Yasmine Bleeth
Smoke Magazine
Interview

These pictures have been sent us by Amarillo79109

Being Yasmine Bleeth

by Joan Tarshis

If you thought there was no life after (or before) "Baywatch," think again. The show that people love to mock in public, but love to watch in private, has launched the careers of many actresses, from Pamela Anderson Lee to Tracy Bingham to our own personal favorite, cover girl Yasmine (pronounced yaz-MEAN) Bleeth. Bleeth's career practically started at birth; her mother Corina was a former Parisian fashion model. By the time she was six months old, Bleeth was a Johnson & Johnson baby. At six, she appeared in a Max Factor campaign which caught "Baywatch"? the eye of fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo, who included her, alongside her mother, in his book, Scavullo's Women. The native New Yorker, who speaks fluent French as a result of her mother's Algerian back ground, attended the prestigious United Nations International School. But her extra-curricular activities never let up. When she was 12, Bleeth co-starred with Buddy Hackett in the film Hey Babe!, and, at 16, she had a starring role on "Ryan's Hope."

Before Bleeth could catch her breath, she appeared in movies-of-the-week for ABC and NBC, and then landed the role in the red bathing suit that made her name a household word for men across the globe (even though most can't pronounce it correctly). She starred on "Baywatch" for three seasons, but was never trapped in its undertow. The waters beyond have proved to be equally rewarding. The 31-year-old actress has appeared opposite "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker in David Zucker's BASEketball, and recently starred opposite Richard Grieco (her boyfriend for the past three years) in the USA Network's highest-rated original movie, Ultimate Deception.

SMOKE caught up with Bleeth, voted one of People's "50 Most Beautiful" stars, during a break from shooting "Nash Bridges," one of CBS TV's most popular series, where she plays Caitlin Cross, a by-the-book internal affairs officer who also happens to be Don Johnson's live-in lover.

SMOKE: What New Year's resolutions are you making for the Millennium?

I don't believe in making resolutions of any kind. I don't like to put that kind of pressure on myself. Most people who make them break them anyway, don't you think?

SMOKE: Were you a good swimmer before “Baywatch”?

Well, let’s say I could swim...

SMOKE: Have you ever rescued anybody?

Oh my goodness, no! They’d probably go down first.

SMOKE: Can you shoot a gun?

Yes. I learned for the show. But I hate guns. I don’t like violence of any kind.

SMOKE: How is your handcuff technique?

Horrible. I don't think anyone who isn't a cop can really slap on cuffs. It really hurts to put them on the correct way. That's why we always cheat and put them on behind someone's back.

SMOKE: What do you do to let off steam?

Cook. I love to cook. I bake for my boyfriend as often as I can.

SMOKE: What's your best dish?

I love to cook anything nouvelle cuisine, and I also cook hearty foods like meatloaf.

SMOKE: What was the first thing you bought with your first big paycheck?

I've been making a good living since I was a child, but all the money went into a trust fund. When I was 18 and got the money, I didn't really go crazy. I bought a lot of expensive shoes. As I matured, material things began to matter less and less. I like to have nice things, don't get me wrong, but they just aren't as important as they once were.

SMOKE: So, you've really never had to do any grungy work.

Not really. I've been very lucky. I baby-sat when I was young because, as I said, all my money was put away for me. So I needed to do something for my allowance. I also waitressed for a while, but that was really just for fun.

SMOKE: Do you remember your first kiss?

Yes. It was in a school yard. I chased after a boy and had my girlfriends hold him down.

SMOKE: What do you think about men who smoke cigars?

I love the way cigars smell. I think it's great for women to smoke them too, unless they are just doing it because it's trendy. You can always tell if a woman really enjoys a good smoke or if she's just doing it to look cool.