FEMME FETALE - What's New, Pussycat?

Miami's own Ashley Scott, former Elite model and South Beach party girl, is now starring on the WB's dark Birds of Prey as the superpowered daughter of Batman and Catwoman.

by Jaquelynn D. Powers

Miami has had its fair share of models who hit the big time after pounding the pavement on Ocean Drive: Christy Turlington, Charlize Theron, Elsa Benitez, Frankie Rayder and Niki Taylor. Now Hollywood is adding Ashley Scott to this roster of mannequins who evolved from the South Beach modeling scene. The perky Scott still is widely remembered in Miami for her wild antics in many nightclubs and bars. But now the 25-year-old has mended her party-girl ways and is tearing up a new town and a new industry. After leaving modeling, Scott moved to L.A. and began auditioning. She landed a guest-starring gig on Dark Angel opposite Jessica Alba, and a small role in Steven Spielberg's A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Ashley also garnered attention as the former girlfriend of That '70s Show heartthrob Ashton Kutcher. But now she is poised for stardom as one of the female leads in the WB's Birds of Prey, which airs on Wednesday's at 9p.m. A dark spin on the Batman legend, Scott plays Helena Kyle, the superspawn of Batman and Catwoman. Each week, Birds of Prey features a hot cast, death-defying stunts and a fantastical plot.

Ashley Scott is becoming an Internet pinup girl and generating heat for her involvement in the visually appealing drama. And when she's not pulling 16-hour days, she's cooking, painting and learning about herself, a far stretch from her earlier devil-may-care attitude.

How did you first hear about Birds of Prey?

I went to read for a different show, and the producer asked me to read for the part of Helena Kyle on Birds of Prey. It went from 30 girls to 15 girls to me.

How did you celebrate when you found out you got the part?

I went out to dinner with friends. And we celebrated when the pilot was picked up because then it became real. It hasn't really hit me yet, though.

Tell me about Birds of Prey. It has a very dark, sci-fi look to it.

It is dark. But we've lightened it a little bit since the pilot, and it's more approachable. I play Batman and Catwoman's daughter, a really fun character. She's the girl everybody wants to be. Not only can she kick ass, but she's smart, funny and quick-witted.

That's a pretty cool pedigree, to be the offspring of Batman and Catwoman.

It's not too shabby. I'm not a comic-book fan, so it's a whole new world. I'm learning as I'm going.

You always hear that working on a show like Star Trek can follow an actor for the rest of her career.

Of course. If the show sticks and we have a fan base, it will be that way with me. But I'm hoping to do a film during the summer that breaks me away from that sci-fi label.

You're going to have Batman fanatics across the country watching you.

Exactly. It's an interesting group of people. Right now, our fan base is that. But once the show hits its stride, it will spread to the general public.

Is it true to the comic book?

We're not betraying the fans. Our head writer is a complete fanatic and really tries to stick to it. Mind you, it is not a comic book. We've changed the characters. My only request is that fans bear with us. When you're too critical you miss the point of a TV show, which is entertainment.

What powers does your character possess?

I'm metahuman and I leap and fly. I am superpowerful; everything is supersized. When I punch someone, they go 30 feet. I took tae kwon do and gymnastics over the summer. It's very interesting to learn all of that for myself. I have an incredible stunt girl, who really takes it away. She's an amazing gymnast. But I do as much as I can within the rules of SAG.

What power would you like to have in real life?

It's not so much one of her powers, but her fearlessness. She goes out and gets it. I find that spectacular. I'm pretty fearless, but now as much as I would like to be. That comes with age.

I remember when you live here that you were pretty fearless.

I was! I certainly grabbed life by the cojones when I was younger, and thankfully too. Now I'm a humdrum. I'm into cooking at home, painting and quiet time. You learn to value quiet time as you get older.

You'll have great stories to tell your kids.

Oh, my Lord! Never! Talk about editing.

The show seems very empowering to women.

It is very empowering on many different levels. My character is dealing with the death of her mother and fighting for what she believes in. And she's a regular girl, too.

Is it campy at all?

No, it's similar to Buffy or Dark Angel. It's dark, but with humor. It's not your typical teen show.

Why are shows like Buffy and Smallville so hot right now?

They are so different from our reality. We're going through a rough time in America. A lot of real drama is in our own lives, and it's nice to watch something so completely untrue. You can really get lost for an hour in this world. People need that.

Do you get to wear some kick-ass costumes?

Yes, although the clothing is more realistic than it was in the pilot. There are still supersexy outfits, but they are easier to fight in. I'm not a fashion bug, so it's nice to have someone else dressing me.

Did you dye your hair for the show?
I did. I'm a natural blonde. They dyed everything: my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes. It was a shock at first but now I'm used to it.

Do you miss being blonde?

Not at all. I like to try new things, and I like being brunette. A different type of man looks at you. I first noticed that when I went from long hair to short hair eight years ago. A lot of men have a problem stepping out of the box. Bombshells are supposed to be blonde and blue-eyed.

Is your family cool with your new look?

My mother and brothers came to L.A. to see me and they love it. My father is very much in the box.

This is your second TV show. You guest-starred on Dark Angel. What was that experience like?

That was wonderful. I was fortunate to be able to walk onto a show like that. I didn't have a huge role, and it was like going to school. I observed and learned what it was like to be on-set.

Talk about school: Even though you only had a small part in A.I., you were able to work with such an incredible cast.

I signed with my agency, and literally two weeks later Steven Spielberg cast me in a movie. I couldn't believe it. Who invited me to the party? I was petrified when I got there. I had modeled for years, but had never been on a movie set. But he explained the simplest of things for me, and therefore I felt comfortable by the time we started filming.

You're a small-town girl. How are you handling your newfound fame?

I have no idea how I'm going to handle it. I'm somewhat of a private person, and I enjoy rolling out of bed and going to the grocery store. I always see these poor celebrities getting reamed because they look like we all do when we go to the grocery store.

Speaking of grocery shopping, how did it feel to be at every check-out counter in America on the cover of TV Guide?

Isn't that wild? That's a huge thing. TV Guide is seen by all, even if you don't buy it. My mom collects all my magazine articles; she's more excited than I am. And a huge billboard is in Time Square in New York right now. I want to fly her there and get a picture of us in front of it.

You were born in Louisiana, but raised in Charlestone. What was your childhood like?

I had a stay-at-home mom for the early part of my childhood. We rarely had the TV on in the house, and there were no sweets. She was very hands-on. If we got bored, we would read or make something. I have two brothers and we would run around and get grubby in the creek water. I was a tomboy.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I actually wanted to be a news anchor. An anchor was on Channel 5 whose maiden name was Nancy Humphries. She was a beautiful person. Now she's Nancy O'Dell on Access Hollywood. I wanted to be just like her.

How did you get into modeling?

I did the Elite Look of the Year when I was 15. It was the first time I came to Miami. I went to New York that summer and started working immediately. I had a little spunk in my trunks, so I was ready to go.

What are some of your modeling career highlights?

The travel. I lived in Paris for two years and that was incredible. Careerwise, I was a catalog girl. It was very business-oriented and I worked six days a week.

When did you start coming to South Beach?

I spent every winter there, all eight years of my modeling career. It was very fruitful for me. I was lucky that I worked a lot.

What are some of your most vivid memories of South Beach?

The sunrises are amazing. I was so excited to be living on Miami Beach that I would get up extra early and walk on Ocean Drive. Going to the beach on Second Street, near the Century Hotel and the Lizard Lounge. I remember that like yesterday. It was a very hippy, local, hometown kind of crew. It was very charming. Then everything changed and became more commercial. I just loved living near the beach. Good-looking men were always walking by.

You were a big part of the South Beach scene as both a model and party girl.

I had fun. We all did. South Beach was the party place. If you weren't into it, you didn't live there.

At one point, you lived in a house with many other models. Did you always know you would make it big?

At that point, I was working a lot. I lived with all those younger girls because Capucine from Elite asked me to. I like to think that I led them in the right direction. As far as my career goes, I have never planned anything. I live a very good life, I'm a good person, and I really believe in destiny. As long as you keep doing good things, God, or whatever you believe in, puts you there. I was struggling in school and then modeling came along, and it was great for me. After eight years, I was ready to do something different. Then acting just happened. I wasn't anticipating anything. I've always gone with the flow.

When did you decide to leave modeling and move to L.A. to pursue acting.

I was in Spain on a job. And I was just ready to do something different. As soon as I put it out there, things started to happen. I was in L.A. a few weeks later reading for parts.

What was that like? Were you struggling?

Actually, it was great. I had a lot of friends already living there. I had some money saved from modeling. I moved in with one of my best friends and went on auditions and learned the city. I worked on myself a lot. Once I did, everything fell into place. And I got Dark Angel six months later.

You dated Ashton Kutcher. How did you meet?

We met through a mutual friends at a dinner party. It was like magic. We just met and were like, Hi, what's your name? And I didn't know who he was because I don't watch TV. I remember asking him if he had a job, because I was really tired of paying for dinner.

That's such a Miami question.

It is. So by the time I moved to L.A., it was par for the course. He's a wonderful person and we have stayed great friends. We're just so busy right now that it's hard. In your mid-20s, it's important to become the best person you can. Hopefully, I'll be married and having kids when I am in my 30s. This is my time to build myself up. That's what I'm doing, and that's what he's doing, too.

Are you dating anyone now?

I don't have time to date anyone. I'm seriously pulling 16-hour days every day. I've never worked harder in my life. Then I come home and study my lines for a few hours. I'm sleeping four hours a night.

What do you think of L.A.?

I live in Studio City and live it. I moved there from Laurel Canyon because it's only 12 minutes from the studio. Everyone says that the Valley is so bad, but I'm never moving back to the other side of the hill. I have a killer house and it's quiet. It's not your typical Hollywood scene. There are normal, nice people. There's a Target up the road. That's what I need right now.

Do you still do the party scene?

I can't. A lot has changed in me. The difference between Miami and L.A. - and both are great in their own way - is that Miami is so nightlife-oriented. It's hard to do things in the day. Here, everything is daytime-oriented. The bars close at 1:30. Even if you go out and tear it up, you're still home by 2 a.m. Everyone has day jobs and you fall into a typically normal life. Now my nightlife is having a couple friends over for dinner. Cooking has become therapeutic for me.

Do you ever come back to South Beach?

All of the time. I came back at the end of the summer and visited one of my girlfriends, who is now married with two kids. We actually went out one night and tried to go out like we used to. We were so bad at it. We probably had three drinks each and were bombed. We tried to go to clubs and nobody knew who we were. Before, we would walk up and Rick Delgado or whoever would be at the door. It was fun, though.

Where would you like your career to go?

Someplace so I can have a couple of kids and a ranch.

Source: Ocean Drive Magazine ; transcribed by mystic

November 2002