taking the lead; With her unstoppable talent and classic good looks, Michelle Monaghan is quickly becoming a Hollywood favorite.(Brief Article)(Interview)

Byline: John Powers

I've been doing a lot of kickboxing," says Michelle Monaghan during a break from her preparations for Mission Impossible 3. "It's so much fun-though I'm not very coordinated." As if to prove the point, she accidentally kicks me under our table at a Beverly Hills restaurant. She smiles in embarrassment: "Oh, my gosh!"

It's been an "Oh, my gosh" year for the genial 29-year-old actress, who is blossoming into stardom at the speed of time-lapse photography. In June, she had a nifty little scene as a computer whiz in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. This October, she has a huge role opposite Robert Downey, Jr., in the enjoyable action comedy Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. Playing a starlet mixed up with killers and gumshoes, she gives a career-making performance that's soft, sexy, and funny-the lady has an old Hollywood way with a wisecrack. Nobody in the industry was surprised when she was pegged to play Tom Cruise's love interest in the next installment ...