|
|
Ashley Judd Blessed with a rare combination of beauty, brains, and talent, actress Ashley Judd spent the 1990s gaining critical acclaim, industry respect, and a broad fan base that made her one of the most in-demand actresses of the latter half of the decade. The daughter of country-music superstar Naomi Judd and the younger half-sister of singer Wynonna Judd, Judd was born in Los Angeles, California on April 19, 1968. A single parent, her mother supported Judd and her sister by taking odd jobs in California and Kentucky. The actress spent her first 13 years shuttling between the two states and attended 12 different schools, often living in poverty in remote areas of Kentucky. With no external sources of entertainment, Judd read books and amused herself by pretending to be various characters while her sister and mother whiled away the time singing. Their singing paid off; after Naomi and Wynonna Judd became country-music sensations, the family was finally able to leave their financial hardship in the past. Judd went on to attend the University of Kentucky, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1990 with a degree in French. At her sister's encouragement, Judd, blessed with an outgoing, forthright nature, was able to secure an agent on her first try and, in 1987, won a part on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. She went on to do more TV, landing a recurring role as Swoosie Kurtz's daughter on Sisters in 1991 (she stayed with the show until 1994). The following year, she made her film debut with a small part in Kuffs (1992). She was originally meant to have a larger part, but rejected it when she learned of a scene. The actress' first major film role was in the hit independent drama Ruby in Paradise (1993). She garnered considerable acclaim for her subtle, realistic portrayal of a spoiled Tennessee heiress who runs away to sell tourist trinkets in a ramshackle resort, winning Best Actress at the 1994 Independent Spirit Awards. After filming Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, only to have her scenes end up on the cutting-room floor, Judd next found acclaim with her turn in the 1995 film Smoke, in which she played the pregnant, drug-addicted daughter of Harvey Keitel and Stockard Channing. The same year, she appeared in the much-lauded Heat, then went on to star with Mira Sorvino in the 1996 made-for-TV Marilyn Monroe biopic Norma Jean and Marilyn. Following a substantial role as Matthew McConaughey's wife in Joel Schumacher's adaptation of John Grisham's A Time to Kill in 1996, and a lead in the crime film A Normal Life (also 1996), Judd starred in the 1997 thriller Kiss the Girls. The film received mixed reviews but did decent business at the box office, further increasing Judd's glowing star wattage. She landed another lead role the following year, in the well-received drama Simon Birch and, in 1999, could be seen starring in Bruce Beresford's Double Jeopardy as an ex-convict planning revenge on those who framed her for a crime she did not commit. The film was a substantial box-office hit, further cementing Judd's arrival as a major Hollywood star. Switching gears in 2000, Judd starred as a friend and mentor to a pregnant 17-year-old (Natalie Portman) in Where the Heart Is. This was followed by the 2001 romantic-comedy Someone Like You and 2002's High Crimes, which saw Judd reteamed with Kiss the Girls costar Morgan Freeman. While High Crimes failed to make much money, that same year Judd scored at the box-office with The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and wowed critics with a supporting role in the Academy Award nominated Frida. Judd didn't turn up again until 2004's Twisted, a crime thriller about a female homicide detective who finds herself at the center of a series of murders. Next up, Judd starred alongside Kevin Kline in De-Lovely, a musical biography of Cole Porter.
Ashley Judd Definitely Has March Madness March Madness has led Ashley Judd to a new role guest newspaper columnist. The 36-year-old actress and rabid University of Kentucky fan is writing a column for the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky., during the NCAA tournament. Judd, who attended UK, frequently attends the school's basketball games. Judd's first story appeared Thursday, while she was in South Africa visiting Nelson Mandela. (The Wildcats survived a scare Thursday afternoon from Eastern Kentucky University, winning 72-64.) Of UK's chances of winning the tournament, Judd wrote: "I am an optimist, however, and I always believe," then listed the keys to the Wildcats' play to "take us out of the first round and on to the round of 16. By then, I will be back from praying a blessing on Mandela's noble head to watch my Cats." If Kentucky keeps winning, the Herald-Leader hopes Judd will contribute a column each day the team plays. In place of payment, the newspaper will make a contribution to a charity of her choice. Judd's screen credits include "A Time to Kill," "Double Jeopardy" and 2004's "De-Lovely." Ashley Judd: "De-Lovely" Ashley Judd is not one to care about the media's perception of her image. Arriving close to an hour late for her scheduled round of her interviews promoting her role in musical biopic De-Lovely, Judd is unapologetic, and having told a previous group of reporters that she had been bathing her dogs. As we begin, Judd is confronted by a large piece of chocolate cake, ready to eagerly devour far more enthusiastically than answering reporters' questions. "I bake so much at home, so I try to eat junk every other day. It's kinda my thing." Judd begins our interview somewhat defensively when it is suggested that the role of Linda Porter in De-Lovely, is such a far cry from the more woman-in-danger character we have seen her play far too often. Judd is clearly snappy by that initial line of questioning. "It's a little irritating, in a weird way, that they're the movies that people pay the most attention too, while no one ever asks me about Someone Like You which I think I worked really hard in, even though it didn't turn out exactly the way we thought it would. I'm certainly very proud of what I did as well as Where the Heart Is and all that stuff, so I think there's actually a really balanced mix there." Yet whether she likes it or not, the movie business remains one of perception, and the commercial thrillers in which she starred maintained her relatively high profile. With that in mind, there is an umption that Judd needed to have fought to play Linda Porter, a complex, evolving character, but Judd says there was no fighting involved. "I didn't have to fight for it but was fortunate in that the director liked me for it after I met him. It was a very pleasant experience because it was already well under way so I didn't have to wait all that long before it started. They'd already talked to Mr Armani about the clothes and had all their locations settled, so it was really nice. I just kind of came in and everything was prepared and off we went," she said smilingly. Judd says she was always a fan of Cole Porter, and his music era in general. "I like all the music of the 'American Songbook', as I call it, and I'm a big fan of the jazz age in general, so any artefact of that era is interesting to me." Judd says that she would have been more than happy growing up throughout the Porter era. "That whole lack of underclothing thing would have worked well for me, you know, busting out of x number of centuries of clothes. You just think about Little Women and how the mother lets her children run and the whole reason women used to faint at dances and stuff was because they were so corseted they couldn't breathe deeply enough into their lungs. It's so preposterous." In this day and age of special effects and comic strips-turned-movies, Judd says there is a lesson to be drawn seeing De-Lovely. "That melody is a dying art and that this music is an incredibly important part of our collective cultural consciousness. Also, it's not just about meeting someone, being attracted and having hot monogamous for the rest of your life, but it's about stuff that's a lot more subtle and very powerful." Judd says that she also found it easy to identify with Linda Porter without being overly specific. "Something that I've not found elsewhere, in a screen play or in a book, is that I've had the privilege of being close to a lot of really talented people, either being at the knee of or rubbing elbows with, or marrying someone who had an exceedingly special and very rare kind of talent and I just loved that about it. It's a very comfortable place for me to be," Judd admits. That comfort zone she refers to is further exemplified through her marriage to racing car driver Dario Franchitti. The couple essentially calls Scotland home, and Judd says she had no problems making that decision. "Whether thou goest, I shall follow," is Judd's response. Ferociously guarded about her privacy, the actress won't divulge in which part of Scotland they live. "I can't actually talk about where we live. It's bad enough over there that if I say one thing, however general, it is extrapolated and reporters show up at my mother and father-in-law's," she says, with vehement bitterness, claiming the Scottish media overreacts to the couple. "I think the problem with the media there, in addition to everyone being consumed by this unfortunate modern crisis of excess interest in public people's private lives, is that there are so many newspapers, and they're all dailies so all the tabloids that we have that operate on a weekly basis operate there on a daily basis, plus there are three or four times the number, so they just need a lot of stuff to fill their shit sheets." Judd becomes more visibly annoyed when asked about her worst paparazzi experience. "I don't even want to talk about it because I don't want to give that any energy. I don't read it, listen to it, nor do I let other people talk about it in front of me, and I just don't want to, so forget it." Judd, who was also seen in the critically maligned thriller Twisted earlier this year, is more than happy spending her non-acting days either in Tennessee, or more importantly, with her husband in Scotland, emphasising her need of her own personal reality which is not Hollywood. "We live in Tennessee which is great and I just like being there because it's where my husband's from. "I'm one of those people who have really taken on what's important to her partner, I'm happy for him, and can see him, come alive in a different way. There, he just so enjoys running into people that he has known all his life, which just means the world to him, plus it's a very beautiful and interesting place." That ethic means Judd has become more selective in the roles that she takes on. "I'm not interested in working a lot, and one of those people who has to chronically work for work's sake." Judd even turned down the lead role in Catwoman to play another type of cat: Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway. The actress makes it clear there was no other reason for not doing that high profile film. "I was attached to the material for a while and it was just one of those coincidences that Beau Kenright, who produced Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, had booked a theatre on Broadway, very far in advance, as one must. Then the scripts came together and Warner Brothers was so excited that they could finally confidently green-light a movie with the right script and the right director and it was a conflict. There was a slight overlap of the dates, but, I didn't sweat it. I wanted to do that play and knew it required a lot of preparation, I had to get to New York quite early for our first preview, so it was a no-brainer." As selective as she is these days, Judd says that is still itching to do something. "My agent is very happy, as I'm finally reading scripts again because I did the play for so long I just didn't really need to read, I wasn't looking for a job for ages and I've read a few things that I like and I'm consistent. The ones I like I'm just holding close to me now and I don't want to read anything else."
Ashley Judd: High Crimes Interview Beautiful and elegant, Ashley Judd is sporting a large diamond ring, symbol of her recent marriage to racing car driver Dario Franchitti in a fairy tale ceremony in Scotland at Skibo Castle in Edinburgh, the same castle that hosted Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie a year earlier. Judd is cautious about revealing more about the affair and reticent to discuss her private life. "Both my husband and I give a lot of ourselves in what we do because that is our public lives; but in my private life, I have an intrinsic right to be left alone," Judd insists with a light smile. Judd further adds that she is still trying to discover where the line goes between public and private. "It's hard but I try to do it," she said. "The right question is, do I get irritated while I try to retain my privacy? I have a picture from the film festival at Deauville, where ‘Kiss the Girls' was premiering in Europe, and there's this phalanx of photographers in a circle and I'm standing there, and I wrote, ‘Abandon all ye who have hope who enter here.' I have a responsibility to nurture and shepherd my talent and when I'm living the parts of my life not related to that I feel I have the right to be left alone. Her sister Wynonna disagrees with her. "She said that lack of privacy comes with the whole kit and caboodle and it's not open to negotiation." To further exemplify her point, Judd recalls an incident which turned her right off the whole celebrity thing. "If I'm in the toilet in an airport bathroom I don't think it's appropriate to slide a pad and pencil under the stall. If I'm in Spago and having a hysterical time with girlfriends, and if I'm with Gloria Steinem, I don't think it's appropriate to have a script pitched to me - to be told if I don't do this my whole career will be wasted. There is a boundary between public and private." However, Judd does reluctantly elaborate on some aspects of her wedding while denying other media accounts of the affair. "Dario wore a beautiful tartan to our wedding and Armani made my dress. Everything else I've read is inaccurate," including the rumours of 300 celebrity guests that were apparently flown in from all over the world, and the $3-million cost, not to mention the last-minute change of venue from Quaint Croick Church. "We chose Skibo Castle because it's a private club to which we belong and because Dario is Scottish." She won't elaborate on the carats of her stunning ring, except to say that it is "an antique stone in a specially designed setting. My husband organized everything. The setting is called a cushion and it makes the stone look bigger than it actually is," she modestly adds. Her private life is on track, as is her professional life, with a movie career that is humming along quite nicely, thank you very much. In her latest, High Crimes, Judd is in familiar territory, so it appears on the surface, in distress yet again, re-teaming with her ‘Kiss the Girls' co-star Morgan Freeman. This time around, Judd plays high-powered San Francisco lawyer Claire Kubik who is married to a sweet woodworker (Jim Caviezel) and living in a dreamy home in the woods. However, life takes a nasty turn when her husband is arrested and tried - by the military - for alleged murders of women and children in a clandestine South American operation. Claire sets off to defend her husband as his civilian lawyer. To research the role, Judd sought the real-life equivalent of her character. "I hooked up with a woman in the Bay Area [San Francisco] who was definitely on the fast track and had her firm by the tail," she said. "It was important for me to know this type of woman exists; I'm not really around people like that. She was genuine and very earnest, which I like. Intensity smacks to me of something slightly off-kilter but her earnestness was very sweet." One of the major criticisms of the film is regarding the likelihood of a civilian serving on a military court-martial, but Judd defends that facet of the film. "We had an impeccable adviser who was there; everything you see in the courtroom scenes is legit." The 34-year old star, whose earlier credits include the low-budget Ruby in Paradise and Smoke, has recently forged a career in which she has played a plethora of strong women in extraordinary circumstances. They include characters in such films as Bruce Beresford's "Double Jeopardy,", and "Kiss the Girls," in which she is a serial killer's object of desire. She also has played a possible serial killer in "Eye of the Beholder" with Ewan McGregor and starred opposite Hugh Jackman in the romantic comedy "Someone Like You." Asked to discuss a possible correlation to the women she's played, Ashley is rather dismissive of the notion. "It's interesting. In Jodie Foster's Premiere Magazine article, (she) knew the links between the various characters she has played, what links them thematically. People say that to me and I think what unites all my characters is that they are hurt; it's most accurate to say I play characters that are hurt but are responding to their environment." Judd is having the time of her life and remains careful to balance her work and marriage. On the delicately asked question of children, Judd coyly remarks that "it's for God to know and for us to find out. You also add to that the fact you can never take anything for granted." As for whether or not she is likely to join her husband's racing car crew any time soon, that's not necessarily on her immediate horizon. "I can't change a tire, but I can keep the crew entertained while THEY change the tires." What finally remains important at present is enjoying all that is right with her life. "It's so wrong to yearn so much, that you miss the joy of what you're living. That's definitely something I've learned and am willing to share." At the same time, the beautiful actress is not giving too much away. More fun stuff about Ashley Judd Birth name: Ashley Tyler Ciminella Height 5' 7" (1.70 m) Spouse: Dario Franchitti (12 December 2001 - present) Turned down a larger role in Kuffs (1992) because she was asked to do scenes. She responded, "My mother worked too hard for me to take my clothes off in my first movie." She once worked cleaning her mom's and sister's tour bus for $10 a day. Hobbies: running, rock climbing, mountain hiking. Graduated from the University of Kentucky. She majored in French [1998] Mother and sister are country singers Naomi Judd & Wynonna Judd. Her father, Michael Ciminella, a marketing specialist in the horseracing industry, divorced Naomi Judd in 1972. Was named one of "The 50 Most Beautful People In The World" by People Magazine. [1996] Attended the University of Kentucky. Known to be a avid fan of UK basketball. Dated Robert De Niro Dated Matthew McConaughey Her mother, Naomi Judd, has publicly objected to many of Ashley's movies because they contain either or violence. Attended 12 schools in 13 years. Was named after Ashland, Kentucky. Replaced Jodie Foster for the lead in Double Jeopardy (1999). Is fluent in French. Could have had Pamela Anderson's role on "Home Improvement" (1991), but wanted to concentrate on making it in the movies instead. She later starred in Where the Heart Is (2000), which was directed by Matt Williams, the producer who wanted her on the sitcom. She had a role in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994), but it was left on the cutting room floor. Dated Michael Bolton. Fractured her right ankle when she was thrown from a horse's saddle in Franklin, Tennessee. She was hospitalized for two days. [23 November 1993] Named one of the "25 Most Intriguing People" by People magazine. [1999] {2000) Voted one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People Magazine. A self-proclaimed feminist She is an etymologist Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002. Ranked #20 in FHM Magazine's 100 "iest Women in the World." (2002) Worked as a waitress while attending acting school. She is a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Measurements: 34B-24-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) She was Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Kentucky Modeled her "This is What a Feminist Looks Like" t-shirt for the Ms. Foundation and Ms. Online (ms.magazine.com), as have Whoopi Goldberg, Camryn Manheim and Margaret Cho. Bakes chocolate chip cookies as a means to relieve stress. Turned down the role of Catwoman in Catwoman (2004) so she could star as Maggie in 'Tennesse Williams' ' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway. Models a Hello Kitty t-shirt with the words "Handle with Care" printed on the front. Proceeds go to the Youth Aids Foundation. (2003) Her first screen kiss was with Wil Wheaton on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987). Introduced Gloria Steinem at the March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2004. Shares a birthday with Kate Hudson. Drove from Memphis to L.A. at the age of 22 to begin her rise to fame. Ashley was able to play both a teenager and a thirty year old in the role of Vivian 'Vivi' Walker. (The Divine Secrets of the Ya- Ya Sisterhood) Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. (Her name was misspelled on the ballot as "Ashey Judd" by the way.) She was suggested in the Worst Actress category for her performance in the film Twisted (2004), she did not receive a nomination however. Her Salary: In November 2004, she is the global ambor for YouthAIDS, an international health initiative to raise awareness and combat the spread of H.I.V./AIDS. Bullock, Judd had rejected Oscar-winning role Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd had reportedly rejected the lead role in "Million Dollar Baby" before it was offered to Hillary Swank. Swank, who won the best actress award in the 77th Oscars for her tragic role as a female boxer in "Million Dollar Baby" was only the third choice for producer Albert S. Ruddy, reported the New York Post. Ruddy first approached the "Speed" actress Bullock, who turned down the plum part when she was told she could not pick the director, and then "Twisted" star Judd, who demanded too high a salary. After Ruddy finally settled on Swank, Bullock's agent reportedly called him and said she would do the picture after all. But the producer said "Too late". Ashley Judd: 'De-Lovely' Judd Lands Estee Lauder Contract Williams Astounds in Movie Debut Ashley Judd Interview - "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" Ashley Judd was a fan of Rebecca Wells' novel, "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" since she read the book when it was first published. Judd immediately saw in 'Vivi' a character she'd enjoy playing. "I could easily imagine being Vivi, I so identified with the character," said Judd. She jumped at the chance to play the role as soon as it was offered. "It was a great opportunity for me to portray a character whose development follows a realistic arc." "She's definitely a survivor," Judd continues. "Vivi is a force of nature - full of life, energy and potential. Due to a series of tragedies she experiences as a young girl, some of that pion gets drained out of her. She's able to survive because of her friends - the Ya-Yas." Three actresses play the role of 'Vivi' during different stages of her life. Writer/director Callie Khouri believes all three completely captured the character and said of Ashley Judd's portrayal, "Vivi definitely has pion and that can work negatively as well as positively. In those moments when Vivi is kicking up her heels, Ashley is radiant and you really feel that she's having fun. It's pure joy. Then in the darker moments, Ashley leaves no doubt about the abject desperation Vivi feels. It's a beautifully nuanced performance.” ASHLEY JUDD (Vivi) Could you see yourself growing up to be Ellen Burstyn? Do you two have anything in common? You don't you see yourself like that? Has your mom seen this yet? Part of the reason this movie strikes home is because we all have mother issues. Did you have a time when you had some things to work out? Was your mom strict? Did you enjoy playing the happier times with this character more than the angry times? Do you have girlfriends who are like the Ya-Yas? How long has it been since you've talked to her? Are there any other Ya-Ya types for you, besides those two? How hard was it to film the scenes where you beat your kids? Did you do any fun girl stuff on the set? We went out and had a nice supper as a group and just immediately hit it off and just started carrying on. We didn't let up until we left. We had some good gag takes. It was so special. The moments when Cherry [Jones] was there were so great. I don't go out after work. Morgan says I'm too professional and the reality is I'm just too tired. We'd go and have something to eat late night and Cherry, being a woman of the theater, has a tendency to smoke and I don't smoke but I would hold a cigarette just because I wanted to be like her, and look at her, and talk about the theater. Were Ellen and the older actresses around when you were? Did you contact Ellen Burstyn when you found out you were playing the younger version of her character? Did you try to pick up on her mannerisms? Can you talk a little about your role in "Frida?" As a favor to whom? Could you see yourself going back to do more independent films? Why do you think you've become so mainstream? Have you thought anymore about how you are going to approach "Catwoman?" You're married to race car driver, Dario Franchitti. Are you able to just relax when you're sitting at the track? Are you slightly isolated at the track? You're doing so much. How do you keep it all together? You are so committed to your career. Do you factor in taking some time for a family? Injured Judd Steps Away from Broadway Play Ashley Judd : 'Twisted' Ashley Judd: The Show Must Go On Ashley Judd Falls Off Her 'Tin Roof' Wynonna Judd Gets Community Service Ashley Judd's Catwoman Regret Judd Arrested Ashley Judd to Play Linda Lee Porter Caviezel Refused To Get With Ashley Judd Ashley Judd's Private Life Ashley Judd Heads To Scotland Ashley Judd Forced To Wear Makeup By Mom Ashley Judd Glad She Liked Dario Before Love Ashley Judd Desperate For Scottish Marriage Ashley Judd Caught Out On Camera Ashley Judd Sends Pics To Sister Ashley Judd To Wed Fascinating Fact:
|
