SNEAK PREVIEW "LEARNING'S" CURVES "Leaniing Cwves'" Actress Tia Carrere Has Learned She Likes To Go Against Expectations Last By Shlomo Schwartzberg Tia Carrere on the "Learning Curves" set Witt) director Bruce Leddy and co-star Jeffrey Tambor. summer, Tia Carrere— the "babealicious" young "Wayne's woman of the World" movies—was in one of tlie season's big-bang blockbusters, "Ti-ue Lies, " playing a villainess/archaeological speculator This summer, her movie is a "smaller" one: a romantic comedy. In Savoy Pictures' "Learning Curves," Carrere plays a high-school math tutor who falls in love with one of her straggling students (Jason London from "The Man in the Moon"). Adding some dark textures to the proceedings is that Carrere's character is married, unhappily, to the school's calculus teacher ("Quiz Show's" Christopher McDonald). "Learning Curves" (a tentative title) hits the genre's customary plot notes but plays a variation on the theme. "It's not going to be a surprise that [tutor and student] fall in love," Carrere says, but she adds that her character has been going through an emorional ordeal that, for a romantic comedy, makes her "a little darker. The; first time they meet, she looks like a drowned rat. It's not all fun and games. But, through this high-school kid, she learns to laugh again. 24 BOXOFFICE "Coming-of-age movies, especially for high-school kids, are really important. All those John Hughes movies did really well. I hope we tap into that," says Carrere, seeming chipper and friendly on the Montreal set of her next film, "Hollow Point," a spy tlirOler witli Donald Sudierland and John Lithgow. Wliile on the "Learning Curves" shoot in North Carolina, she also was able to indulge her passion for antiques. "We [she and her husband, club owner Elie Samaha] had just moved into a new home in tlie Beverly Hills 90210 area— it's embarrassing to say that zip code because of that stupid show— and I huiiished my home beautifully because of that job in North Carolina." Though she's worked pretty steadily since 1992's "Wayne World" in films as diverse as "Rising Sun" and "Jury Duty," the twentysomething Carrere says it's still hard to find parts she likes, both because she's a woman and because she's been pegged as a certain type of actress. "Having been in a zany comedy, I don't want people to think that's all I can Carrere says a number of do." people (including "Hollow Point" director Sidney Furie) didn't realize that it was she who played the handicapped computer expert who helps Sean Conneiy and Wesley Snipes unravel a murder in "Rising Sun." "It's very gratifying doing something that nobody expects," she says. Toward that end, Carrere formed a production company, Phoenician Films, with her husband (who is executive producing "Hollow Point"). The company's first project, Brian Grant's "The Immortals," was unveiled this year at Cannes. It's a caper film with an eclectic cast: Eric Roberts, Tbny Curtis, Clarence Williams III, Chris Rock and William Forsythe. Carrere plays a dying pregnant woman who wants to make sure her baby is provided for "It's a heavy, dramatic role. I'm the only female in it." (Carrere also carries an associate producer credit on the project.) She relishes hefty parts like diat, especially because certain earlier roles— including her "Rising Sun" turn- weren't what she'd hoped. "Tliey could have '^Coming-of-age movies, especiallyfor high-school kids, are really important. All those John Hughes movies did really well, I hope we tap into tlioL " explored the character more, but it was a Sean and Wesley movie," she says. But her breakthrough film was anolh(>r matter "'Wayne's World' < ii.uigcd my life treinendoiisly, opening up doors that were not then', before. It allowed us to start up production company with the some oomph. It helped us sell things better" Interestingly, she doesn't consider herself a funny person, despite the comic zing she displayed alongside Mike Myers. "I wasn't bom with a fiinny bone. Comedy is the one thing fhafs most frightening to me." Another plus of having her own company is she can work on location with her husband. That has made "Hollow Point" in which she portrays an FBI agent tracking an assassin (Sutherland) in the hope that he'll lead her to a mob boss (Lithgow) — gratifying project. "Knock on wood, it's been going great. I 've no complaints. After "Hollow Point" is another drama, based on the saga of gangster "Pretty B03'" Floyd. Carrere will play his wife. Ruby Floyd. "She was half Cherokee, which is fortuitous," says Carrere, whose mixed heritage— Chinese, Hawaiian, Spanish, Filipino— lends her an exceptional physical range tor edmic parts. Carrere continues to nurture her musical career In 1993, she released "Dream," a Warner Bros, album of "sly, cool" pop, four tracks for which she v\Tote the music. "I never took any time [for tlie album]," she says. "Next time, I will take off to focus on the music. You do a disservice to it otherwise." Carrere isn't likely to forget film for long, though. Chosen 1 994 's Female Star of Ibmon'ow at ShoWest, she knows tliis is her Holh^\'ood prime time. "For women, it's the old double standard. They start younger because tiiey have to capitalize on those years when tiiey're 'gorgeous,' 'lire Gt'wc Hackmans of die world can start tiieir careers later." 'Learning Curves' (other working titles have hxn 'Bad With Nwnbcrs' and 'My Generation") Starting Jason London. Tia Carrere, Chnstopher MeDonaki and jeffrcij Tiimbor Dirertexl hi) liniee Lcddy. Written by Seth Grecnhoul and Bruce Leddy. Prrxbiaul by Robert N. Frie^l and Richard Zinrrtari. A Saimj relaise. August U
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