Kate Beckinsale is heading to the Antarctic for her latest film role. The British actress will appear as no-nonsense U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko in chilly thriller "Whiteout," which sees Kate's character on the trail of a killer at a South Pole research center.

A movie insider said: "Fans will see Kate play a real action hero, some of the stunts are breathtaking. The movie is going to be thrill-a-minute."

The film, directed by Dominic Sena, is an adaptation of the 1998 comic book series by Greg Rucka and artist Steve Lieber. Although the movie is set in the Antarctic, conditions were too cold to shoot on location so filming took place in Canada. "Whiteout" is set to be released in September 2009.

Meanwhile, Beckinsale has claimed she didn't need prosthetic make-up to look "old and haggard" for upcoming movie "Nothing But the Truth."

The 35-year-old actress donned fake eyebags to show how tired her character was at the beginning of shooting, but began filming her scenes without them once her hectic schedule took its toll.

Kate, who plays a reporter trying to reveal the truth about a CIA agent, is quoted as saying: "I had some eye bags and slightly yellowy skin put on my make up for the prison scenes. But by the end of the movie I think I had it naturally!"