The latest edition of America's Next Top Model not only features a crop of new women vying for a shot at a modeling contract and fame, but also a new judge. Former supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who has been openly critical of the modeling industry, joins the reality show in place of Twiggy, who left in the offseason.
The Czech-born model stormed the scene in the 1980s, and went on to help usher in the first "supermodels," a category that included Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and everyone else who appeared in George Michael's "Freedom" video. She's appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice, tried her hand at acting, and also recently wrote her first book, which is out next month.
TV.com dipped into its black book and called Porizkova to chat her up and get the latest on this season of America's Next Top Model, her past as a model, and host Tyra Banks.
TV.com: First of all, why don't you tell us how you got involved in the show?
Paulina Porizkova: Oh, yes, question number one. Everybody asks the same thing. And I will answer the same thing because it hasn't changed since. I had been asked before, but since the show was shot in LA, I couldn't really consider it, because I'm New York-based and I have a family.
So, when they relocated to New York, they asked me again, and I said I'd be very happy to.
TV.com: And that was that?
Paulina Porizkova: And that was that.
TV.com: This is kind of a loaded question, because I've seen a couple of quotes in the New York Post, but were you a fan of the show before?
Paulina Porizkova: A huge fan. Are you kidding? I've watched every cycle with the exception of cycle five. What you're referring to is me having said it's not at all real, and I stand by that. It's much better than [the] reality [of the modeling profession]. I can tell you, every single judging, I sat in on. When the girls came up for their pictures, I'm looking at it, and I'm going, "Why didn't I ever get to do that?" You know, I would have rocked if I got to do a photo shoot like that. It's not fair.
TV.com: So, how are you going to shake things up as a judge on the show?
Paulina Porizkova: Well, I didn't really have any plans to shake things up. I reminded the [producers], I said, "You do remember that I was known as the model that bit the hand that fed her, right?" They said, "Yeah." I said, "Do you realize that I'm not very fond of modeling?" They said, "Yeah." And I said, "And I just want to warn you that I do not lie. I'm painfully honest, sometimes to the point of tactlessness. I've been accused of that by my friends many a times. So, that's what you are in for, right?" And they said, "OK."
So, they're very brave people. Either that, or foolish.
TV.com: What is it about modeling that you don't like?
Paulina Porizkova: What is there to like? Money. What is there to dislike? Pretty much everything else. I actually would get physically sick when I had to go to work the last 10 years. It was just a nightmare for me.
I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh, my god, you poor thing. How terrible! You must have suffered so." Now, the real deal is I am incredibly grateful for every minute that I've gotten as a model, because I was in the right place at the right time. And I was luckier than I could ever imagine--to have had this job and gotten to where I got completely inadvertently. I never thought of being a model; never thought I could be one. I didn't care about clothes; still don't.
But it was just plain old stupid luck, and I went with it, because it was just too fabulous to give up. So, in that way, it was fantastic.
TV.com: Do you prefer acting?
Paulina Porizkova: Oh, god, yeah. Acting was a lot of fun. I would have loved to have stayed with that a bit longer, but since nobody wanted me, I had to get out. I just couldn't take the rejection anymore. I was getting really sick of that.
TV.com: Is there anything you would change about how America's Next Top Model is structured?
Paulina Porizkova: No, I think it's pretty fabulously structured the way it is. I don't think that it's terribly real, like I said before. I think it's much more glamorous and much more fun than reality, of course. And that's what I want to watch. I'm a reality TV whore. I'm pathetic. It tells you what an exciting life I have. But I love watching reality shows. I love watching Top Model. I love watching American Idol. I love Dancing with the Stars. And I used to be a Survivor girl, but I'm not into that anymore. And I love The Amazing Race.
And Top Model, to me, was so much fun to watch because it's a little bit like The Bachelor in a way. It's the fantasy of it. And I buy into it as much as anybody else, even though I know it's really not true.
Once the girls got off the show, I was trying to tell them, "Hey, guys, did you realize that this is the best you'll ever have it, right, because, like--thank whatever, the higher powers, God, whoever you want to thank every single day, because this is what a model works years to get to. And you guys are starting here. So, it might never get better than this. So, enjoy every single second."
TV.com: Can you tell us what Tyra is like? She seems to be a little bit of a loon.
Paulina Porizkova: You know what? She's goofy. I think that's what makes her seem a little crazy. It's just her demeanor. But I don't actually know Tyra too well. She doesn't like hanging backstage and chatting. But she will bring in, like, homemade tuna-fish salad for us to eat like in-between judging sessions.
TV.com: How does she find time to make that?
Paulina Porizkova: I do not know. I don't think the woman ever sleeps. Every minute of hers is packed with things to do. I think she is a truly good person. I think she's very earnest and is very like socially aware, and wants to rule the world and make it a better place.
TV.com: In terms of the modeling industry, what do you think has changed since you and Elle Macpherson and Stephanie Seymour were on the covers and everything? What do you think has changed?
Paulina Porizkova: OK. First of all, just to remind you, Elle and Stephanie Seymour weren't really the cover girls; they were the sex girls.
TV.com: The sex girls. Can you explain the difference?
Paulina Porizkova: Yeah. Well, I guess that sounds funny. They were known for being these gorgeous, gorgeous, sexy girls that every male wanted. But they weren't cover girls. That was me and... Who else was a cover girl? Cindy Crawford for sure, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington. We were more of the cover girls. And they were more like the hot, provocative, sexy girls. And sometimes, the best of the both worlds clashed. That was really cool when you got to be a cover girl and do bikinis.
TV.com: That was you.
Paulina Porizkova: Yeah, see how fabulous I am? I was kind of trying to not to be too obvious about it, but I'm glad you got my point. I was just way better than anybody else. So, there you have it. [Laughs.]
TV.com: You are from the Czech Republic, and right now you are judging American models. Where do you think the most beautiful people come from?
Paulina Porizkova: Oh, well, let me be as obvious as to say from the inside, darling. Yeah, no, I'm sorry. That's not a really good line. But you led me right to it. It's hard for me to judge. At my age I don't see just the mathematics of beauty anymore. That's a little boring to me. I was surrounded by it for years and years and years. I've seen the most structurally beautiful men and women in the world, and 70 percent of them were just vapid and as boring as can be.
So, I don't care about that kind of beauty. That's not interesting to me. And I don't look for it. And if I see somebody that I think, "Oh, wow, this person is really beautiful," then I immediately reject that thought until I know them better.
TV.com: What exactly are you going to be looking for from the contestants?
Paulina Porizkova: When we see the pictures of the girls, Tyra looks for improvement. She likes to see where they start and see them improve week by week. Nigel is looking at it from a business point of view--does she fit in this category, in this category? And I like to just look at it as, "Are you photogenic? Do you look good in pictures?" And if you don't look good in pictures, you're not going to be able to be America's next top model, because you have to look good in pictures.
You don't have to be, like, the most stunning model ever. You can't be beautiful in real life and then not look good on a picture. And I've actually seen that in the previous cycles. I've seen girls that I thought were just drop-dead gorgeous on TV, but once you saw the print pictures, they were kind of like "ehh!" And it's usually that way with print models. Print models usually don't look all that great when they are not in the print.
TV.com: Right. Well, I think I've used up all my time, unfortunately. Do you have anything else you want to say, actually?
Paulina Porizkova: Yeah, buy my book.
TV.com: Hey, I got an idea, let's talk about your book!
Paulina Porizkova: [Laughs.] My book's coming out in paperback in April. Buy it. It's really awesome. It's called The Model Summer. And it's about a 15-year-old model. And all of these girls that think this show is so cool, they should read this book, because they'll give them a real insider's view and a real view of what it's really like.
TV.com: It's not like it is on TV.
Paulina Porizkova: Yeah, it'll give them that other side. [Laughs.]
TV.com: The real side.
Paulina Porizkova: The real side.
TV.com: Thank you so much for talking to us.
Paulina Porizkova: Bye!
America's Next Top Model airs Tuesday nights on the CW. For more information on the show, check out TV.com's previous coverage, and don't forget to vote on which model you think should stay in TV.com's America's Next Top Model voting feature.
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