In Search of . . . Ariane

Searing reviews of her debut in “Year of the Dragon”(1985) nipped her budding film career, but international model Ariane says the experience didn’t sour her on Hollywood. In fact, she’ll resurface later this year in a cameo beside Christopher Walken in the Italian-produced “King of New York”--her first screen role since her disastrous outing in “Dragon.”

In Michael Cimino’s controversial film about Chinese-American gangsters in New York, which starred Mickey Rourke as a racist detective, Ariane was cast in the sizable role of Chinatown news reporter Tracy Tzu. Her stilted performance earned her an unusually serious critical drubbing.

“It was worth it,” she says now, “because it taught me about the cruelty of the press and the vulnerability of the actors--and about the way you have to survive in this business in order to keep working.”

About “King of New York” and her recent study at New York’s Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, she adds: “I am looking forward to a new comeback where people haven’t seen me for a while--now that I am a better actress.”

If an acting career doesn’t pan out, Ariane can fall back on modeling. After a dozen years in the fickle world of haute couture, the 26-year-old beauty remains in demand with such designers as Geoffrey Beene, Karl Lagerfeld and Donna Karan for runway shows, television commercials (Michelob, Leggs, Levis) and photo spreads. Recent magazine shoots include September’s “Mirabella” (the cover), February’s French “Vogue” and April’s “Self.”

“I can see myself doing makeup ads when I am 40,” says Ariane from Brooklyn, as she packs for Europe’s fall fashions shows. “If you have a ‘look’ and know the business, you can always work.”