Brooke Shields has apparently always wanted to play a superhero, and while she still hasn't quite gotten the opportunity, she has now come closer with her role in Justice Leage: The New Frontier, where she voices Carol Ferris, Green Lantern's girlfriends. Shields told Entertainment News International that playing a hero has always been something she's wanted to do.

"I'm so drawn to the concept of a female warrior as the lead character - I've loved it since before they had shows like Alias and Bionic Woman," Shields admitted. "As I'm not exactly, let's say, a dainty girl - I'm not frail, and no matter what I do, I'm not little - I've always secretly wished to have to go through some kind of training to do a big, physical role. I've trained with the Blue Angels and I've done triathlons, but ultimately, I think I want to be a super hero. Okay, I just want to play a super hero. I think that would be great. I'd love to do that kind of role."

While Shields' character in Justice Leage: The New Frontier isn't a heroine herself, Shields is pleased to note that the character goes on to become one of Green Lantern's greatest villains, Star Sapphire, who rules a race of alien amazon warriors. That transformation doesn't happen in this film, but Shields still enjoyed working on the role of Green Lantern's girlfriend, and working opposite David Boreanaz.

"There's nothing silly about animation to me," Shields said. "I'm always impressed with the artists and the technology. It's also really nice to be behind the scenes, but still be an actress. The characters themselves precede you, but you're still right with them, supporting them. There's a wonderful thing that happens when you have the cans (headphones) on and there's time and place to sort of infuse these characters."

Although she enjoyed the process, Shields regrets that with the way animated projects are done, she didn't have the opportunity to see her character until very late in the production.

"I wish the animation process was done in reverse - it was such a different experience to record to picture versus just recording without the visual reference," Shields said. "I didn't really know who she was as much without the picture. When we were initially recording it, before the animation, sometimes it felt flat. We worked on modulations, but I was not as clear on her character - I think I needed the picture in my head for it to take on a life onto its own. When we recorded to the animation, that made it much clearer."

"I always appreciate how seriously this is all taken - there's such a commitment on everyone's part," Shields continued. "It's not just a cartoon - it's very real. It's a very, very dedicated, smart, hard job that these people do. I'm so impressed by it. It's all these things you don't get to see that make these films great. It goes way beyond the voice actors - the people that make these animated (films) are just complete geniuses."

Justice Leage: The New Frontier is a direct-to-video animated adaptation of the popular DC Comics storyline DC: The New Frontier, and comes to DVD later this month.