Playboy's 20Q: Carol Alt

Being called the most beautiful woman in the world by hundreds of magazines could alter a person's perspective. Model and actress Carol Alt credits it all to plain luck. She's never bothered making plans. Alt, 40, a native Long Islander, was discovered by a photographer while waiting tables at a steak house during her freshman year at Hofstra University. Her father, a fire chief, and her mother, a former model, tried unsuccessfully to talk Alt out of moving to Manhattan to pursue modeling full time. She bolted and soon commanded $2000 a day posing for Valentino and Sassoon jeans. The Sports Illustrated 1982 swimsuit issue featured her on the cover. More than 700 magazine covers followed, including Life magazine, which called Alt "the next million-dollar face." She entered the rarefied world of the supermodel.

Juggling a career of endorsement contracts and posters, calendars and exercise videos, Alt eventually realized something was missing--she wanted to become an actress. She began studying and made her stage debut in Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity as Ursula, a Swedish blonde bombshell. Putting her successful modeling career on hold, Alt moved to Europe, where she got lead roles in multinational films such as Via Montenapoleone, My First 40 Years (opposite Elliott Gould) and Love for Life, for which she was named actress of the year by Moda magazine.

Alt returned to the States, where she continued modeling. She also appeared in such domestic productions as the television miniseries Anna Karenina, Under the African Sun (a series of two-hour films) and a syndicated series (Peter Benchley's Amazon). Alt also acted in Private Parts opposite Howard Stern and Revelation with Jeff Fahey.

Robert Crane caught up with the itinerant Alt on a recent stopover in Los Angeles. He reports: "Alt never stops. Next, she was off to Russia to visit her boyfriend, hockey star Alexei Yashin. She was previously married to former New York Rangers defenseman Ron Greschner. She swears she's not a hockey hag. She just happens to like athletes who skate fast. Alt settled her six-foot-plus (with heels) frame into a big chair and sat sideways, her open blouse occasionally revealing her left breast. She refers to herself as a tomboy."

1

Playboy: Describe the supermodels' retirement village. Who's the gossip? Who has the drinking problem? Who's the slut?

Alt: I don't want to point the finger at anybody. I work with a lot of these girls. It's not like I get into their personal lives. Most of that stuff is all gossip anyway, so you never know who's sleeping with whom until you're in the bedroom with them. It's better not to repeat unwarranted gossip. I could describe what the village would look like, of course. There would be a gym, a nutritionist, a beauty salon, a health food store and the bedroom. Most likely it'd be by the ocean. Most of us like the ocean. It's probably someplace in the Caribbean where it's quiet. But it has its moments of being hot, because everybody comes in the wintertime. I think most of us like our quiet time, but at the same time we have split personalities, because we live for those moments of being in the public eye. We're all going to live there one day. We'd all have our own little problems.

2

Playboy: Would there be a ban on the young models who are coming up, like the Brazilians?

Alt: Like I said, they're all going to be in the village one day or another. They wouldn't be young kids when they got there. Let me tell you how sexy those Brazilian babes really are. Oh, baby. They are sexy, sexy people. I shot a movie there and it's really beautiful to watch people totally comfortable with their bodies. And there's no menace about it. Men don't leer. They're so used to it.

3

Playboy: Which photographers put you through the most pretzel-like poses?

Alt: There isn't a photographer who doesn't put you through a pretzel-like pose. But the worst was Irving Penn. And there was someone--I can't remember his name--who worked for Vogue in the early Eighties. I literally sat for five or six hours in one position for both of those guys. With Penn I sat straight up on a stool for five hours, my head turned to the side. For the next day it was as if I had been in a car accident. With the other guy I sat with my feet over one arm of the chair with my head leaning back. I sat like that for six and a half hours for Vogue. I was so happy to be working for him he could have sat me there for 20 hours and I would have done it. I loved the pictures in both cases.

4

Playboy: Any long-term chiropractic problems?

Alt: I find that I go for chiropractic just for maintenance, and because I have a cute chiropractor. I have a very cute doctor. So, maybe I have a little incentive to go. I can look at him and feel happy.

5

Playboy: What was the most ridiculous shoot that helped end your modeling career?

Alt: Every shoot. There isn't a shoot where I don't think that. It's a ridiculous business. I got hypothermia shooting skiwear. I was absolutely freezing. It was 36 below on top of a mountain at four in the morning and I was wearing a shirt that didn't even have filler over a little turtleneck with a pair of pants and ski boots. No hat, no scarf, no gloves, no coat. I talked myself out of being cold to the point where it almost killed me.

6

Playboy: What do you look like first thing in the morning?

Alt: Pretty much like I look right now, except no lipstick. Do you want me to take my lipstick off so you can see? I sleep with my mascara on. I hate taking mascara off because you have to rub your eyes to do it. I'm not wearing any makeup right now. I came out of the car and it was raining on me while I was in the car. This is not a science fiction movie--it was raining in the car.

7

Playboy: Are hockey players the most aggressive athletes on and off the ice?

Alt: Off the ice, definitely no. They are Jekyll and Hyde. What I like so much about hockey players is that they aren't brought up in a system where they're stars or where they're adored and admired and given scholarships and all the stuff we do with football and baseball players. Hockey players fight every step of the way. You end up with people who are thankful and appreciative of what they get. Hockey is in a strange position now. They have players who are thankful for working, for sure. But they're worth money and yet they're not paid like baseball and football players. One of the things about my boyfriend, Alexei Yashin, is that he's not a fighter. He's talented in terms of strategy and scoring. I've seen him do things in practice I've never seen any other player do, and I've watched hockey for 20 years. He's not a fast skater, but he's a strategic player. He's not a fighter because he has what they call hands. Why break those hands if that's what you need to play?

8

Playboy: Do hockey players have adequate dental coverage?

Alt: My ex-husband was hit in the mouth and lost all his teeth in the last game of his career. Everything was covered. They are prepared for problems like that.

9

Playboy: How do you imagine it feels getting slammed against the boards?

Alt: I have asked my boyfriend that. In fact, I don't think it's as bad as it looks. I've seen his elbow padding. I've walked into one of the rooms in the apartment and he had everything out to dry because he was packing for the World Championship. He has shin pads, knee pads, hip pads, protection in the front, shoulder pads, stomach pads, elbow pads, wrist pads, gloves and a neck thing. They're unbelievably padded. So when they smash all these pads into all those pads, and it's a clean hit, I don't think it bothers them at all.

10

Playboy: After watching hockey, is it possible for you to appreciate men's figure skating?

Alt: I love figure skating, I love watching it, and Alexei and I watch it together. My ex-husband and I were at Billy Joel's house one night, and Billy was playing music. He just sat there, jealous, looking at Billy playing music. As we got into the elevator he leaned over and said, "You know, I always wanted to play the piano." And Billy looked at Ronnie and said, "You know, I always wanted to be a hockey player." Then they started comparing hands.

In this industry we're all fans of one another, because we realize what it takes to get to a certain level. You can appreciate the talents of people who reach that level. Alexei watches the figure skaters not just because they're fellow Russians, but because he can appreciate the talent and the time it took to get to the championships.

11

Playboy: How is Amazon different from Gilligan's Island?

Alt: Gilligan's Island was, obviously, a spoof. We are trying to do reality-based TV. Peter Benchley came up with the idea. What if a plane goes down, and nothing goes right for the survivors? The rescuers don't find them. They wake up two days later. The plane is gone. All the dead bodies are gone, and there's stuff there, cell phones, which everybody thinks work everywhere. Hey, they don't even work in Laurel Canyon, for heaven's sake. So what happens to these people?

12

Playboy: Were you the Ginger or the Mary Ann?

Alt: I was Mary Ann. And the truth is that I probably wanted to go that way more. I didn't want to be too sexy because that's obvious. I wanted to go a little more risky, and risky for me was no makeup, baggy clothes.

13

Playboy: If you could do anything to Howard Stern, what would it be?

Alt: I would probably want to hold him close. He's the only person who hugged me and would turn off the cameras and say, "Carol, how are you?" And I would want to pay him back when he needs it. I absolutely adore Howard. I think he's a genius.

14

Playboy: Is it important for a model making her first movie to not have a Baldwin brother as a co-star?

Alt: I don't think it was a Baldwin problem to begin with. Any model who is going to do a movie, especially if she has an amazing opportunity in front of her, has a responsibility to take classes. It's as simple as that.

I have two amazing acting coaches. I worked in Europe for many years because I didn't feel ready to come here. I didn't want to be one of those models stepping out and getting slashed because I didn't know my craft. For me, craft is the most important thing, not coming to America and getting a role I couldn't handle. I wanted to have a technique and know my craft and I didn't care where I had to go to do it. I studied for a long time, even before I got my first role. I started studying acting when I was a kid. I did dance, theater, I did everything. I took ballet when I was three. When I was studying to be a doctor, my mother looked at me and said, "You should be a lawyer or an actress because you are so dramatic." So I took her advice.

15

Playboy: How do you get a cab in New York City?

Alt: "Hey, yo, buddy. That's my cab. Get out of there!" Actually, I just pull up my skirt and stick out my leg. It always works. I usually get 10 or 12.

16

Playboy: Hooking. Slashing. High-sticking. Which is which?

Alt: Hooking is kind of nice, especially when it's somebody you like. You take your stick and hook it around another player's arm, neck, leg or foot to prevent him from receiving a pass from another player. High-sticking can be kind of nice, too, actually, but it's usually after you shoot the puck. You bring your stick up a little too high, up into someone's face. It's considered dangerous, which is why a lot of people wear visors these days. Sometimes you can high-stick on purpose because you know a guy is coming at you and you can hit him in the face. But a lot of times it's just the heat of the moment. Slashing seems intentional. That's nothing but hitting somebody with your stick. There's no reason for it.

17

Playboy: Have you ever had air rage?

Alt: I have had ticket rage. I have had airline rage. Air rage? No. I enjoy flying. I probably should have been a flight attendant because I love to fly. I'm a lazy flier. I like to get on the plane and fall asleep. It's the only time the phone doesn't ring and no faxes come in. I get good sleep on an airplane.

18

Playboy: Why do supermodels pick inappropriate boyfriends?

Alt: I think it's availability. We have such horrible schedules and most of us are businesswomen, so we don't want to adjust our schedules. Modeling is also a business of opportunity. You can't always adjust your schedule because you might miss a really big opportunity or a big job. So we're at the mercy of the jobs that come in. Most inappropriate men are opportunists. They see this void. These men see very busy, very lonely women who are on the road working all the time. You rarely find a successful businesswoman who can work out a relationship with a successful businessman. Ronnie Greschner and I were both successful in what we were doing. That was ultimately the demise of our relationship, because we just didn't spend enough time with each other. When you're successful, you're successful because your other partner in marriage is your work. It takes one person in your relationship to give up something to be with the other person. But we didn't realize that until it was too late. I think a lot of these girls find a guy who fits in, who'll go anywhere. A guy who will show up at any time and do anything they need. That is great, because every woman likes to feel taken care of. But if someone is that willing, that's a sign there's a need beyond just wanting to be there.

19

Playboy: Married to a hockey player. Now going out with a hockey player. What's this hockey deal all about?

Alt: It just happened. It's not that I particularly go for hockey players. I do like sportsmen, and of all the sports--no offense to the NFL or the AL or the NL--I just like the temperament of hockey players better. I've never heard of a hockey player doing drugs, beating his wife, attacking anybody or fighting anybody in bars. Again, I could be naive, but they seem to be much more humble people off the ice. I guess I like that temperament better.

20

Playboy: Give us a list of scary things completely out of character for you and a schedule of when you'll do them.

Alt: Being nude. That's completely out of the park for me. The funny thing is I have no problems with Playboy and nude pictures. I love seeing nude bodies. I appreciate going to museums and I see statues and my favorite ones are the nude ones. I'm just shy--I can't imagine walking around the set naked. I have a hard time in the gym. It's totally scary for me to wear a bathing suit on the beach. I don't like it, yet I can do it. There's that little switch that goes, I can do it for a camera, but that's my job. And there's something that separates me from my job. It's not an ego thing: I want to be so sexy and show off my body, because I won't do it on a beach. I give my bathing suits away. I go to Vegas and do the Sky Screamer. I love that. I don't have problems with that. I try to do my own stunts. If you're talking about physical danger--I love danger. Danger's my middle name. Actually trouble's my middle name, but that's another story.