JAMES PUREFOY - PUREFOY WANTS BELLUCCI FOR HIS CLEOPATRA

Brooding British actor JAMES PUREFOY is begging producers to cast MONICA BELLUCCI as his CLEOPATRA in a new TV mini-series about Roman hero MARC ANTONY (corr) - because he'd like to kiss the sexy Italian.

The MANSFIELD PARK star has already begun shooting the HBO series ROME - even though producers have yet to cast his leading lady.

And having just played opposite a pregnant REESE WITHERSPOON in VANITY FAIR, he has no qualms about getting intimate with pregnant Bellucci.

He says, "Cleopatra comes in at the end of this first season... Obviously, I'm looking forward to it, being a single man. Monica Bellucci, please!"

Purefoy admits the project will certainly stem up the screen when it airs next year (05).

He says, "I had to do a scene the other day with this actress - we're having sex, and there are two slave girls in the room with us, watching, and a 15-year-old wafting a big fig leaf to keep us cool."