Blair shows her real intentions

1995 University graduate Selma Blair wants to set the record straight. Rumor has it that she "will cook anything made with cheese" but Blair admits, "That is just a fallacy."

"It makes me sound like I'm inventing new ways to put fromage in my food," she said, "I mean, I really hate cheese, to tell you the truth. I get bloated and I get a lot of phlegm and I don't eat cheese."

This 26-year-old charismatic actress takes a moment to rest between her recent projects. With the anticipation of the premiere of her first studio film, "Cruel Intentions," a dark, teenage retelling of "Dangerous Liaisons" that also stars Ryan Phillipe, Reese Witherspoon and WB alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, she comes off the release of her WB teen comedy, "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane."

But Blair doesn't notice a real difference in the everyday. "Everyone's like, 'So, is it so strange, you're like famous?' I'm like, in my dreams. Nobody knows who I am. My life hasn't changed at all and it's been really nice."

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Selma Blair portrays innocent Cecile.

Ahh, but this will last only for so long. Several weeks from now Blair will be on the mind of many males under 25 who see "Cruel Intentions," a tale about desires and the sexual manipulation of two naive innocent women, Cecile Caldwell (Blair) and Annete Hargrove (Witherspoon), by the evil Kathryn (Gellar) and Sebastian (Phillipe).

To put it bluntly, who is the better kisser in the film - Ryan Phillipe or Sarah Michelle Gellar? That's right, none other than the vampire slayer herself ties tongues with the innocent Blair.

"Umm, this kiss is gonna be my claim to fame," said Blair before shrieking, "It was damn good." While the dream of most adolescent, hell, many American males, Blair knows from first hand experience.

"Sarah is a mighty fine kisser and I gotta say, I wish more boys kiss like Sarah," she claimed, "But Ryan is, you know, I can't say anything bad about him either cause he's just too cute."

Blair said of her three co-stars, "They're all really sexy characters and I'm not," though most would beg to differ. "They're the real sexy, beautiful characters and I'm basically the fool."

In "Cruel Intentions" Blair brings a different take on the Cecile character than Uma Thurman's performance in "Dangerous Liaisons."

"I did not want to play it as the victim the way Uma Thurman did it so beautifully, this really innocent victim that kinda flowers in spite of herself," Blair said. "I really wanted to play her really as something that made you laugh."

This subtle string of comedy may be the only glimmer of light in the intensely dark "Cruel Intentions," which Blair feels "is really evil."

At the helm of this insidious film is first time director Roger Kumble, whom Blair "automatically had a wonderful rapport with."

"Roger Kumble was the greatest director to start out with," gushed Blair, "and he really decided Cecil needed to be something that people could laugh at. I really got to create this character."

Since production wrapped on "Cruel Intentions," Blair revels in seeing her name on the poster. "It was just so much fun," she said, "and let's hope it works, cause if not, I'm just really fucked."

02-26-99