ARTICLES

From FHM (US Edition) April, 2001
by: Jake Bronstein

The New York City Native Spices Things Up in the Mayor's Office

There's a very sad point in nearly every TV show's history that let's you know your favorite program is on it's way out. It's usually punctuated by a casting change or a random twist, and it's called jumping the shark. It's a defining moment. On Roseanne , the poor family won the lottery. For Who's the Boss? , Tony and Angela finally did the freaky. So, when the top-rated Spin City replaced the valiant Michael J. Fox with former party animal Charlie Sheen, critics smelled blood in the water. But the producers had an ace in the hole by the name of Lana Parrilla, who plays sexy Angie Ordonez on the show. The 22-year-old actress from Brooklyn was brought in to divert attention from the Sheen-Fox switch and keep the show afloat. Fortunately, it worked

Have you partied with Mr. Sheen yet?
No, Mr. Sheen no longer parties. He behaves. He's a good boy.

Does Heidi Fleiss ever call the set, just to razz him?
Ha! You'll have to ask Charlie

Have you met Michael J. Fox yet?
He and I were never on the show at the same time. But I've met him twice. He's very sweet. The first time, I was 12. He was filming The Hard Way on Third Avenue and Third Street in New York. I actually had a crush on him--between Back to the Future and Family Ties . I ran up and asked for his autograph. I remember I was so much taller than him, even at age 12. He's such a little guy.

So you have a thing for preppy guys?
No, I don't really like preppy guys. I like honest men, which aren't that easy to find.

What's the worst lie a guy ever told you while you were dating him?
That he was single when really he had a girlfriend the whole time. It sucked. I found pictures in his glove compartment. It made me jaded a little bit. I didn't punch him, but I'll tell you something, I really wanted to.

You're a fighter then, huh?
Yeah, I'm a little tougher than most girls because I was taught how to box at age 12. Everyone in my family is very feisty--especially the women. A lot of us know how to box because the men taught us how to protect ourselves.

When you were learning to box, did you have to fight the boys?
It was mostly my father. I was basically just training with him. But then I started taking classes on my own when I moved out to California. I've never really gotten into the ring, but I've been thinking about it a lot recently.

Let's talk spiders. Is it true you own a tarantula?
His name is Poseidon, like the Greek god. I have no idea what triggered me to buy him. He was really cool; for a long time, I'd play with him. But then once he molted--once he shed his outer skeleton--he changed. He's so moody. He doesn't like to be touched.

Does a woman with an arachnid intimidate men?
I think men think it's kinky. I can see how it's erotic, but that wasn't my intention when I bought it.

I'm imagining you lying on your back with the spider walking across your taut stomach. How accurate is that?
Much more accurate when I first bought him. I've actually done that. In the beginning I used to let him crawl all over me.