Kathy Ireland Tries to Shake Model Image for Her True Love--Acting

In Hollywood, image is a hard thing to shake.

Just ask Kathy Ireland, whose layouts on the covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated have left a lasting if not altogether desirable impression. Even after notching up her fourth feature film, the 28-year-old actor says she still hasn’t shaken that stubborn tag, “former model.”

“There are certain people in this industry that my agent really has to badger and say, ‘You’ve got to see her,’ because they still think of me as a two-dimensional model,” says Ireland, who plays Destiny Demeanor in the upcoming National Lampoon film, “Loaded Weapon 1.” “So when I audition, I have to work hard to prove myself, harder than a lot of people, because they (casting directors) are really scrutinizing me.”

And while giving a little extra at an audition doesn’t bother her, Ireland says wading through the numerous offers that feature more skin than acting is a different matter altogether.

“The hardest part is reading all the scripts where on the first page, the character is in a bathing suit or nothing at all,” she says. “I mean it’s one thing to pose in a bathing suit, but to run around with one in a movie, especially when it makes no sense, that is just exploitation.”

None of this stereotyping, however, has dampened Ireland’s enthusiasm for her new craft. And she admits that the fame she received as a supermodel has opened more than a few doors--not to mention providing a comfortable financial cushion as she tries to establish her acting career.

“I look at acting as a long-term commitment, I’m doing this because I love it,” she says. “But I looked at modeling as a job, an opportunity to make some money. I never really enjoyed posing all that much. Now I’m not looking to make a quick buck. I’m looking at the big picture and I don’t mind taking my time.”