The underground simply cannot keep its sexiest secret quiet anymore. Indie queen Hari Leigh, who up to now has starred only in très edgy short features in the NYC film world, is about to break loose with a starring role in sleazemeister extraordinaire John Waters’ next scandalous movie, A Low Down Dirty Shame. Hari is all things at once—she has the brains of Moby, the courage of Brody Dalle, the looks of Beyoncé, and the face of Gwen Stefani. It’s only right she should get her fame!
And now is the time for Hari’s big break—not like she cares. “Look, I am not interested in the whole fame thing,” pouts Hari from her East Village crash pad. “When I’m not working on a movie, I am so normal. I just listen to a lot of music and go to shows. Right now I’m really into Franz Ferdinand.”
And perhaps some parallels can be drawn between the hottest band of right this second and this young, about-to-blow starlet. Both came from out of nowhere to grab our eye, both have scads of integrity, and both keep their feet firmly planted on the ground.
Only difference is, Hari has Cher. “It’s kind of funny,” Hari chuckles a mite guiltily, “but Cher is totally my favorite actress. I’m all about the ‘three M’s’—Mermaids, Mask, and Moonstruck. Those three films contain all you need to know about acting!”
But for now, Hari is enjoying some downtime before the inevitable shit storm of praise that will follow A Low Down Dirty Shame. “I love to just hang out with my boyfriend, do my photography [Watch out, Ryan and Terry!––Ed.], and I also have a T-shirt company called Trans-Am,” lists Hari breathlessly. “We silkscreen old band logos onto vintage shirts. It’s super-fun!”
Between gigs, Hari channels her animal energy. “Being an actor is like being a beaver,” she sighs. “Your body of work is like your dam. You spend your whole life building it for yourself, but in the end it winds up benefiting the entire ecosystem. It’s such a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Who knows, maybe come Oscar time next year, we’ll see Hari up there in one of her own T-shirt creations, accepting the best actress award, and bringing some much-needed animal realness to Hollywood. It would be a dirty shame if we didn’t [too true!—Ed.]!
TEXT: STU WOODS / PHOTO: TIM BARBER |
