
1. The base definition of beauty is typically physical. Ashley Judd is physically attractive even when she is photographed with dust on her face from a poor makeup job. Some allege she’s had plastic surgery, which would not be unheard of for a woman of 43. However, most would agree that if she has had cosmetic procedures, they have not ruined her face.
2. Ashley is articulate. How many stars do you listen to and then want to grab a piece of duct tape to slap over their mouths? Lately it seem that bad manners and profanity are the norm rather than the exception. Listening to Ashley, you realize that not every Hollywood type needs to go to charm school.
3. Ashley left acting in 2004 to start international feminist social justice work, prompted by a trip to Cambodia. She has transformed her talents to help the less fortunate around the world, and she’s been to 13 countries so far. Shocked by what she saw in brothels, slums, and in other areas, her book “All That Is Bitter & Sweet” is part of that spiritual process, with her personal story being in a couple of chapters.
4. For women who have been sexually abused in America, Ashley’s words serve as a source of comfort and support. She explores the issue of sexual abuse and incest, of which she was a victim, in her book “All That Is Bitter & Sweet.”
5. Ashley shows courage under fire, something that not all actresses and actors have. She came out with details about her family, but she has also taken flak for her comments about hip-hop.
“As far as I’m concerned, most rap and hip-hop music – with its rape culture and insanely abusive lyrics and depictions of girls and women as ‘ho’s’ – is the contemporary soundtrack of misogyny,” wrote Judd.
Judd apologized extensively for her comments about rap and hip-hop at Global Grind. “I am deeply remorseful that anything I may have said in “All That Is Bitter & Sweet” would hurt adherents of genres that represent their culture. This book is an act of love and service. Insulting people of goodwill is the antithesis of its raison d’etre.”
Source: omg.yahoo.com
