It's hard to pay close attention to what Kate Beckinsale is actually saying when she speaks.Dressed in a sleek black dress and petite patent leather pumps, her sly smile half hidden by silky, straight brown tresses, Beckinsale looks exactly like that movie star you never thought you'd see up close.

On her left sits M.A.S.H. and West Wing star Alan Alda, whose less-than-glamorous sparse, gray hair and dress suit are balanced by his impressively effortless wit.

Beckinsale and Alda spoke to an audience of nearly 250 Brandeis students, faculty and Boston-area fans in the Wasserman Cinamatheque last Wednesday after the screening of Nothing But the Truth, their Oscar-nominated film directed by Rod Lurie. Their visit marked the fourth in a series of the Los Angeles Times' East Coast "Contender Q & A" events celebrating the recent establishment of the Film Studies major at Brandeis. Alumnus Scott Feinberg, a Los Angeles Times blogger covering the Oscar race, interviewed the actors and moderated the Q&A panel.

The film is loosely based on the events surrounding former New York Times journalist Judith Miller's refusal to testify before a federal grand jury as to who leaked the information that Valerie Plame was a covert CIA agent.

Washington, D.C. reporter Rachel Armstrong (played by Beckinsale) gets caught in a complex situation when she reveals CIA agent/soccer mom Erica van Doren's (played by Vera Farmiga) secret identity in a cover story exposé. After revealing Erica's identity, Rachel is subpoenaed and imprisoned for refusing to reveal the source that leaked the information. As Rachel's personal life slowly unravels, she forms a close bond with her lawyer, Alan Burnside (played by Alda), who complicates Rachel's situation by questioning whether it's worth it for her to sacrifice so much on the basis of principle.

The chemistry between Beckinsale and Alda on screen is matched by their compatibility in person. Beckinsale's endearing English colloquialisms describing the most exciting parts of filming ("We actually invaded the Memphis newsroom-real people kept phoning up!") made Alda's sharp, often crude witticisms ("[My wife] isn't undercover-she's under the covers") all the more unexpected.

Yet even with all their witty banter, Beckinsale and Alda showed considerable insight into their characters and the film's overall themes. For Beckinsale, the film marked a significant departure from the roles she typically plays (think Serendipity or Underworld). "Strong, intellectual, complex roles-they don't come around that often," she explained.

Beckinsale recalled in particular the first scene she shot, in which she confronts Farmiga about her secret identity. "I have not been in that many scenes [with] an intelligent woman," Beckinsale said. "It's usually me and some boys," she added, giggling just slightly.

Speaking to viewers' lingering feeling at the film's conclusion-that perhaps Rachel had her priorities wrong all along-Beckinsale said, "I think there's nothing more boring than someone who starts the movie heroic and acts heroic all the way through."

As seriously passionate about the power of film as he is clever, Alda remarked on the movie's subtle commentary on social themes. "I really dislike strongly art that is propaganda," he explained. "If each side is presented with action and credibility, that is a good [production]."

Though this isn't the first time the West Wing star has undertaken a politically charged role, Alda seemed impassioned about the film's central debate over journalistic freedoms. Before shooting the film, Alda said he and Beckinsale spent a day touring the Supreme Court building and meeting with justices. He related a particular scenario one of the justices used to explain the problem of shield laws: "Somebody's about to die on death row. You're a reporter and you know who really committed the crime. Should you testify?"

"This is a wonderful question to raise," Alda told the audience, "because all of our lives depend on it."

Responding to audience members' curiosity about the actor's perspective on the film's "surprise ending," Alda described the complexities of starring in a film when the actors know a significant piece of information the audience doesn't.

"You gotta play every scene so they're believable both ways," he says, referring to the audience's understanding of the film as opposed to the actors'.

Regarding the future, Alda said he's recently spent much of his time writing and is currently working on a new play. Beckinsale features in Everybody's Fine and Whiteout, films due to be released in 2009.

As for the possibility that Nothing But the Truth has what it takes to bring home an Oscar this February, Alda was hopeful, but not too worried.

"I don't care if they give us the award or not," he said, grinning. "I think awards are a foolish thing-but I want all they got.