ID #232

By Ben Reardon

Since graduating from her girls-only school in Cali, Josie Maran has lived the proverbial Hollywood Life, instigated by a chance meeting aged 12 when she was scouted by a model agency whilst chomping on some charred burgers at a barbecue. "Modeling was real fun but not so dramatic. Not like a lot of the fashion horror stories you hear. I've been modelling for half my life, but it's cool 'cause I saved up enough money to move to LA." Josie shares her pad with a kitty crew of gangsta-named cats. "There's Cookies, Twinkles, Ludacat and Cash Money. Their mom's called Ol' Dirty Kitty, keeping it hardcore all the way." Josie's modelling highpoint came when she stepped into Anna Nicole Smith's perspex-heeled platforms, taking over from the reality TV star as the face of Guess? jeans. All-American glamour and a healthy dose of sun-kissed sexiness were the order of the day, standing Josie in good stead for a foray into acting. She recently landed her first major role, playing the bride of Dracula in Stephen Sommers' (Mummy, Mummy Returns) upcoming vampire flick Van Helsing. "It's probably one of the coolest roles I'll ever play," she enthuses. "There's blood and sex and I have contact lenses and really long nails. I reckon that it's everyone's dream to play a vampire. At one point in the movie, I'm flying and my wings turn into my dress. It's crazy." The only down side comes when co star Hugh Jackman, of X-Men fame, stakes the blood sucking bitch right through the heart: "Yeah, the fucker!" The 25-year-old is currently teaching herself all about the laws of the artistic land, with the kind of childlike enthusiasm ET held for his mentor, Elliott. "I go to dance classes, acting classes, violin classes, speech classes, everything. I'm just trying to train myself in the arts, you know? Nobody else is gonna do it so I'm going to. I'm gonna take on the world."

What is the shady side of your job?
Some people put you in this stupid drawer.

Tell us the name of the last film you have seen in cinema?
"Laurel Canyon" with Frances McDormand. Her and Emily Watson are the best female actors.

Your favorite male actor?
Richard Roxbourgh (Moulin Rouge) and Philip Seymour Hoffmann

What kind of music do you like?
Alternative Bands like MOUDLY PEACHES, THE STROKES and IGGY POPP. Myself, I'm singing in a band called HOLLYWOOD 2002.
I'm not singing, it is more like speaking. And I'm playing violin.

What would you like to do during your holidays this year?
I will be going fishing with my father and my brother in Colorado. And I hope to have some relaxing days at home in L.A.

What things do you need for a lonely island?
A lonely island? Please send me directly to this island. I only need my friend, a treehouse and quiet days.

Your important thing on your business-trips?
A cashmere cover and a present from my friend.

Your friend?
He is not a public man. For a few years we've been lucky. He and my family try to hold me on earth.

NYLON - February 2003

BORN WITH IT

WHEN MAYBELLINE MODEL JOSIE MARAN ISN'T HAWKING MASCARA, SHE'S DRAWING BLOOD ON THE BIG SCREEN.
BY SOPHIE SCHULTE-HILLEN. PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARVIN SCOTT JARRETT

Josie Maran is in love. "It's like medicine. It just brings out the best in you and makes you more sensitive to everything that's going on around you," she muses as a makeup artist studies her bare face in vain for imperfections. "And it gives you that glow," she adds, giggling. One of the rare models who doesn't disappoint in person, 24-year-old [she is now 25] Maran's smooth, tawny skin, amber doe eyes, and soft waves ooze earthy beauty. It's pretty ironic that her main gig is shilling makeup.

But mention her contract with Maybelline and she squirms. Not because of the recent Sisley campaign--which showed Maran getting perhaps a little too cozy with farm animals--that got her into hot water with the squeaky clean cosmetics giant. But because, yes, she too is taking the plunge into acting. Now that she's wrapped two indie movies, The Mallory Effect and Swatters (both have been submitted to Sundance), Maran is about to shoot her big-budget film, Van Helsing. It's a Dracula flick that finds her vamping it up alongside Hugh Jackman. "It's a fun role, obviously not Oscar material, but right now I want to do everything: drama, comedy, you name it," she says. "I'm so excited to do a movie with a real budget. You get more takes, a more experienced crew--oh, and people will actually see this one."

While her 12 years as a model have given her loads of experience in front of the camera, Maran is the first to point out that acting is a new arena. "When you're modeling, you play toward the camera. When you're acting, you ignore it. In the beginning, I was always getting into trouble because I'd stare right into the lens," she explains, laughing. And then there are the love scenes. "Makeout scenes are...gross," she says. "It's really hard to kiss someone who you're not attracted to. But then I pretend he's my boyfriend. Sometimes it works." (After her much-publicized romance with magician David Blaine, she's understandably hesitant to give details about her current beau, with whom she lives in the Hollywood Hills, along with their cat, Old Dirty Kitty.)

Not that smooching Hugh Jackman will be her biggest challenge when she begins shooting Van Helsing in Prague. "I've never been away from my boyfriend or my friends for two months at a time," she says. "Luckily, I'll get to fly in some people from time to time." And who will be the first to visit? "Uh, my mom," she says loudly into the tape recorder, grinning. Right. If it weren't for that lovestruck glow of hers, we'd almost be convinced she's telling the truth.