Should Heidi Klum Reboot Her Movie Career?

Should Heidi Klum Be More Than An Occasional Actress?

Heidi Klum at the Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil premiere, her last movie.

Recent times have seen an exodus in the movie industry, though not one pertaining to religion. Throughout the last decade or so, supermodels have migrated from headlining magazine covers to the movie screen. In the last few years, Brooklyn Decker starred in
comedy ‘Just Go with It’ and ‘Battleship’. She is now more active as an actress rather than as a model, taking matters a step further to cameo in TV shows as well (New Girl). Marisa Miller just finished up with R.I.P.D., a movie laid to rest at present in the box office and Kate Upton is currently filming ‘The Other Woman’ co-starring alongside Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz. This got me thinking on the other supermodels available to make this dramatic career change and my mind shifted to Gisele Bundchen, but she had stints in ‘Taxi’ and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. A more obvious choice to me, however, was Heidi Klum.

Now Heidi Klum has been the occasional actress here and there. She, too, has had brief appearances in movies like 54, Blow Dry, Ella Enchanted and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. She even voiced a character in Hoodwinked. But if we were to compare her portrayals with those of say Brooklyn Decker or Marisa Miller, her movie roles would seem humble with a short-lived screen time. To me, this is quite surprising because she should in fact eclipse these other celebrities.

Despite many calling Gisele Bundchen the most famous supermodel in the world, I believe that title should lie in Heidi’s hands because she’s more recognizable. She is, perhaps the most well-known model the world over. The reason for this is that she has a more active public life in comparison to Bundchen or the other celebrities. She has her own set of celebrity endorsements, charities, business models and she graces the TV screen as well. Heidi is ubiquitous. Chances are that a walk down the street (if you live in the city) will let you see her occupying a billboard adjacent to a building. She is also perhaps the most sociable and friendly character amongst the models. While others tend to hide in the veil of privacy, her life is more documented. She doesn’t parade her personal life, but she is extremely lively on social networking sites and her interviews always portray a bubbly personality. It’s bemusing that she hasn’t had more movie offers besides the odd cameo. In most cases an energetic public persona does translate well on screen, and she possesses this to an even higher degree than her fellow modeling colleagues.

Then, there are the more apparent manifestations that should make her an appealing actress, her sex appeal. Even after so many years, her beauty has not diminished in any disastrous manner, while it has been known to happen when models turn to Botox and other artificial enhancements to recapture their lost exquisiteness. Her universal celebrity status and physical allure should translate well on the box office, too. Studio executives should be jamming her phone lines and storming her household, but this doesn’t seem to be happening.

This tragedy can be attributed to many factors, the primary cause being her already swamped schedule. She hosts Project Runway and Germany’s Next top Model. She is also a judge on America’s Got Talent. On top of this, she needs to satisfy her contractual agreements with various brands so fitting in a movie in between is unimaginable. Putting work aside, we mustn’t forget that she is a mother of 4. She needs to attend their Parents-Teachers meetings and read bedtime stories at night, if the children haven’t outgrown that habit. The point is that a movie cannot be accommodated.

While there are timing conflicts, a more troubling detail is trying to find a suitable role for her. I was rummaging in my brain to think of a possible scenario for her to be in (for movies that is) but I couldn’t come up with one. She’s 40, so does she play a mother’s character? She can be feisty, so perhaps a more active part is ideal. I thought of Melissa McCarthy type roles but then I can’t picture Heidi making perverse jokes but she should be cast in possible comedy films only (I doubt that she’s a potential Oscar nominee). I was then thinking about putting her in a past movie character’s role. Even that didn’t realize any substantial material. I still can’t come to a conclusion. Should Heidi Klum stick to her present line of work or jump over into the movie business?