GIMME SHELTON

Name and occupation: Marley Shelton, actress. Age: 23. Provenance: Los Angeles. Marley's high-profile credits: Oliver Stone's Nixon, starring Anthony Hopkins and Joan Allen (she played Tricia); Pleasantville, with Tobey Maguire and Joan Allen; Never Been Kissed, with Drew Barrymore. Marley's not-so-highprofile credits:In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco and Hercules in the Underworld (both made-for-TV movies). Coming attractions:The Bachelor, co-starring Renee Zellweger and Chris O'Donnell, and the black comedy Sugar and Spice.Before graduating to the big screen, you were considered the Gwyneth Paltrow of Movies of the Week. Was that a good training ground? "Movies of the Week are like mini-features, or pretend moviemaking. And that started when I was still in high school and acting was literally an after-school hobby for me." We understand you went out for cheerleading before acting. Did that pay off? "1 was a cheerleader in high school, and I've always wondered if that wasn't the biggest waste of time, but it's turned out that it was the best investment I could have ever made. In Sugar and Spice. I play a cheerleader who gets knocked up and then robs a bank to support her family-to-be, so that chapter of my life is redeemed." Can you reveal anything about your connection with two-time co-star Joan Allen? "I really feel like she's been this guardian angel, someone to aspire to be that's constantly been laid in my path. What 1 love about her work is that she's incredibly subtle but very specific—she can throw a glance and it's electrifying, it's as if she's playing to the back row in Lincoln Center."

JOHN GILLIES

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