Denise Richards: Undercover Sister Part Two

The former Bond girl discusses her turn as a different kind of spy chick in UNDERCOVER BROTHER

By ARNOLD T. BLUMBERG     June 06, 2002



Former Bond girl Denise Richards is exploring a whole different realm of spy movie with her new film UNDERCOVER BROTHER. In the comedy, which debuted last week, she and her co-stars lampoon everything from spy flicks to blaxploitation movies of the '70s. Today, Richards continues her talk with CINESCAPE.

Richards appreciates the opportunity to flex her muscles as well as her acting skills when working on a project like UNDERCOVER BROTHER.

"I think that any time to be physical is fun and I wish that we would've had more prep time in doing it," says Richards. "But shooting it is so much different. We had to wear these huge heels which we didn't rehearse in. We could've broken an ankle, and then we're done for the movie [laughs]. So we would wear a tennis shoe on one foot and then a heel on the other, and just stand there and kick into the frame. They were very tedious and technical, and there were stunt doubles. You had to set it up with wardrobe. Everyone's pants split on this movie - we went through a lot of clothing."

Richards also suffered a minor injury to the head during a fight scene, but it didn't impair her ability to decide whether or not to nab any of her movie wardrobe for her own personal use.



"I was going to steal my white outfit, but by the end, I was so sick of it, I was like, 'I don't care,'" says Richards. "I was going to wear it out clubbing. Now I wish that I kept it, but I was just so sick of seeing it."

Fans aren't sick of seeing more of Richards, that's for sure. While she is aware of her status as a 'sex symbol' to many, she tries to keep it all in perspective.

"It's funny, because some directors wouldn't see me because I'm not 'the girl next door' enough," says Richards. "I told [future husband] Charlie [Sheen] to take pictures of me in the morning to send to these directors and say, 'I'm telling you, she can play the girl next door,' but you know, I don't go out looking like that. I wear grungy clothes. I'm such a jeans person and I wear sweats all of the time. I like being a girl and getting ready and everything, but I'm so flip-flops, jeans, and a T-shirt."

Richards applies the same freewheeling attitude to her career. Some actresses might be worried that a parody film could hurt their reputation as a 'serious' thespian, but Richards is just concerned with doing what feels right.



"If the movie bombs, it will probably hurt me," admits Richards. "If the movie is a huge hit, it will help me regardless of the character. Heather Graham did pretty well after AUSTIN POWERS, so hopefully, people will think, 'She might be kind of funny.' You know, it's a comedy and I got to do something so broad and ridiculous that I've never done before. I can't base it on whether or not critics will love me in it. I did this because I wanted to do it and I got to work with amazing, funny people. No matter what happens to the movie, I had a great experience on it."

Another great experience will doubtless be her marriage to Charlie Sheen, the details of which are - reasonably enough - a closely guarded secret. With marriage and movies on the agenda, Richards is looking forward to what the future will bring.

"I've never been happier," says Richards. "I'm so excited to enter into that next part of my life. I've never been married before. I take it very seriously. It's a lifetime commitment, and that's what we're doing. I'm really excited, and it's nice to have the movies coming out on top of it."

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