Appearing as a cross between Betty Boop's evil sister and a curvaceous Hells Angel, actress Rose McGowan made an undeniably distinct imperssion on Hollywood in the late '90's. With her sharp tounge and brash sensuality, McGowan has been a source of both titillation and discomfort to an idustry who still hasn't figured out what to do with women who are unapologetically both smart and sexual. The child of hippies, McGowan was born September 5, 1975, in Florence, Italy, to a French mother and Irish father. The second oldest of six children, McGowan was raise on Italian commune run by the Children of God cult. Her family relocated to Oregon, when she was ten, ans she left the commune at 15. She supported herself witha variety of odd jobs and even livied on the streets for awhile before traveling to Los Angeles to attend an arts school. It was there that she was discovered by the director Grgg Araki, who, as fate would have it, encountered her outside of a gym. Araki was busy casting his Aundance entry, "The Doom Generation", and gave her the role of Amy Blue, the films most beautiful, spoiled, and morally ambiguous protagonist. Prior to her role, McGowan had only appeared as a minor character in 1992's "Encino Man", making her casting in Araki's film all the more fortuitous. "The Doom Generation", was released in 1995, to mixed reviews and a fair amount of controversey, but helped to establish McGowan as, if not Hollywood's Next Big Thing, then internet fodder for slaverin males everywhere.
The film also gave her a greater chance at steady work and she followed "The Doom Generation" with the low-budget thriller "Kiss and Tell"(1996). Subsequently, she landed the role in another thriller possessing a decidedly budget, Wes Cravens's "Scream"(1996). The film was a surprise hit and McGowan's turn as a fisky student who has an unfortunate encounter with a garage door further widened her fan base. After starring in the 1997 TV movie "Devil in the Flesh", McGowan appeared in two back-to-back movies with fellow rising star Ben Affleck. First came her turn as the girl who tries to seduce a very excited Jeremy Davies in 1997's "Going All the Way", follwed by her role in the ski slope thriller Phantoms(1998). 1999 saw her take the lead in the role in the independent film "Jawbreaker", in which she starred with Rebecca Gayheart. As Alpha Bitch Courtney Shane, McGowan excelled in a role that was equal parts vamp, tramp, and camp. The film met with mixed reviews and lackluster box-office sells, but helped to excell her career as an actress. |
