We reported previously on the campaign for real beauty that Ali Larter has signed up for. She's the latest celebrity to promote this great cause with Dove Hair Care.
Here's a video of the Heroes actress talking about the experience and the decision:
This makes us even more excited for the Emmy Awards.
Ali Larter announced today that, in collaboration with Dove Hair Care, she's taking a stand for real beauty by "going real" on the red carpet.
The Heroes star will be forgoing the usual pre-awards show professional hairstyling routine by creating her own hairstyle, without a team of stylists. Her mission is to inspire women to start loving the hair they have, while not comparing it to the unattainable images they see in the media and Hollywood.
"There is a lot of work that goes into Hollywood hair and I want women to know that it is unrealistic for every day," said Larter. "I am going to go out on a limb by doing my own hair for the Emmys without any stylists. I am going to use Dove Hair Care products for five days, get my hair in great shape and I am going to rock the red carpet. I am doing all of this to help women realize the potential of their own hair and feel more confident every day."
We love it. We've been big fans of this Dove campaign for months now.
While working with Larter, Dove Hair Care uncovered that it often takes a team of stylists - two hours or more in a styling chair with curling irons, hot rollers, flat irons, foam wedges and products - to create celebrity camera-ready "Hollywood" hairstyles.
The company believes that such styling processes are unrealistic for women to achieve every day. However, according to a recent survey, nearly 60 percent of women believe that these images in the media set the standard for beautiful hair.
Pre-teen and teenage girls can be particularly affected by unrealistic beauty images in the media. Girls need to start embracing the hair they have at a young age, which is why Larter joined Dove Hair Care today in New York at a session designed to help build self-esteem in pre-teen/teen members of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Serving as a positive role model, the Niki Sanders-portrayer inspired attendees to love the hair they have by sharing her personal experiences.
"I believe in the Dove Hair Care message and I am excited to take a stand for real beauty," said Larter. "I have learned to love my hair and I hope girls and women of all ages do the same."
We've already heard Ali Larter talk about her upcoming movie, Resident Evil: Extinction.
But TV Guide recently sat down with the Heroes actress to talk about another film she's in, the Bollywood flick Marigold...
TVGuide.com: Let's be a bit introspective: Is this the same Ali Larter I spoke to a year ago? Following all this Heroes hoopla?
Ali Larter: Absolutely, absolutely. I love our show, and it has been such an amazing opportunity for me. In this industry we go through so many ebbs and flows, and right now I'm at this great place where I love working on the show and people are responding to it, I have movies coming out that were amazing journeys for me.... It's a fun time.
TVGuide.com: I saw Marigold last night, and it's different, fun, a sort of primer for Bollywood movies.
Larter: It is, it's a sweet little romantic comedy, and I think it gives people a taste of India. This movie stands on its own in its uniqueness. It's about this little bitter actress who gets [a part] in this Bollywood film; it's a fish-out-of-water story and a comedy of errors when you see the cultures collide.
TVGuide.com: As a career choice, did you figure the rewards outweighed the risk?
Larter: I don't ever worry about risks. The more risk, for me, the better. It was such a fun movie to do. We were working six days a week, 12 hours a day, it was so hot, but I was there and I got a chance to really experience this country. I was blown away by the generosity of the people and the women dressed in these blues and greens and oranges and reds, coming over the desert.... It was extraordinary.
TVGuide.com: My favorite part is when it almost turns into a Bollywood film, in a sort of fantasy sequence.
Larter: Right! It's just so fun. It's a Princess Diaries kind of movie. You can go with a date, or you can grab a bunch of girls and go and have fun.
TVGuide.com: One of Marigold's big obstacles is that she doesn't have particularly great dancing skills for a Bollywood production. Be honest your own dancing skills going into this movie...?
Larter: [Sheepishly] Terrible. I'm not good. Put me in a club and I can dance till dawn. If you put me in a situation where I have to land on a mark? That presents a bit of a challenge. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: I told myself that that works, though, since Marigold shouldn't evolve into a perfect dancer.
Larter: That's how I thought about it, also! In a Hollywood movie, you usually have six weeks to kind of rehearse. I had three days and did the best I could.
We love hearing from Ali Larter. And we hope Heroes fans do, too, because there's another interview with this blond bombshell below...
Crave Online: Where are you at in the season? How many have you read?
Ali Larter: We are shooting the third right now and they're amazing. They're introducing new characters. The writers on our show are so creative and they just are unleashed I feel like in the writer's room, so it's great.
Crave Online: How are things between Niki and D.L. now?
Ali Larter: They are interesting. They're interesting. You're going to find a lot out this year about their past and what happened.
Crave Online: Will the Nikki/Jessica dynamic continue at all?
Ali Larter: They're coming into one character. It's only Niki and I think the writers are so smart on this show that they really looked at what worked and what didn't. To be able to focus on the one character is I think going to be the best move.
Crave Online: How is the work different this year, only playing one character?
Ali Larter: I really am enjoying it. We went down a lot of different roads last year and it was really creative for me that I got to do those scenes where I was in jail and some of the stuff with my son. Playing Jessica, some of the stunt stuff, I feel like I actually jumped through genres at times within the season last year. So I think it was really fun. I think we took risks and chances. I think some worked. I think some didn't. I think this year, the writers are going to look at all that and focus it. I think it'll be great.
Crave Online: How difficult was that to shift in mid scene?
Ali Larter: That was one of the fun challenges that I was talking about being scared of. It could have looked like a soap opera. Not that soap operas are bad but in my work, I try to go for a little bit more realism. So it was challenging but it was such a great year all around, honestly, I feel like most of the cast must be saying that. We were all pushed different ways creatively. The response that we had in the States and around the world is just incredible.
Crave Online: What do you want to see happen for Niki?
Ali Larter: You know what? What I love about the show is when they let the characters breathe. I love the action packed side of it but I like the dialogue. I'm an actor so I love the dialogue. I love just moments that you can have between actors so I just hope that there's always room for that within all the [action].
We may be used to seeing Ali Larter as a reluctant heroine on Heroes - but fans will get a different view of her in the upcoming movie, Resident Evil: Extinction.
She recently talked about the movie...
You're going to be a red head for the role?
For people who are truly passionate about the games, it's important to have that resemblance to Claire Redfield. They have an idea of what they want her to be. The red hair is just one more thing to help bridge that gap, and get them to take the journey with me.
So do you spend any time in the cycling skinsuit from the game?
No, no, and I'm so glad about that because we're really just traveling in the desert and trying to survive. If you look at it, you can stop at different stores to pick up clothes that you need when you're living in these grave circumstances. So it's like cargo pants, tank top, baseball cap, sunglasses - anything that's realistic that I would have.
The look of the second movie was very much like a video game. Will that be the same this time around?
Not at all. I think with this movie they're going in a different direction. It's taking on a more realistic, or hyper-realistic world. We're out in the desert now. We're not confined to a certain area, so I think that opens things up. For me I'm glad because with the video games there's the mythology, but this gave me a chance to develop what I thought made the most sense for this character in this world.
How much action do you get in the movie?
Not as much as Alice. Alice gets to kick ass! She's this amazing figure. It's incredible. I have a barretta and knives, but my role isn't as much the action and the fighting of it. It's keeping everything together, organizing it, more of like a general. But I do have a couple of run-ins with the undead and I shoot the shit out of them.
Did you have any gun training?
We did a little bit. I've worked with guns before and it's just so fun. Our stunt man was amazing and made it as believable as possible. And I think it is. I've seen some of the dailies and they're beautiful, just beyond my expectations.
Can you talk about coming into this franchise on the third picture?
Definitely. Going into a franchise that's been successful, especially one where there's an incredibly strong female lead, you wonder how are they going to feel about you coming in and how are you going to be treated. Milla was nothing but amazing. She is so cool. She is so fun. Creatively I think we work really well together too.
The other side of it, and this is why I did this movie, is it is a departure from the first two. I think it's a fresh take on the genre. They brought in a bunch of different characters and it's really a story about survival, and family, and what you would do at this point in the world. So it's not just a shoot'em up. There's a lot more going on and that's what drew me to it.
To read the full interview, click here.
Heroes star Ali Larter won't reveal the identity of her boyfriend, but it sounds like he may be her knight in shining armor.
"I'm madly in love," the actress and model tells InStyle Makeover's fall issue and People magazine reports. "He just brought light to my life. I feel lucky every morning when I wake up and see him."
Hopefully, the mystery man likes children. Why? Because the portrayer of Niki Sanders would like some in the future.
"I'm loving this right now," she says of acting. "But I can't wait for that."
Larter spent many years modeling before she caught the acting bug. But growing up, she was hardly the most beautiful girl on the block.
"I had a bowl haircut," she says. "My face was always flushed, and I had one big tooth. I was the sweaty dirty girl, and I'd come home with one sock up, one sock down."
Now that she's found success, Larter says, she and her boyfriend are doing a good job staying balanced, knowing when to turn things up and when to chill out. It's something Hayden Panettiere and Stephen Colletti are still learning about.
"Last night I was in my skintight Brian Reyes dress and Louis Vuitton heels. ...Today I packed my weekend bag cargos, sneakers and sweats," she says. "And you know what? I need both. Balance is something that we all strive for, but for me it's to make sure my life has enough downtime, plus a bit of play."
iF Magazine recently sat down with Heroes vixen Ali Larter. The actress talked about her character in season two of the show...
iF MAGAZINE: Niki and Jessica in season two of Heroes or just one or the other?
ALI LARTER: No. We are focusing on one. No more splits. I think they are looking at worked last year and moving forward into the new season.
iF: Focusing on being a mom and trying to be normal again?
LARTER: I think she is focusing on how to deal with her powers. I know there are some other issues that they are going to be sending her direction, but they're really keeping things under wraps this year as opposed to last year. We can't afford to have things getting out on the Internet because then there are no surprises when the episodes air.
iF: How are the motherhood aspects of Niki on Heroes?
LARTER: It's still amazing. I love working with Noah Gray Cabey, he's a great actor and an amazing little guy.
iF: Do you like doing the emotional work or the physical work more on Heroes?
LARTER: What's great about Heroes is that the show is a balance of so many levels, and they give me so many things to play with on different levels that it is just incredible. The writers are amazing.
iF: You and on-screen husband Leonard Roberts only beat each other up on screen right?
LARTER: [Laughs] He's great. He's really good on the show too.
iF: You also have Resident Evil: Extinction coming out soon as well?
LARTER: I do Claire Redfield. I haven't seen it and I really can't wait to see it. I think it's going to be fun and one of those guilty pleasure movies. It's girls kicking some butt. Zombies in Vegas!
iF: How much training do you get for a feature like that as opposed to Heroes?
LARTER: I don't really get much training. I'm an athletic girl. That stuff comes really easily for me. I don't want anybody else doing that stuff. I want to push and pull and run and jump and shoot everybody down.
Ali Larter spent her time away from Heroes filming a couple of movies. Below is a less-than-stellar review of one of them, Marigol, by Business of Cinema...
They say movies and music transcend boundaries; such is the attempt with Marigold that stars Salman Khan paired opposite Ali Larter. The Indian element does not end there; Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics and the musical trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have provided the songs. This cultural mishmash of sorts affects the music as well.
Guessing that it is indeed Shaan crooning Yeh Pyaar Kya Hai is not difficult. His soft and melodious voice renders the song with a great amount of likeability. The track is more like an explanation of the colors in love, while this seems like a pointless exercise; the lyrics actually make you smile. The song is a slow number and makes for a sweet play while cuddled up in bed with your better half.
So we see Salman Khan dancing about singing Yeh Pyaar Hai in the trailers. Once again rendered by Shaan, the song features a harmonious chorus as well. Its great hearing the song till you begin hearing the track in English. There is something about this track that distances you away from it, its soft, musical and the works, but does nothing to you. This one is easy on the ear but that's about it.
Paagal Si Saari Leheren sounds like some track from a broadway musical. Hearing it you can almost see the actors jump about performing to a filled auditorium. Sung by Alka Yagnik and Vikas Bhalla the song is more like a forced inclusion aimed at pleasing the alien listener. Hunt for trees and find yourself a heroine to run around it with, or better gate crash a wedding singing the song or better give this song a pass.
There was no rest for Ali Larter in between season one and season two of Heroes.
She filmed the movie Resident Evil: Extinction, a role we assume was only helped by her portrayal of Jessica on our favorite show.
Here's a screen cap of Larter from the film:
