Rosario Dawson's Long Straight Ponytail

Actress Rosario Dawson (Rent, Eagle Eye) recently appeared on Ellen's talk show to promote her appearance in the current movie Seven  Pounds with Will Smith.

Ellen reported to the audience that Rosario was playing ping pong with her boyfriend and father before the show started.

Ellen teased Rosario about her ping pong playing skills which were apparently all over the place.  Rosario admitted she hit her dad in the face with the ball.  Ellen asked if the ball ever hit the table.

Rosario was wearing a dusty rose knee length dress with small ruffle accents around the top.  Her dark brown hair was brushed off her face from an off-center side part.  Her hair was pulled back into a sleek low crown ponytail.  Rosario had a few loose strands pulled softly down on either side of her face.

Ellen asked Rosario to share about how she grew up. Rosario explained that she grew up in New York.  When she was six years old Rosario and her family moved into what is known as a "squat" or abandoned building in the lower East side, which had a huge hole in the floor and plastic for the windows.   The house had a plywood front door and no plumbing, water or electricity.

Before that they (Rosario and her family) were living in a rat infested railroad slum lord style apartment.  Her family felt that they could build the home around them.   Rosario shared that it "was the most incredible experience growing up like that".  To "grow up in a small artist's community.  It was remarkable."

The actress who has never had any other type of career "was discovered on the stoop on the house where she grew up".  On that stoop she was discovered for the movie Kids.  Her dad told her to "go downstairs and be discovered".  Then she went downstairs and "there was a grip who was really cute and so she wound up hanging around" and eventually became discovered.

Rosario shared her experiences in the film working with Will Smith and how she had to fall fifteen times on her face because her character faints in the movie.  Her character had congestive heart disease and she had to simulate being out of breath a lot.  She had to do push-ups between takes to be out of breath naturally.

Ironically she had a fantasy of using a hula hoop to simulate being out of breath but Will suggested she did push-ups which she eventually did.

Regardless of her acting requirements for her recent role, her hair looked breathless on Ellen and she demonstrated the power of the pony hairstyle as a sassy and fun hairstyle.