Shooting for a Place of Its Own

A T-shirt worn on the set of “Models Inc.,” the “Melrose Place” spinoff from Aaron Spelling, sums it up: “Beautiful People. Big Problems.”

This afternoon, one of the beautiful people in the stylish Models Inc. offices on a San Fernando Valley sound stage is model Julie Dante, the petite blonde in the skintight white lace dress played by actress Kylie Travis. Julie’s problem of the day--other than being the show’s “bitch of record,” as Spelling puts it--is that her agency’s no-nonsense boss Hillary Michaels (Linda Gray) seems to be passing her over for a fresh new face.

“If you want that hayseed you can have her,” Julie hisses to Hillary in her Australian accent.

But actress Travis has a big problem herself during the scene. “These shoes are so painful,” she winces, pointing to the high-heeled strappy numbers she’s wearing. The life of a model does have its occupational hazards. After a quick change into suede mules, she can deliver her deliciously cutting lines more comfortably: “I’m going to get to the top and stay there.”

Harboring similar dreams for their show are executive producers Charles Pratt Jr. and Frank South, who created “Models Inc.” under Spelling’s watchful eye. So they’re going all out with the program about the very complicated lives of a group of models at a top agency. “We’re pushing it to the max,” Pratt explains. “If we say, ‘This is like way over the top,’ then we know it’s good.”

“Because you don’t know if the show’s going to make it or not, you want every base covered,” he says. Therefore, the show offers a cast of stunning women with great bods adorned in couture on the runway and hip duds when they’re just hanging out. They all live together in a gorgeous Malibu beach house (owned by Hillary, their surrogate mother- from-hell), which makes for some serious cat fights over the orange juice in the morning.

To that, add a good dose of bed-hopping with the show’s studly dudes, and enough juicy plots to keep viewers screaming at their TV sets. “I think they’ll be so mad they’ll want to spit,” jokes Pratt, who with South also writes “Melrose.”

Unlike “Melrose,” which took a whole season to find its soapy niche, “Models” isn’t wasting any time. “It’s more of a roller coaster ride,” Pratt says. “The pacing of the show is faster. The lives of the people are a little more twisted and involved.”

That could be enough to get “Melrose” addicts salivating. The show was one of the highest-rated dramas among 18- to 34-year-olds this past season. This summer, “Models” will air in the “Melrose” time slot. The new show already has Spelling hooked: “I honestly must tell you that when I saw the first cut, I really got cold chills.” Does that happen to the esteemed producer often? “No, or I would be frozen to death by now.”

Those involved say although it’s set amid the high-gloss world of modeling, the main draw is that the show is really just about people.

People like Julie, the show’s bad girl with the sharp tongue. “She’s not so much bad as she is complex,” corrects Travis from behind her Ray Bans while smoking a cigarette.

Is Travis anything like her character? “I think there’s a little Julie in everybody,” says the former Ford model who prefers acting.

Next, meet Julie’s polar opposite--Sarah Owens, the sweet farm girl from Iowa introduced on “Melrose.” Actress Cassidy Rae, 18, who was brought up on a farm herself, describes her naive character: “She’s starting to realize that not everybody is so nice and wonderful.” That could be considered an understatement.

Then there’s Carrie, the model who’s over the hill--at age 29. “I can relate to her feelings about getting older in the fashion business because I know that pressure is there,” says ex-model Carrie-Anne Moss, 26.

When it comes to the industry’s pressures, Rae says she doesn’t have to succumb to them to play a model. She isn’t worried about being rail-thin. “I haven’t had any time to work out. I feel like I’m never going to really look totally authentic as a model--I can just do my best.”

Not to worry, the show already has a waif model. As well as a supermodel.

Now meet David Michaels, played by Brian Gaskill, who is Models Inc.’s VP and as Hillary’s offspring, heir apparent. Get ready for some nasty mother-son spats.

“We definitely have conflict,” says Gaskill, 24, in his trailer, his black sweatshirt half-unzipped to show bare chest. “I probably get along with the models too well.”

Although the show’s eight young actors are virtual unknowns, Spelling sees great potential: “I don’t think many people in this country knew people like Luke Perry or Jennie Garth . . .”

So former “Dallas” star Linda Gray is not only den mother to the models, she’s like a mom to the actors who come to her for advice. “I have children their age,” she points out. From the size of her trailer, it’s clear she’s the show’s veteran.

Gray loves playing queen bee Hillary, first seen on “Melrose.” “She’s the woman of the ‘90s. She owns her own business. On ‘Dallas,’ I was the victim. Now it’s, ‘Don’t mess with me.’ ”

Although much of the show is cutting edge, why, when the world of modeling celebrates ethnic diversity, are the show’s main characters so racially homogenous? “We’ve got a lot of characters coming in,” explains Pratt.

Besides that, he isn’t revealing anything.

“Models Inc.” airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox; it will air in its regular 9 p.m. time slot beginning July 6.