There’s a better than good chance that you’ve seen Vanessa Angel at one point or another in various movies and TV shows since she was discovered at the age of 14 by a modeling company and things just kind of went up from there as her sexuality became a big draw in a lot of her roles and has served her pretty well throughout the years. A lot of people will remember her best from one role or another, be it from Baywatch or from the movie Kingpin, but chances are a lot of men will remember her for the manner in which she’s often been flaunted for her very alluring look, which has been played up more often than her acting talent. There are probably a lot of women that have seen this as a negative throughout the years since they want to be known for something other than a sex object in various movies and shows, but Vanessa is definitely a woman that has made it work for her in a lot of ways but has also contributed to pop culture by honing and refining her talent from one role to the next. It’s fair to say that not every role she plays is bound to be the best, but she’s done a fair job at being pretty convincing in a lot of what she’s done and as she’s still at it there’s no doubt that she loves it a little.
Kingpin is actually good movie to show just how she’s used as a sex object since from the start the role she’s put into is used to distract both Ishmael and Roy, though it obviously has no effect on Ishmael. From that point on though she does manage to create a little more depth with the character as after escaping with Roy and Ishmael from her abusive boyfriend, she begins to change just a bit as she takes a liking to Ishmael and seeks to help the guys earn the kind of money they need to get to the bowling championship where Roy plans to show Ishmael’s immense skill off and make some real money. Of course along the way they keep Ishmael bowling and as a result they feel the need to use her as a way to distract the other bowlers, most of whom tank horribly when she stands around in short tops and shorter skirts, offering up her body as a way to keep everyone else off their game. Of course it gets pretty funny, and kind of disturbing, when Ishmael goes up against a group of farmers that like to bowl, and her charms have no effect at all on the older men. Of course once a sheep is brought in the farmers’ game goes all to hell and the disturbing aspect is realized in true eye-rolling fashion.
One interesting note about Vanessa’s career is that she was apparently the first woman selected to play the part of Xena: Warrior Princess. Can you imagine her in the same getup that Lucy Lawless made popular? It might have worked, but unfortunately Vanessa fell ill and couldn’t make the trip, so Lucy, who was already on set, was picked up to play the part. It’s interesting what you can find out just by looking, and to be fair it’s hard to picture Vanessa in the outfit at this point, largely because it never happened by some dint of bad luck. She’s still had quite the career however as she’s continued to act and is still in the business at this time, and even started her own clothing line in 2009. So to say that she might regret not getting that role could be accurate, but it’s also just as accurate to say that she didn’t let it bog her down as she kept moving forward and taking on whatever came her way. That’s the difference between successful actors and those that are just in it for a paycheck however, the former will often keep going after a setback while the latter tend to move on to other things immediately if they can’t make it work on screen. To be fair, those in it for a paycheck can also be those that are still starting out and just need something to keep the lights on, but at some point the job becomes more than just a paycheck as they realize that with more pay comes the desire to do better, which only increases their value to those that are willing to use them in one movie or another.
It’s likely that we’ll continue to see Vanessa show up now and again once studios are able to get back to work, as she does appear to enjoy the life she’s made for herself, and is at this point a seasoned and experienced actress that has a lot more control over what parts she takes and how she plays them.
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