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Home , Carla Gugino, Sebastian Gutierrez, Women in Trouble

Buzz Encounter I by Mike Kessler

Who: What: Actress, Where: Her backyard, Hollywood Hills

Which Carla Gugino will I get—the G-rated movie mom or the intimidatingly sexy woman I saw in a YouTube clip called “Carla Gugino in Her Underwear”? This is the ques- tion that hovers as I wait for Gugino to open the gate to her Hollywood Hills home, a two- story hacienda that’s concealed by a long stucco wall and a small forest of bamboo and bougainvillea. It’s a hot afternoon, with roofless tourist vans chugging up the road, birds chirping, and the din of traffic from -be low. I hear Gugino walk across her yard, shush a barking dog, and wiggle the latch on the turquoise gate before opening it. “Thanks for making yourself available on such short notice,” she says, stealing my line.

58 | Los Angeles | november 2009

60 60 Gugino relationship—something their of lightness,”she says. The same might be said movieyouwantifcertain keep toa levelof skin-flick realism.“You can’t do that with a gratuitous or nudity by served ill be would film the that agreed two the But mind. in created the role of Elektra Luxx with Gugino making of porn, I was ready to play Elektra.” Igot some insight into the mechanics of the the porn world so depressing,” she thesays. ’70s. “Once “I don’t find porn very sexy,pling“classy film”wasthatonpornshot in and I find the role by watching documentaries and samporn studio in the Valley, Gugino prepared for Mountain market.” the on vagina rity business. “It is the number-one-selling celeb way to convey her popularity in the adult film entcolors,” she tells her elevator mate, asa tailsfor 89 bucks and comes in three differ callycorrect Elektra Luxx Vagina Deluxe re witha perfect stranger. “The anatomi elevator, an undergarments her to down stripped in trapped onscreen pregnancy and spends most of her timeunexpected an handle to how decide ticularly hectic day in L.A. Elektra has to whose lives cross paths during one par women other nine alongside stars no who is Gugino’s longtime partner. GugiGutierrez, Sebastian by directed and edy—and the first in a trilogy—written month. Women in Trouble porn star on the cusp of an epiphany in Vincent Chase in HBO’s for woman much who’s too agent the may be best known as Amanda Daniels, in opposite academic brainy a and Niro, teous Kill role officer in soon as you see it. She wasnose—as a ramp lesbian ski pa the mouth, curvy face—the her recognize you name, with me.” world the traveled “It’s says. fé,”she ing two glass mugs. “It’s from Urth Caf Moroccan mint tea, and begins prepar of container Tupperware a opens en, poodle-Yorkie mix, Luna, into the kitch back in a ponytail, she leads me and her inches in beaded sandals, her hair pulled Mountain in starred themore family-friendly Gugino who’s and white linen pants, this is definitely Gutierrez,who wrote dodgy some around hang than Rather a Luxx, Elektra as appears Gugino by Gugino know don’t you if Even Dressedlightain green V-neck tee |

Los Ang Los Women in Trouble , with and Robert De this is not. . Standing five feet seven seven feet five Standing . Spy Kids Spy Night at the Museum Sin City ele s , which comes out this

| and nove , an ex-cop in Entourage Race to Witch to Race is a dark com Snakeson aPlane m ber 2009 ber Race to Witch Witch to Race Righ . . She ------, toreveal too much.) “Alfred Hitchcock used from those tourist vans, attention Gugino asked(Fearing us not democracy. European Western a to consulate the as served later Times powerful family who founded the place was built in 1927 by the Chandlers, the errez have lived here for the last six iron years.table inThe the lush backyard. She and Guti We’vetaken don’t have sex onscreen.” I or lesbian a either I’m together, on work havearunning joke: In any of the things we yeah—we’ll ‘Yeah, make like the scenewas work.’Sebastian So And now welines.’ our saysGugino. “I was like ‘But we didn’t finish era started rolling, “He yelled, ‘Cut, cut, cut,’ ” was directing, and almost as soon as in the Baker Simon cam with learned when she was filming a steamy scene andhelped shapethe city. Thehouse Entourage n a ughty h ughty * , a secret agent in * * Judas Kiss Judas a seat at a wrought- a at seat a playing a nun in a * bit: * Gugino as a talent agent in Spy Kids Los Angeles . Gutierrez Gutierrez . Women in Trouble , and a porn star - - at the best parts.” And that’s fine. As long as it affords me a shot isn’t a big role that would change my career. mylife.resttheofforI’m aware thatthere have to mix it up. I want to be able to do this But, as Gugino says, in her line of work “you what“schizophrenic” researching thepart. too,” she says, admitting that she felt some slash-madam.There’s singingdancing,and dominatrix-slash-choreographer- “Polish a as well 1960s—as the in psychiatrist a as film by project, latest her filming willbe on a plane to Vancouver, where she’s late for another meeting. Tomorrow Gugino spot-on.” wasn’twaschange.Itwantedanything to I “The role was written well enough that there fewfemale agents she knows, but she says, characteristics of men.” Gugino drew from a soften up or to beto cold andasked take you’re on the worstUsually that. like rection

She looks at her phone and realizes she’s Crest in directors,whopicked herrolesfor TV she says. The name didn’t deter that,”casting did I if died have would father maiden mother’s name, Burgess, her but “my Italian adopting considered couldpronounce (it’s one no that name last a with town, rules that apply to child actors. New in from the courts to be exempt from the Let’s Make a Deal on sidekick a was who Merrill, (Carol aunt and uncle her of home L.A. the 1988,the14,ageatof shemoved into makermotherSarasota,in .In home a and father orthodontist an L.A. history.” ofIt’s piecelittlething.hidden a such every and pool the of bottom the at noir party, with a fake corpse film facedown a host to wanted always “We’ve says. she here,” parties to come to herself.As a woman, you rarely get di for apologies make doesn’t and sexy and strong is who someone wanted “They recalls. thing,”she bitchy note someone smart and complex, not a one- rage suit-wearing Amanda Daniels in trayed, one of her favorites is the pant own short-lived drama, from movies, in and TV on roles 60-plus some landing since, ever Hollywood Shore in ed a starring movie role opposite Pauly 300 Alf Gugino was one of three children of Of the many characters she’spor characters many the Of . “The show’s producers wanted wanted producers show’s “The . Spin City , to name a few. In 1993, she land , , director ZackSnyder. Shestars Who’s the Boss? the Who’s Son in Law

and ) and got permission Hope . She’s been busy in Sucker Punch Sucker Goo-jeen-o , and and , Falcon Falcon Entou to her ),she , a , .

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