The Obsessive Eye of Bruce Weber

the photographer who shot those sexy calvin klein ads focuses on luscious lisa marie

It's easy to fall in love with a budding star. Take it from us--we are wild about Lisa Marie. If you don't believe us, take it from the man who photographed her for us, the internationally lauded lensman Bruce Weber. "When Lisa Marie came to my studio," says Weber, recalling his initial encounter with the model, "her hair was falling in her face and she was really shy. I thought, I'm never going to see her unless I book her on a shoot." Which is exactly what he did, asking her to join an in-progress session with Tim Dillon, William Baldwin and Uma Thurman. "I asked her, 'Lisa Marie, what would you like to wear?' There was a rack of Armani dresses, Versace evening clothes and some lingerie. She picked the lingerie--a slip--slid it on and pushed her hair back. That's the first moment I really saw her. And I fell in love." And who wouldn't? Weber is best known for his daring ads for Calvin Klein fragrances and jeans, two of the more controversial of which are shown at left and below. Lisa has posed for many of them, as well as for his popular books, videos and films, in which she's at her most evocative. And even though Lisa Marie has recently been busy with film projects, the model and the mentor reunited in Mexico to shoot this unique Playboy pictorial, which includes highlights from their eight-year partnership. The result is the perfect paradox: stunning still photos of a woman on the move. We caught up with Lisa just after she finished filming a scene with John Turturro for his upcoming flick Mac. "I've always identified with movie actresses of the Fifties and Sixties," Lisa says, peeking through her shiny tresses with the same look, we assume, that so enamored Weber. "Audrey Hepburn, Gena Rowlands, Marilyn Monroe. I (text concluded on page 146)Bruce Weber(continued from page 72) have all of Marilyn's movies at home. My tape library is full of stuff by the directors of that era, too--Truffaut, Fellini, De Sica's Bicycle Thief. And," she continues, "I love looking through old Playboys from then as well."

Weber amplifies the soft-voiced actress' affinity to past bombshells. "Walking down the street with Lisa Marie," he notes, "is like walking down a street in Naples with Sophia Loren. I've always felt that the way a girl moves was almost as important as the way she looks." Weber put that theory to the test: In his documentary about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, Let's Get Lost, he featured a dancing Lisa Marie. The effect was dazzling.

As a teenager in New York City, Lisa Marie studied ballet and jazz at the Alvin Ailey school. She also took acting classes--all the while attending high school and modeling for the prestigious Click agency. Then she got busy: After filming Let's Get Lost in California and France ("It was amazing, being close to Chet Baker and going to Cannes"), she criss-crossed Europe, where magazine appearances brought her a taste of international fame ("I still get fan letters from Italian boys"). While living in England, she added singing to her credits when she recorded a dance track and made the accompanying video. Her partner in this venture was Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McClaren; the tune, appropriately enough, was named Something's Jumping in My Shirt.

Shortly after luscious Lisa returned to the U.S. from Rome last summer, Woody Allen filmed her for an Italian TV commercial. (He had earlier directed her in Alice, in which she had a small part.) "Working with Woody Allen was a dream come true," she says. "He was so nice, always asking me if everything was OK."

How can someone who's supposed to be shy meet so many people? "First of all," Lisa says, "what's wrong with being shy? Vulnerability sometimes works against you, but it's mostly a blessing. When I'm in front of a camera, that's when I let my emotions show. It's the best feeling." And what about posing nude outdoors? "I think the body is at its most beautiful in nature. The sun kissing your skin, the wind caressing you--it's unbelievable."

Next on tap for Lisa is a role in Weber's upcoming feature film tentatively titled Spaghetti Park. And then there's always the dream she's destined to fulfill: taking the "Action" cue from Martin Scorsese. Jane (An Angel at My Table) Campion is another director she admires. If she becomes a movie star, she might have to move to Hollywood. That would upset her East Coast admirers. Bruce Weber is philosophical: "I think the thing about falling in love with Lisa Marie is that you have to realize a lot of other people are in love with her as well." That's OK. We don't mind sharing.