Another character rife with contradiction is the Princess Mononoke herself, voiced by rising young star Claire Danes. Danes plays the young woman known as San with as a spirited rebel looking for her own identity. “I have always been attracted to coming-of-age stories” admits Danes, “and San is very much a young woman coming to terms with who she is. At the same time, I was terribly excited to be in a movie with a strong heroine who is fearless and physical and nobody’s victim. I jumped at the opportunity to embody a warrior princess.”