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SANDRA OH / actor Arli$$ / Greys Anatomy / Under the Tuscan Sun / Sideways Born to Korean parents, she began her career as a ballet dancer and eventually studied drama at the National Theatre School in Montreal. She then starred in a London (Ontario) stage production of David Mamet’s “Oleanna” and appeared as the title character in the Canadian television production The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1993) (TV), beating out over 1,000 applicants. Her list of awards includes the FIPA d’Or for Best Actress at the 1994 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels at Cannes, France, two Genie Awards (the Canadian Oscar), a Cable Ace Award, a Theatre World Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2003, she married writer-director Alexander Payne and their first film together was the Oscar- winning Sideways (2004). At the 2005 SAG awards, Sandra Oh presented the Actor for actress in a TV comedy – Teri Hatcher won the award. A year later at the 2006 Golden Globes, Hatcher presented the award for best supporting actress on TV – Oh won that award and later said it was good to see her again! I was happy to photograph her during her series on Arliss. She’s really a funny gal I have to say. I almost wondered why she wasn’t doing stand-up cause her sense of humor was intoxicating. After becoming cozier with each other, I asked if she would communicate an engaging physical action. Without much ado, she flopped on the couch in a sensuous manner, reached out with her arms and my camera just began shooting effortlessly, as if she were in control of the trigger. Sometimes, depending on the subject, I shoot without thinking or doing anything and it seems for a moment all time just stands still. Moments after this series of shots, we broke out laughing at our serious “takes”. Some trivia: In Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), her girlfriend was portrayed by Kate Walsh, who went on to costar with her in “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005). Coincidentally, Kate also played a doctor in the film. Personal Quote: “You just don’t care about what people think. But it’s hard to do because people tell you what they think all the time. It’s sort of nuts. We actors, we’re a fragile bunch, and yet we need to be strong because 90% of our lives is rejection. You have to figure out what really is important.” This photo was taken in 2000 at my Wilshire studio.
NICK STAHL / actor Disturbing Behavior / The Thin Red Line / Terminator 3/ Man Without A Face Stahl was born in Harlingen, Texas to William Kent Stahl and Donna Lynn Reed. He was raised in Dallas and currently lives in Los Angeles. Notable and recent works include performances in Bully, Sin City, In the Bedroom, the HBO series Carnivàle, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, in which he took over the role of John Connor, originally played by Edward Furlong. His debut film, The Man Without a Face, co-starring Mel Gibson, helped boost his career at the age of 13. His first professional casting was in Stranger at My Door, although he had been acting in children’s plays since he was four years old. He has five films yet to be released Ferris Wheel (2007), How to Rob a Bank (2007), Quid Pro Quo (2007), and The Speed of Thought (2007). Only a few months after the release of The Thin Red Line and Disturbing Behavior, Nick was in the thick of the Hollywood limelight and paparazzi followed. He was sent to me for an early morning shoot that I normally didn’t like doing but he had a schedule to keep and I had to go with the flow. He’s not a real talkative type of guy but once we established how I wanted to capture him, he casually committed to acting out an adventurous physical nuance that I was excited to see. Aside from the normal portrait / editorial pictures, necessary to satisfy this entertainment magazine, we again “engaged” the moment with the reach of hands and embracing the lens of the audience. I was thrilled to have Nick shooting the close-up shots while his hands framed his face and eyes. It was a clever embrace at the moment and lent itself nicely to the “finding the actor in the artist philosophy”, that there’s always a window of time, even for a split second, even in early morning, the performer is found. Personal Quotes: “I was an escapist, the guy who wanted to get out of school and out of the suburbs…Acting saved me.” We photographed this at 8:00 am in my Wilshire studio in 1999.
LENA HEADEY / actor The Brothers Grimm / The Jungle Book / Mrs. Dalloway Lena Headey is a British actress of theatre and film who is best known for her appearances in The Brothers Grimm (2005), Possession (2002), The Jungle Book (1994) and The Remains of the Day (1993). Headey is starring as Queen Gorgo, heroic Spartan woman in the period drama 300 (2006), by director ‘Zack Snyder’. Now a veteran actress of both stage and screen, Lena has moved her career into the upper echelons of Hollywood’s “who’s who” while topping the charts as one of the “10 most beautiful actresses” in 2007. When I was slated to photograph her, she had just wrapped 2 major motion pictures and an Indy film that left her exhausted but anxious to reveal her real life personality. The day I shot this picture she was in good spirits and excited to have fun, which inspired me to laugh kiddingly along with her and enjoy our time on set. She ended up rolling around on the white seem-less floor while I continued to snap feverishly one frame after another. She definitely is one the most natural beauties I’ve ever photographed with her tropical blue eyes and infectious smile. I really enjoyed shooting her for her gentle yet feminine approach to the drama usually associated with a photo-session. It’s not as easy as it looks for actors to come off grueling hours of filming then going right into pr photo sessions and look together. However, she pulled it off. Personal Quotes: “We’ve all had that moment where you look into someone’s eyes and there’s some kind of recognition there, whether you act on it or not.” Some trivia: She has several tattoos, including one on her right upper arm saying “Jason” in Thai (for actor Jason Flemyng). The couple met on the 1994 film The Jungle Book and dated until 2001. The tattoos have since been changed into butterflies (which you see here), a star on the inside of each of her lower arms, and a large lotus flower on her upper back. These were all concealed during the movie “300”. This photograph was taken soon after she rolled to the floor and said, “ready for my close-up cause this is the real me”. Shot in my Wilshire studio, 2000.
DANE COOK / actor / comedian Employee of the Month / Mr. Brooks Observational comedy mixed with dark humor and comedic violence. Excitable, high-energy, Dane Cook is engaging millions of comic watchers across the nation with his stage presence and comic wit. Dane seems to be one of the hardest working comedians in America and has proved his worth too. You can see him nearly every other week (when he’s not on tour) at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. He rarely repeats old material while performing at all of the newest hot spots across the continent. He’s been seen on practically every hit show from Carson Daily, David Letterman to Jimmy Kimmel and even hosted Saturday night Live. When in La., he frequents a radio program called “Hand Held Comedy” that I frequently shoot for and had a chance to take a few rolls during one of his appearances. We really didn’t have too much time to exchange stories but he did let his hair down a bit while I got busy behind my lens. His trademark pose, (w/3 fingers) is one of his signature statements he enjoys showing when shooting pictures but I thought it was a great visual for my exhibit and seemed to place perfectly with all the rest. This shoot took place inside the radio station after his show and only lasted 30 minutes or so. Personal Quote: “You know you’re drunk when you think that the cab fare is the time.” This was photographed in Burbank, Ca. in early 2006.
CHEECH MARIN / actor / comedian Tin Cup / Spy Kids / Up in Smoke / Nash Bridges / Grindhouse Biography in: “Who’s Who in Comedy” by Ronald L. Smith. New York: Facts on File, 1992. His stage persona is that of a stereotypical Mexican American, or an uneducated urban Chicano. Fleeing from the US draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, Marin settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he met future comedic partner Tommy Chong. As a part of the duo Cheech and Chong he participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies. After he and Tommy went their separate ways, he starred in a number of films as a solo actor, most notably Born in East L.A., Tin Cup and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The great thing about Cheech is he’s “real”. We were in San Francisco’s Union Square shooting around Christmas time for clothing editorials with Banana Republic and the idea was to shoot as many shirts, sweaters and pants we could in 5 hrs. It was a challenge but he was up for it and made those 5 hrs smooth sailing. As u can see, Cheech had some fun too. He’s got an incredible character-type face we photographers love to shoot and a personality that would make anyone’s day an adventure to experience. We ended up becoming friends and talking about art, which is his greatest pastime. He loves collecting important pieces all over the world and exhibiting small pieces for special friends. After hanging out, shooting and making jokes like re-enacting some bits from the days of Cheech and Chong, I knew I’d have great shots from the day. I really had a great time that day. Some trivia: He is among the top collectors of Mexican and Mexican-American art, having put together at least one book on the subject and supported the development of Chicano art on the West Coast. Has worked with director Robert Rodriguez seven times starting with Desperado (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Spy Kids (2001) , Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) , Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) , Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and Grindhouse (2007). The shoot took place at the Westin Hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square in 2000.
