Her first break in a major film role was in 2004 , '' The Girl Next Door '' . She played an ex – porn star , Danielle , opposite Emile Hirsch . She had reservations about the part , but was persuaded by director Luke Greenfield . She researched the role , speaking to adult actresses from Wicked Pictures and Vivid Entertainment . The film was compared to '' Risky Business '' , although Cuthbert said her character was not directly based on Rebecca De Mornay 's . Critics were divided ; some praised the film for boldness , others , notably Roger Ebert , called it gimmicky and exploitative . Ebert wrote that he saw Cuthbert 's character as " quite the most unpleasant character I have seen in some time . " '' The View London '' said : Cuthbert is surprisingly good , too – aside from being drop dead gorgeous , she also proves herself a capable comic actress in the Cameron Diaz mould . Cuthbert won two nominations for the MTV Movie Awards for Best Kiss and Best Breakthrough Performance
MTV Movie Awards
2005 MTV Movie Awards
Elisha Cuthbert