Part Two: Exclusive Interview with VENICE’s Nadia Bjorlin!
In her second consecutive honour, Nadia Bjorlin proves no one is more beautiful, sexier, funnier, more talented, or naughtier than the Swedish Goddess herself— other than her mother-from-hell-and-heaven, Fary, of course. Plus: Nadia on her CSI role, biatches!
Just like Joshua Morrow, Nadia Bjorlin is the only actor to win this sexiest honour twice (and in the same year, too!). FYI: Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia book-ended their Sexiest Couple Alive Awards, however, in 2009 and 2010. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why or argue with the decision. Even Stevie Wonder gets it.
If the old adage is true — that you look the way you feel — then former DAYS and VENICE sex siren and beauty Nadia Bjorlin is feeling pretty purr-fect. Even if she is freelancing that Godly face, body and laugh these days.
With her sinful body, soulful eyes, trademark flowing locks, infectious laugh, unflappable wit, and flawless olive complexion, UNCENSORED naming Bjorlin 2012’s Sexiest Woman Alive is a no-brainer. And our first Sexiest Woman Alive Crystal Chappell, Bjorlin’s former DAYS co-star and VENICE boss, agrees, telling us, “What’s truly beautiful about Nadia is her soul.” Hey, her body isn’t so bad, either.
What made Bjorlin even more beautiful is the fact that the goddess delivered the performance of her career this past year as boozing journalist Lara on VENICE, and turned shit into gold during Chloe’s train-wreck of a story on DAYS. And showed grace under pressure when DAYS fired the fan fave because of their screw-up. Add in her infectious turn as her lovable and hilarious self on DIRTY SOAP (the only reason to tune into the short-lived but highly entertaining E! series), and you’ve got one smoldering excuse to talk to La Bjorlin (like, I need one). It’s too bad about her ugly and fat boyfriend Brandon Beemer.
UNCENSORED literally chatted with Bjorlin minutes after she wrapped her first day on CSI… and here’s the juice. Olives sold separately. The rest of the interview will run next week, because just like La Bjorlin, we like a good tease.
Congratulations on booking CSI!
It feels nice to be working again!
Brandon Beemer was on CSI, too (the Miami edition), so now you guys can cross that off your collective bucket list!
Exactly!
Who do you play?
I’m not allowed to say, really, but I don’t die! I’m a guest star. I’m a suspect or something. My character is a gold digger. I’m excited to be on the show, though. My first day I spent working with the talented Eric Szmanda. I'll let you know when it airs!
Oh, God — DAYS is typecasting you now. Let me guess – your character is a suicidal hooker, too!
[Laughs] Exactly... those bastards! [Joking] But it’s not that much of a stretch!
Why didn’t you return to DAYS? SOAP OPERA DIGEST basically announced it as fact a month ago; but UNCENSORED knew better.
[Pauses and sighs] I didn’t feel the timing was right this time around. Obviously, I love those people there, and I had a lot of great years there — and I will always love DAYS forever and always — but the offer… well, it wasn’t very enticing. The last run on DAYS, well, it left a bad taste in my mouth… so, promises don’t mean much to me anymore, whether it’s storyline or workload. And that’s not a comment about the show or I; that’s just a fact about the business right now. It didn’t feel right in my heart, so I had to decline. I don’t have an ego as a person or an actor — I’m a team player; you know that; everyone knows that — but I am not naïve, either. I would have loved to come back, for sure, but not this way. I’ve said it before and I will say it again — DAYS will always be my home.
Concur, but sometimes you can’t go back home again. It’s pilot season — and I think you made the right decision. Loved you in VENICE again this season. You really are a scene-stealer! What was it like going down on Jessica Leccia?
[Laughs] Delicious, baby! It definitely was more hardcore this season, pun intended! [Laughs] We were shooting twice the amount of material in the same timeframe [as previous seasons]. It felt like there was more pressure this time around. But, I think, I can speak for all of us, when I say, we’re all grateful for our daytime training to get us all through it relatively easy.
As for the sex scenes, I would have been a lot more intimidated had Crystal Chappell not been there and had Jessica Leccia not been my co-star. We’re family now, so it’s safe and easy. We feel so comfortable and close to each other that, if it had been some random project, I would have been terrified! [Laughs]
[Joking] You should be… Crystal sent me the nude dailies! [Laughs]
It turned out great. Hey, VENICE could destroy all of us because the camera gets a lot of boobage there… They have to artfully and skillfully get a tasteful and powerful love scene out of all that…. but VENICE always produces sex scenes beautifully. We did have a glass of wine beforehand, let me tell you! Doing love scenes on VENICE feels so right in comparison to the restrictive sex scenes on DAYS, for example. That’s what’s fun about working on VENICE: It’s organic… and we can let it all out… metaphorically and literally. Brandon [Beemer] loves my role on VENICE. He puts my sex scenes on loop!
As an actor, isn’t it easier to film more realistic, raw sex scenes in film or the web compared to taping those laborious, contrived, cheesy sex scenes on soaps?
Yes, actually. When you’re able to be more organic and raw, it feels so right. And it feels sooo good! [Laughs]. On DAYS, you have to memorize all this blocking for a sex scene that I feel it makes it so much more difficult to concentrate and sell the moment. There are so many angles to shoot… and you have to move at a certain time, and you can’t move a certain way at a certain time, etc. Filming sex scenes on VENICE is definitely more freeing, for sure. What’s really fun about working on VENICE is how freeing it is. We get to let it all hang out.
Literally. My fave Nadia Bjorlin role to date is Lara.
Thank you. I love Lara, because a lot of people think they are not good enough… and Lara struggles with that a lot. She’s extremely raw, fallible and real. She just wants to fall in love but she’s punishing herself along the way because she doesn’t feel like she’s good enough.
I would have preferred it if Lara was integrated more in the cast this season. Also, you and Eric Martsolf are clearly destined to never work together!
Well, I’m sort of to blame. The script did get rewritten a lot. There were a lot of cast and scheduling changes. Especially scheduling. The scripts definitely looked different by the time I filmed them because Crystal really had to work around my schedule [because of my film, DIVORCE INVITATION] and DIRTY SOAP. I was grateful to her for that. She had to carry all this stress. I was originally more integrated in the canvas but I couldn’t make it the days most of the cast was shooting. Also, with Jessica living in New York, well, it was tough all around.
Oh, good to know. Do you prefer sex scenes with men or women?
They’re both delicious in their own way. [Laughs]
Disappointed in E! not renewing DIRTY SOAP?
Yes, a little bit. We had a really good time doing it. It was an interesting experience. It brought us all closer together. I believe everything happens for a reason…. I thought we had a good response and the audience wanted to see more, but E! decided to go in a different direction.
You guys were on their toughest night! Not fair! Are you open to doing another soap?
Of course. I never say never to anything — especially in this business. I always say, “There are no small jobs, just small actors.” [Laughs] Or whatever that saying is!
I think it’s, “There are no small penises, just small men.” Oh, wait, scratch that!
[Laughs]
How is my mother-in-law Fary doing with all of this?
She’s very disappointed that DIRTY SOAP is not continuing. Shocker! [Laughs] I make my living playing other people, so this was the most vulnerable I’ve ever felt, but it ended up being one of the best
experiences ever, because Brandon, my mom and I got a lot of closer. We were forced to face some issues. When cameras are in front of you when issues arise, you can’t ignore them, and that’s the reality in reality TV. It’s quite scary to have your personal issues televised, but it did teach all of us to communicate better because we were forced into it! You can’t just sit there and be quiet. Thanks to DIRTY SOAP, we are all better people, I think.
Would you do another soap?
I never say never, especially to a job these days. It’s naïve to think as an actor or as an artist that you can choose the medium you want to work in these days. You have to open up yourself to every medium. There’s a lot of crossover. Look how many Oscar winners are doing TV these days! People are just working. If you are an artist, you do what you have to do in order to create. The recession and the budget cuts have made the industry realize work is work.
I know Chloe is a part of you because you’ve played her for most of your adult life. Do you often think of what she’s up to?
Absolutely! Chloe’s a huge part of my life. I grew up being Chloe. I’ll be 90 years old and I’ll still think of her – if I live that long. She’s a part of some of the greatest and fondest memories of my life. I’m