With the advent of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley hired to replace Megan Fox in Transformers 3, it’s been noted that she has no prior acting in her background. Yet when I stop to think about it (code for researching this incredibly important social issue.), there are more models in the acting biz than I thought there were.
Though I’m sure the number of models that try to transcend the barrier between posing and runway careers to acting are probably much higher than anticipated, some models get a leg up on the situation by how they approach their careers, or who they work for and how much help they get from their employer.
Careers can be made or stomped, via luck, genetics and timing. Check out the list of ex-models turned stars (and where they were modeling)
- Rihanna (CoverGirl)
- Scarlett Johansson (L’Oreal)
- Jessica Alba (Revlon)
- Halle Berry (Miss Teen All-American, Miss Ohio, various print ads)
- Cameron Diaz (Calvin Klein)
- Estella Warren (Victoria’s Secret)
- Vanessa Williams (Miss New York, Miss America, Penthouse)
- Famke Janssen (Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel) [One of Cinema Static's personal faves!]
- Bridgete Moynahan (Elle, Vogue)
- Milla Jovovich (Runway model)
- Monica Bellucci (Dolce & Gabbana, Runway model)
- Eva Longoria (L’Oreal)
- Keira Knightly (Chanel)
- Tricia Helfer (Ford, Elite)
- Josie Maran (Elite… Hey! She’s from Menlo Park!)
- Elle MacPherson (Sports Illustrated)
Victoria’s Secret Alum:
- Tyra Banks (Victoria’s Secret)
- Gisele Bundchen (Victoria’s Secret. Speaks Portuguese, Spanish & English)
- Heidi Klum (Victoria’s Secret)
- Molly Sims (Victoria’s Secret)
- Joy Bryant (Victoria’s Secret)
- Rebecca Romijn (Victoria’s Secret, Sports Illustrated)
Victoria’s Secret is very supportive of their staff. They put a lot of power behind their models. They advise them on publicists, business managers and even financial advisers. On top of that, they even offer the girls media training and they help them create a brand and help models make decisions that will enhance the chances of their success.
Gisele Bündchen
Cinema Static on Brusimm QUIZ: In the below picture, can you tell me which job I’d like to apply for? (Clue: Make up staff!!!)
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All joking aside, some of the ladies in the list above have some mega net-worth to their name, all more from hard work and good end-game focus. Below are the ladies and some examples of what they’ve appeared in or manage:
Actress Scarlett Johansson attends the photo call for Paramount Picture's and Marvel Entertainment's "Iron Man 2"
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Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four
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Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise in Knight and Day
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- Bridgete Moynahan (Lord of War, upcoming: Battle: Los Angeles, I Robot, TV: Six Degrees)
- Cameron Diaz (Knight and Day, Shrek Forever After)
- Estella Warren (Cry Wolf, various TV guest spots: Ghost Whisperer, Law & Order)
- Eva Longoria (The Heartbreak Kid, Desperate Housewives, )
- Famke Janssen (Taken, X-Men: The Last Stand, 100 Feet, The Faculty, TV: Nip/Tuck)
- Gisele Bundchen (The Devil Wears Prada)
- Halle Berry (X-Men: The Last Stand, Perfect Stranger)
- Heidi Klum (Project Runway)
- Jessica Alba (Valentine’s Day, The Killer Inside Me, Sin City)
- Josie Maran (The Aviator)
- Joy Bryant (ER, Virtuality)
- Keira Knightly (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace)
- Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil franchise, The Fourth Kind, The Three Musketeers)
- Molly Sims (Vegas)
- Monica Bellucci (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Brothers Grimm)
- Rebecca Romijn (The Con Artist, X-Men franchise, TV: Eastwick, Ugly betty)
- Rihanna (Soundtracks for The Hangover, The House Bunny and rumored to play the role of Laura Charles in The Last Dragon remake.)
- Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2, The Prestige, Upcoming: The Avengers)
- Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice)
- Tyra Banks (Producer for America’s Next Top Model and a number of other TV shows)
- Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty, Boomtown)
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In this list alone, there are some mega-hits and popular TV series. Sure, there are some movies that fired blanks at the theater or shows that faded into the sunset, but this tiny list alone shows us that many of the women we watch in film and TV came from modeling.
What’s my original point? Oh, yes. That I think Rosie Huntington-Whiteley will be just fine in Transformers 3. Fine to admire and fine with the few lines they had set up for Megan Fox. They might even add a few lines now that someone else is in the role!
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[MSNBC, Forbes, The Critical Critics] (The MSNBC and Forbes links are interesting reads.)
