Macpherson received warmly at Sundance

Macpherson received warmly at Sundance

Supermodel cast as director’s co-star in film ‘If Lucy Fell’
dream love interest

By Michael Horowitz

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

PARK CITY, UTAH — The Sundance Film Festival is all about
independent cinema, but sometimes nothing celebrates independent
cinema better than a celeb-packed, studio-funded, top-notch
screening and after-party.

"If Lucy Fell," Eric Schaeffer’s inexpensive second feature,
premiered Saturday to a packed and appreciative house. The romantic
comedy, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller, Elle Macpherson
and Schaeffer himself, opens in March nationwide.

The lack of breathing room at the showing turned out to be
nothing compared to the post-screening party. Park City’s
Riverhorse Cafe filled instantly, leaving a horde of would-be party
crashers on the icy street below.

Meanwhile, up-and-coming Marry Me Jane, the group whose music
fills "If Lucy Fell," jammed away as Hollywood’s stars stopped in
to be pushed around by the amorphous crowd. Among those in
attendance were Brad Pitt, Michael Stipe, Oliver Stone, Matthew
Modine, Matt LeBlanc, Julianne Moore, Marcia Cross, Kari Wuhrer,
David Schwimmer, Brooke Shields and Alyssa Milano.

It was quite a reception for Schaeffer, whose "My Life’s in
Turnaround" was rejected from Sundance a few years ago. "If Lucy
Fell" seems to be in every way a dream project for Schaeffer, who
even gets supermodel Macpherson as his co-star and love interest in
the film. He explains that after seeing her in "Sirens," he knew
she’d offer more than physical beauty.

"First and foremost, she had to be an actor to pull that off,"
he says. "That role couldn’t be cardboard or stereotypical, or it
wouldn’t work for me on the levels I wanted it to."

As Schaeffer became convinced she was perfect for the role of
the fantasy girlfriend, Macpherson remained nervous about
performing in the $3.5 million production. "She had some
trepidation about doing it," Schaeffer admits, "because this was
not a movie where she could have the comfort of being in her
homeland with her brethren and lying around naked as an
actress/model."

Yet Macpherson, always one to keep many irons in the fire, grew
intrigued about the role and the project at Schaeffer’s insistence.
"He made it sound so fun," she says, "that I thought, ‘why aren’t I
going to do this movie?’"

Sitting down with The Bruin at the Olympia Park Hotel,
Macpherson is astonishingly busy. Her quick stay at Sundance
demands screenings, interviews and parties, and she’s trying to
squeeze in skiing as well. As she talks about her chaotic schedule
of modeling, acting and business dealing, she eats a quick bacon
cheeseburger with knife and fork.

"I’m more focused than ever before," she says. "My attentions
are going into being a better actress, looking after Fashion Cafe,
and looking after my lingerie."

Thus far, her attentions seem well spent. Macpherson landed a
multimedia deal with Miramax recently, her chain of restaurants
with fellow supermodels is expanding and thriving, and her
Australian lingerie company has proved successful. Now she’s taking
the leap from supermodel to actress that has left others fair game
to critics and naysayers.

"In modeling my ego’s been satisfied and my bank account’s been
satisfied," she says, matter-of-factly, "so all I want to do now is
do films I find interesting with interesting people."

In that pursuit, she’s taking acting classes and she’s appearing
in Barbara Streisand’s "The Mirror Has Two Faces" and "Jane Eyre,"
so she can work on her craft. "I just feel I have to," she says,
laughing. "I can’t give the excuse anymore like ‘this is my first
movie and I don’t know what I’m doing.’ It just doesn’t work. They
don’t buy it anymore. It’s like, ‘Hello?!’"

Macpherson doesn’t understand why people assume supermodels
should be able to cross over into performing. "Acting and modeling
require two different skills," she says. "Acting is an interaction
with another character and an interpretation of the script.
Modeling is a relationship between you and the camera, that’s
it."

She enjoys film sets more than photo shoots at present, but
she’s not a fan of watching herself on film. "I can divorce myself
from photographs," she says, "but I can’t really divorce myself
from film. Yet."

* * *

As another cold storm hit Park City on Sunday, the Dramatic
Competition heated up.

Tales of standing ovations and weeping audiences at Lee David
Zlotoff’s emotional "Care of the Spitfire Grill" are spreading like
wildfire as Nicole Holofcener’s "Walking and Talking" develops a
positive buzz. Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s Italian
restaurant film "Big Night" is also drawing praise from the
festival crowd. As the week goes on, the critical consensus will
continue to emerge…

With reports from Colburn Tseng.

Elle Macpherson in the film "If Lucy Fell."

Comments to [email protected]