Mircea Monroe

Where you’ve seen her:
The one-time Virginia Commonwealth student and former model is now putting her talents to other uses in her upcoming screen debut, the kidnapping mystery Cellular—which also stars Oscar-caliber thesps Kim Basinger and William H. Macy.

Survivor: South Pacific:
"I was born in the United States but grew up in the South Pacific—on Fiji and in a village in the Solomon Islands. We had no TV or radio, so I’d make up shows with my brother and sister and the other kids. I thought using a machete to open coconuts was normal."

Naked lunch:
"I did a photo shoot where I was completely naked and covered only by Twinkies. The photographer had a ‘vision,’ and I was the guinea pig. It was fun, except that my legs got numb. I couldn’t move, because I’d squash a Twinkie."

As food as it gets:
"I love chocolate cake and definitely think it’s important to have a steak."

September 2004 (#81)