Ask Alexandra – November 2008
Question #1:
Alexandra,
I’m so excited to be asking you a question! You’re truly one of my greatest inspirations! My question is: Would you ever sacrifice your physique and possibly your health for a part in a movie? For example, would you ever gain or lose a considerable amount of weight, smoke, perform a dangerous stunt, etc. for a part?
Jeannette
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Dear Jeannette, This is a very good question. I know many actors have changed their physiques for a part (Robert DeNiro gained 60 lbs for Raging Bull, Christian Bale lost 60 lbs for The Machinist, Jared Leto gained 62 lbs for Chapter 27, Charlize Theron gained 30 lbs for Monster), and I admire them greatly for it. I would be reluctant to gain weight for a part, and I wouldn’t want to lose so much weight that it would endanger my health. But I would lose 20 lbs for a good part. So I guess the answer is No, I wouldn’t do anything that would be bad for me in the long run. If I had to smoke, I would definitely smoke clove cigarettes, but since I have never smoked in my life I sure would have to practice to look natural at it! The role would have to be GREAT for me to endanger my health. As for dangerous stunts, I definitely wouldn’t do that – no movie or tv show is worth my life! Stunt people chomp on the bit to get a chance to work, so I wouldn’t want to take the opportunity away from them J. Thanks for writing, Alexandra |
Question #2:
Dear Alexandra,
We’ve written your brother John Paul. He needs all our support of getting vegan food at the prison! It’s time to call in people like Viggo Mortensen and others whom love horses like Bo Derek to name a few and perhaps Woody Harrelson: as we need some type of benefit to help Johnathan buy food at the commisary! Do you feel that a benefit concert or poetry reading would be in line now to bring attention to this important issue at hand; of how other vegan activists are also being treated while in prison?! How else can others help your brother and friend Johnathan?! Maybe even a silent celebrity auction can help with deferring legal costs? God bless you and your sister and brother and rest of your family!
Sincerely Dena, from southern Oregon
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Dear Dena, Thank you for writing to Jonathan in prison. That is the best way you can support him. Jonathan Paul Since most of the meals served in the mess hall are not vegan, it is a real challenge getting the right foods, but he is managing and he is able to buy food that he can eat. He has lost weight in prison because he cannot eat well like he does at home, but also because he is exercising a lot in there! I appreciate your ideas. I believe the best way to support Jonathan is to write to him in prison, support animal rights organizations (Sea Shepherd, Last Chance for Animals etc) and become a vegan. Educate yourself on the issue by reading books like Dr Will Tuttle’s World Peace Diet, Steven Wise’s Rattling the Cage and John Robbins’ Diet for a New America. Jonathan would encourage us to support the Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has been in prison over 30 years, by writing to Leonard at: Leonard Peltier To learn more about Leonard from Jonathan, please go to: http://supportjonathan.org/update004.htm . To learn more about how the guidelines of writing to a prisoner, please go to: http://supportjonathan.org/write.htm Thank you, Dena. Alexandra |
Question #3:
Alexandra,
Are you related to adrian paul.i am a huge fan of your lt stephanie holden character on baywatch. i was so sympathetic when she died. i am also a huge fan of adrian paul`s highlander character.
jerry rodrigue
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Hi Jerry,
We get this question quite often! No, I am not related to Adrian Paul. I was shooting in Vancouver and an envelope addressed to Adrian came to my room by mistake. Knowing he was in the hotel, I called him to say hello, since we often get mistaken as brother and sister, or married. He reluctantly admitted that Paul is his middle name – his real last name is Hewlett . He is a Brit, though, and my mom is from England! He seemed like a very nice man over the phone, but I have never met him in real life. Hopefully, one day. Besides that incident in Canada, my 6th degree of separation with him is that I worked with the man who created Highlander (the movie, the series, the ride etc). Greg Widen wrote Green Sails, a movie in which I starred in 1999. We shot in Australia, and Greg was on the set almost every day. Greg is the man who told me (and it is in my Top Ten Wisest Advice list), “My success is not because I am such a fantastic writer. It is because I show up and do what is asked of me. If a producer asks me to write a script in 3 weeks, I write one in 3 weeks. It isn’t the best script in the world, but I did the job I was hired to do. It is like what Woody Allen said, ‘80 of success is showing up’.” I am glad you are a fan of both Stephanie Holden and Duncan McLeod! Best wishes, Alexandra |
