Lords of Dogtown and Sahara:Entertainment Tonight visited the sets of two highly anticipated Paramount Pictures releases recently.

First up, Heath Ledger talked about his role in the upcoming Venice Beach skateboard archive, Lords of Dogtown...

"I have some false teeth," Heath tells ET about his grungy transformation for the flick. "It's fun. You know, I usually have the hair out and wild. This makes my job that much easier -- you're kind of looking and feeling the part, plus [I've got] a wig too, so everyday I take it off and it's me when I go home."

Based on the acclaimed documentary, 'Dogtown and Z-Boys,' now on DVD, 'Lords of Dogtown' is about the 1970s rebels who exported their rough-and-tumble skateboard style around the world.

"In the skate world they revolutionized skating," says Heath. "They started skating [in] pools when there was a drought in California, riding the pools like they were riding a wave."

Shot in and around Venice Beach and Southern California, the film charts the lives of these outcasts as they try to find themselves while battling the cops, drug abuse and suffering parental neglect.

"I think at the end of the day it's a story about youth," says Heath, "and we've got three or four varied versions of how they dealt with their youth."

CLICK HERE for the full article plus a video clip from the set.

Next up, Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz talked about their experiences on the Sahara set...

"It has something that reminds me of Indiana Jones," Penélope tells ET about the new endeavor. "It's that tone that is so magical. I miss those movies, and that's why I was so happy when they called me."

Based on the hugely popular CLIVE CUSSLER novel, Sahara is just one of 17 international, best-selling novels featuring action hero Dirk Pitt. In what is intended to be the first of numerous adaptations, 'Sahara' finds Dirk (Matthew) searching for Confederate gold coins that have inexplicably materialized in Nigeria. When he thwarts the attempted assassination of World Health Organization scientist Dr. Eva Rojas (Penélope), Dirk discovers a nefarious plot involving a deadly disease that could spread to epidemic proportions. With the help of his long-time partner, Al Giordino (the always plucky STEVE ZAHN), and state-of-the-art equipment provided by his boss, Admiral Sandecker (WILLIAM H. MACY), Dirk sets out to save the world from an environmental catastrophe.

World destruction may loom, but Matthew says there's still plenty of time for a little romance along the way: "I flirt a little bit with [Penélope] in the first half, and then we sort of come together in the second half and then it's a great fairly tale ending."

Did you doubt it would go any other way? The real question, however, is whether the filmmakers will be able to squeeze love scenes in between all of the spectacular action set pieces.

"We don't really have any, I'm sorry," apologizes Penélope. "There's one scene at the beach that's, like, the most romantic scene of the movie, but we don't really have any love scenes."

Love scene or no love scene, Matthew is obviously smitten with Penélope as an actress, and it appears those warm feelings may have also helped the Spanish beauty get over her spring breakup with TOM CRUISE. An off-set romance has reportedly blossomed between the two stars, and last month they were seen dining together at a number of London hot spots, although reps for each deny they are a couple.

"I think she adorable," Matthew reveals to ET about his doe-eyed co-star. "She sees everything for the first time, even if she's seen it many times before. There's a freshness and an innocence about that that I just find adorable."

CLICK HERE for the full article plus some video from the set.

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