Name: Fairuza Balk. 

Age: 26. 

It's the eyes that you notice first , and it's the eyes that gave Fairuza Balk her name. 

They shone so fiercely when she was born that her father, who plays Middle Eastern and Flamenco music, named her Fairuza, Arabic for Turquoise.  But while her eyes glow that penetrating bright blue, Balk's drawn to darker characters in films such as Gas, Food, Lodging, the craft and American history X. 

Balk is that Goth girl: " There's definitely lot's of music from the 80's that I love I was really into Industrial, especially ministry and front 242. I still do love it. I just don't listen to it that much. Right now I'm consumed with Moby's play, Cibo Matto's  Stereotype A and some old Cocteau Twins." Well, she sort of that Goth girl. She did do a ZZ top video. And in the movie that's going to make Balk a star Cameron Crowe's new Almost Famous her character is obsessed with a 70 rock star played by Billy Crudup. "Everybody thinks I'm this Goth/Industrial girl. It's a character I play. Hollywood really needs to put people into little categories, unfortunately. People confuse a character with who you are. It's crazy." 

Proud Fairuza Balk secret: "I am this huge Led Zeppelin fan. they represent Rock n' Roll to the highest. I felt very privileged because I have Led Zeppelin playing in a bunch of my scenes (in Almost Famous), including this one very special scene with Billy Crudup where they play ' Rain Song.' Evidently Robert Plant and Jimmy Page got together to see the movie, and they wanted that scene to run longer. So they made the scene longer! You never think the people you Idolize will ever know of your existence." 

Balk's dream once was to be a lead singer or guitarist, and she still loves to play: " I love making music. But a lot of times when actors try to sing - forgive me, but they suck. I'm not naming any names, but a lot of it is packaged and formulaic. they don't write their own songs; they barely sing. Of course the world is going to be skeptical." 

Naming names on the albums that really mater: David Bowies the man who sold the world, Joni Mitchell's Blue and Court And Spark, Leonard Cohen's Best Of and Patti Smith's Horses and Radio Ethiopia. - David Daley