“I belong somewhere trapped in a castle in the 14th century, in the rain, churning butter…”

Olivia Wilde
By E.C. Gladstone

Where are the paparazzi when you need them?

It’s a crisp winter day in LA, and Olivia Wilde, who’s just flown in from New York, is dying for some sushi. So when the actress calls from the lobby of the W hotel as I’m pulling up, I tell her to skip formalities and just meet me at the curb.

Would it be too much to ask that at least one photographer be there to capture the former O.C. co-star getting into my car? Just a grainy shot to get people wondering about her “mystery man?” I mean, this is the kind of publicity a guy can’t buy.

But nobody’s on the sidewalk. Not even a college kid stringing for TMZ with a cell phone camera.

Wilde, dressed in denim with a cloth cap over her long brown hair, is apologetic—not for that, but her sleep-deprived and makeup-free looks, which, truth be told, make her only stop-you-on-the-street beautiful instead of the usual coronary-inducing gorgeousness when she’s actually trying.

She also smells fantastic.

When we park on the street and she leaps out and feeds the meter without even mentioning it, I’m already won over. That small act is almost the equivalent in a Hollywood actor to an ordinary person stopping traffic for an old woman. Very classy.

But if looks and manners were all Olivia had to offer, I could stop here and save space for more photos. Five minutes later, though, after she’s told me about her hilarious plane flight next to effusive fitness guru Richard Simmons, and touched on the joys of ensemble acting, the best Mexican restaurant in New York, the cultural renaissance of Ireland, and political author Chinua Achebe, it’s clear that Olivia is the type of person whose intellectual curiosity and engagement with the world goes far beyond the apparatus of entertainment.

And she’s all of 21 years old.

“In order to get enthusiastic about a role, I have to feel like it means something, that it will have some sort of relevance to the world,” says Wilde, who’s in the middle of being everywhere, with this season’s ‘Turistas’ (a cautionary tale about organ harvesting) and Alpha Dogs (drug dealers in over their heads) in theatres, ‘The Black Donnellys’ (a family of Irish mobsters) on NBC in a few weeks, and Death and Life of Bobby Z coming up. “But you find it in any role that’s well written,” she says, raving particularly about ‘Donnellys.’ “Even if they don’t seem they’re in any way politically relevant.”

For prime example, Wilde points to her breakout performance in the second season of The O.C., as Mischa Barton’s lesbian girlfriend. “That was extremely important, because of the influence it had on all these women around the world. I got letters from countless girls saying that I made them feel comfortable with their sexuality, that they thought they had to be ugly to be a lesbian…”

Continued at Pt. 2

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–FF–

Copyright 2006 ECG

“People were like ‘You have fake boobs!’ And I’m like, ‘No I don’t, but thanks. I take that as a compliment!’”

Audrina Patridge
By E.C. Gladstone

Life as a reality television star means having to constantly reveal yourself. But as The Hills’ Audrina Patridge realized recently, sometimes things can get a little too revealing. Earlier this year, Patridge had to face the embarrassment of not one, but two nude photo shoots being leaked over the internet—and people believing that Audrina was personally responsible.

“I am not an attention whore,” the 23-year-old starlet insists today. “I’m not going to release naked photos of myself just to get attention. I’d rather get different attention and be respected.”

That may come in time. But first, Patridge has to clear the air about those pics.

“I was just out of high school,” Patridge explains of the first session, which include shots of a young Patridge in a Catholic school girl skirt, and little else. “They were never supposed to be seen.” The second, more tasteful, but still revealing, series was done only last December. “One of my good friends who is a makeup artist, it was her friend who was the photographer, “ Audrina explains. “’It’ll be like a Maxim thing,’” she says he told her. “It was for a European agency. But he ended up selling all of the photos I had never seen, the photos that you think get deleted, because they show a bit of nipple or something.

“It’s so crazy how once you’re a celebrity in the spotlight, what people will do for money,” says Patridge, both unashamed and uncompromised.“Where they act like your best friend to your face and they’re ‘always there for you’–they will turn on you in a second.”

Still, what’s perhaps most interesting about Audrina is how little the controversy has affected her overall outlook. Meeting her at a Hollywood event this past March, I was impressed by her charm, candor and class. She gave no indication that she was facing an almost constant barrage of criticism for the photos, which had just come out.

“People were like ‘You have fake boobs!’” Patridge says now, with a smile in her voice. “And I’m like, ‘No I don’t, but thanks. I take that as a compliment!’”

Not everything Audrina has to hear about, though, is so complimentary. If it seems like The Hills girls lead a charmed life on their MTV “reality” show, Patridge is here to tell that there is a dangerous undertow to the wave of fame.

“It’s so surreal, all the paparazzi and all the questions, and everybody knowing your business ,”she says, sharing laughs about meeting Brazilian fans in the Miami airport, and getting stopped by grandmothers with advice in the mall. “There’s rumors all the time. Somebody asked me if I was pregnant! Uh, do I look pregnant?

“We’re constantly being judged on everything we do, say, wear–everything,” she continues. “I’ve never watched a show and then gone on the internet and been like ‘She has big teeth,’ or this or that. Who are these people?”

Continued in Pt.2

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FF

copyright 2008 ECG

“When you’re in love you have no control, you have to be with that person. I love acting, so I’m caught now.”

Cameron Diaz Interview
By EC Gladstone

Eric Gladstone: You broke out with the big broad comedy of the Mask. Why did you go from there to smaller films like Last Supper, She’s The One and this new one, Feeling Minnesota?

CD: After doing the Mask, I decided what I wanted to do was act, so it was really important for me to find something that I didn’t have any financial burden of carrying the film, and certainly to work with actors that I could learn from, in an ensemble piece. I like a challenge, and the challenge for me was to find a part that I could do all that in. The Last Supper was that for me, because I got to work with a lot of great actors in sort of on-the-job training. I’m not looking to make a film that’s going to put me in this or that ‘position,’ these were all films that   I really felt were a challenge to me, and I believed in and wanted to be a part of. What their status in Hollywood was, was after the fact.

EG: Keanu Reeves and Vincent D’Onofrio, your co-stars are both pretty seasoned and experienced—what did you learn working with them?

CD: Mostly the focus and dedication of both those actors, both were very honest with the characters.

EG: I heard the very first shooting day was that sex scene in the bathroom?

CD: [smiles] Keanu was so great with me on that day.

EG: Are you aware of your status on the internet, all the fan sites dedicated to you?

CD: I don’t even know how to turn the thing on.

EG: You’re next film is called My Best Friend’s Wedding—shooting in Chicago now?

CD: Making the decisions what film to go after is probably the hardest part of doing this, because you’re locked in for the next three months. I was a model, and models do the work and you never see it again, it ends up on a page someplace and nobody knows who you are. When I did the Mask, I had that mentality. But it’s sort of like love, when you’re in love you have no control, you have to be with that person, I love acting, so I’m caught now, I’m doing w  hat makes me happy but at the same time I’m preparing myself that at some point I’m going to have to swallow a pill

EG: You’re dating Matt Dillon now—has that given you any guidance as far as how to handle fame or celebrity?

CD: He handles it well, he’s a regular guy, he’s still friends with all the friends he grew up with, that’s who he still does everything with.

EG: Tell us about this new film you’re going to do with Danny Boyle [A Life Less Ordinary]?

CD: I’m so excited about doing it. It is sort of a love story, and what I find really interesting about these filmmakers is that Shallow Grave and Trainspotting were completely different films—[Trainspotting's] got this looseness to it, it flows with the character, like you’re being taken through it–and so is this film. It’s a chase, basically what happens is a Scotsman here in America loses his job and he takes revenge on the man who owns the company, my father, and he takes me hostage. And I’ve been kidnapped before and he’s never done it, so basically I teach him how.

Copyright 1996 ECG

“I swore I would never be with another actor… You know, ‘Make a plan, hear God laugh!’”

By: EC Gladstone

Geoffrey Rush is buzzing around the crowded patio. Sean Penn is in the lobby talking on his cell and scarfing down a salad. Suits are doing deals everywhere. There’s no doubt that we’re in Hollywood, and Oscar season is heating up. Nevertheless, there is always an element of escape at the storied hotel Chateau Marmont. Which is why Rebecca Gayheart likes to lunch here.

“I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather go,” she says, as a waiter brings menus and a double-shot espresso. “I mean, I love the food at the Ivy, but I can’t take the scene in front.” Though Rebecca has an important role to promote, in the new Fox-TV show “Vanished,” the actress has no need for the sort of attention that the paparazzi camped outside Tinseltown’s most infamous eatery bring. And Gayheart certainly isn’t interested in putting on airs: she arrives early, by herself (no handlers, no publicists), parking on the street, and dressing down in slim grey jeans and a big comfy black sweater.

Despite this, Rebecca maintains an irresistible glow – the same that made her a natural “Noxema girl” back in the early ’90s and yet, at the opposite of the spectrum, gave flight to her fear in Scream 2.

That teen popcorn flick is one of several (Urban Legend, Jawbreaker) for which Gayheart is probably best known – along with a stint on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ as Luke Perry’s bride. But Rebecca’s hoping to change that now. Though she’s actually worked steadily for the past 15 years (with one significant hiatus), the actress sees her portrayal of Judy Nash in the Atlanta-set ‘Vanished’ as “my first ‘adult’ role.

“She’s ambitious and aggressive, she’s really smart, really clever,” Gayheart says of her investigative journalist character, “and she’s not afraid to use her sexuality.” No kidding — viewers got to see her in the altogether (or as much of that as a primetime network show allows) on the very first show. “It’s very layered,” she adds, of a part important enough to get her to straighten her naturally curly hair. I’m enjoying myself.”

Indeed, at 35 (and wearing it well), Gayheart seems to be the rare maturing “teen queen” who is getting better with age. “When you get older, you realize where you are is where you’re supposed to be,” she says, “you’re not chasing something, you know?” Maybe that’s because Rebecca’s found what most women would envy: a happy marriage to fellow actor Eric Dane, none other than ‘Gray’s Anatomy’s own Dr. McSteamy.

“I swore I would never be with another actor,” Rebecca laughs, “because it just seems so typical. You know, ‘Make a plan, hear God laugh!’ But he’s fantastic, the greatest guy in the world,” even though, she admits, “he’s not romantic. But he tries for me.”

Their pairing at least has the scent of romance—or romantic comedy. After being introduced by a mutual friend, Rebecca and Eric kept running into each other with other random pals they had in common. “Finally he just asked me out,” she sighs. “It took a while. I was like, ‘What’s wrong with this guy? I’m giving him every signal I can!’” The pair ended up dating steadily for ten months. Then, after forcing themselves to take a two week break, they got together for dinner, realized “this is it,” and decided to elope immediately to Las Vegas.

“Otherwise, I would’ve talked myself out of it somehow,” she says. Catching literally the last flight of the night, they convinced a cabbie to help them find the only chapel willing to do the ceremony at that late hour without a license in hand. “We paid Sam our cab driver fifty bucks to be our best man…got married, checked into the Bellagio for the night, woke up, got the license, and came home,” she laughs. “It was so much fun.”

So far, it’s been nothing but happily ever after. “We’re very compatible,” she says with satisfaction. “We just enjoy the simple things together. It’s about friends, family, good food, good times, nothing complicated.” While some might consider their actor-heavy crowd to be glamorous, “it doesn’t feel like that because we’re not out at [Hollywood uber-hotspot] Hyde every night, we’re at home playing Scrabble.”

In their limited down-time, Rebecca has been taking lessons to play golf with Eric, while Eric has picked up her passion for craps (and jetting to Vegas to play!). Gayheart, who was raised Southern Baptist, is considering conversion to Dane’s Judaism. “He’s not pushing me,” but “I just love all the traditions,” she says, launching into a Hebrew prayer, then gushing about brisket and macaroons. Eric has even become good friends with Gayheart’s ex-fiancee, Brett Ratner (who, by a twist of fate, directed Dane in X-Men 3).

“We’re family. We raised each other,” says Gayheart of Ratner, whom she met in gritty downtown New York, when she was a teen model and he, an NYU-aspiring film director. It was only 15-year-old Rebecca’s third day in the city, having been drafted by the Elite agency on a shopping trip in Lexington, Kentucky. Gayheart had grown up in tiny Pine Top, where her father Curtis is a miner, and her mother Floneva throws Mary Kay-style makeup parties. A middle child of four, Rebecca took piano lessons and from the age of five dreamed of being on the big screen.

“I was just always so sucked in to movies and characters,” she says. “I think it’s the escape from yourself, being someone else, that’s so attractive to me.” While Gayheart claims she was “a little neglected” as a kid, she nevertheless paints an idyllic picture of her parents.

“My mom and dad are amazing people, They’ve been married for 40 years. My dad is just a hardworking, honest, good guy, and he’s got just a sense of happiness all the time. He never complains about his life, and he’s had a rough one. So I think I got a really great work ethic from them. [And] I know exactly what’s important in life, which is my family, my friends and my health. It’s never confusing for me, because I have them to always remind me, and to keep me grounded and grateful.”

Though it gave her the opportunity to travel, and opened her eyes to the world of fashion (South Africa and Mexico are among her favorite destinations; Lanvin, Chloe, Escada and upstarts Riser Goodwin her favorite designers) Gayheart says modeling ultimately “wasn’t my cup of tea.

“I found it really difficult having all the attention placed on my looks, for lots of different reasons,” she says. “They don’t want to know what you have to say, or who you are.” After being teased by other models for her “very thick” Appalachian accent, she took lessons to lose it (though she admits it comes back when she’s tired, or talking to relatives) and then enrolled at the famed Lee Strassberg Theatre Institute. “I wanted to know what I was doing,” she says. “And I wanted to be taken seriously.”

A steady succession of soap opera, film and series TV roles followed her Noxema ads, eventually bringing her west to Los Angeles, where she and Ratner planned to marry. Rebecca admits she still misses the energy of New York, and her circle of friends, which, incredible as it may seem, included rappers from Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest and Run DMC (she still stays in touch with Reverend Run). Then again, “My 20s [were] exhausting. So many parties. I don’t miss all the craziness.”

Her lifestyle came to an abrupt halt in June, 2001, when, while driving a friend’s car, Rebecca was involved in an accident which resulted in the death of a 9-year-old boy. Gayheart references the incident only very indirectly. It’s understandably clear why she doesn’t want to relive it, or have it define her future. But it did lead to her finding a way to make a positive difference in society.

“Up until a certain point in my life, I wasn’t charitable,” she admits. “I thought I was, because I would give a dollar to someone on the street. But I never thought of being charitable as a responsibility that we all have.”

Searching for an outlet to fulfill her community service obligations, Gayheart discovered downtown LA’s Chrysalis, an organization which helps the homeless help themselves, by giving assistance and opportunities toward permanent employment. “It’s an incredible foundation, a really, really positive thing.” In addition to giving tours of skid row to prospective donors, and doing one-on-one job interview training, Rebecca also organizes the annual Butterfly Ball fundraiser.

While that part of her life took a positive turn, Gayheart’s engagement to Ratner fizzled out, and her career took a two year break. When she returned to acting, she found unexpected opportunities with Southern characters on the stage, appearing in “Steel Magnolias” on Broadway, and an LA production of Alfred Uhry’s “Last Night of Ballyhoo.”

“I think it’s the only time you get to truly experience a character on that level,” she says of live theatre. “I wish I could do more of it.”

Rebecca also enjoyed several television opportunities, including a notable turn as a blind seductress in F/X’s ‘Nip/Tuck’ (she’s revisiting the role as we speak), as well as the ditzy Betty in Showtime’s ‘Dead Like Me,’ and the lead in Lifetime’s ‘Scarlett.’ Unfortunately, she left the former after one season, and the latter was probably doomed the moment its first day of shooting in New Orleans was the same that Hurricane Katrina hit. But then, if either had continued, we wouldn’t have Rebecca’s Judy Nash.

“What’s great about doing a show with an ensemble cast,” she says of ‘Vanished,’ “is that some weeks are a lot of work and some weeks aren’t. So you can really balance your personal life and work schedule.” Despite what you may think about everyone in Hollywood, Gayheart for one does not have a personal assistant. “I drop off my own dry cleaning and do my own laundry.” Can you guess who picks up after her maltese, Jackie?

She’s also her own interior decorator for the new house, which – while trying to quit smoking – she admits may be a mistake. “I like to have things done yesterday, especially in my living space, and I’m very organized and very anal about all of that stuff. But I have to slow down, because it’s not going to be done in a day.” After a small rant about some new curtains being hung with the wrong hardware, in the wrong room, and the refrigerator dying, she allows, “It’s kind of fun living with just a bed and a dining room table. It’s kind of punk-alternative, the pictures are leaned up against the wall, all of our books are just stacked up on the living room floor. You feel like you’re at a hotel.”

Her regular tennis game tomorrow will help her get out some aggressions, as well as, no doubt, keep her girlish waistline (impressive considering her obviously healthy appetite). But once the house is done comes an even bigger objective: kids. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready-ready, so I think I just have to do it,” she says, thinking out loud. “I could wait another year. But should I wait another year?”

Lest anyone worry, that doesn’t mean Gayheart has any intention of giving up acting. “I’m looking for that role that I can really sink my teeth into,” she says, praising the work of actresses like Meryl Streep, Annette Bening, Cate Blanchett… “a role to make people think and feel.” Clearly, this southern girl is not one to be counted out. Smiling at Geoffrey Rush as he passes by the table, she says, “Do I think I’ll ever get to do the dream roles? I hope so. I won’t stop trying to get them.”

FF
Copyright 2008, ECG