TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

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In real life who makes you laugh?
Jerry, my fiancé, makes me laugh the hardest and my dogs make me laugh a lot.

Speaking of Jerry O'Connell, congrats on your engagement. How are the wedding plans progressing?
Thank you. Obviously we don't have a lot of time to be making plans these days. We are really enjoying each other's company. We love being engaged. His schedule is finished for 'Crossing Jordan,' so he has been taking me to and from work, which is so nice to spend a little extra time together in the car. We run lines together. We are having a great time. We are getting married this year, but it will probably be something spontaneous.

Will you be taking his last name?
(Laughs). I keep on saying I'm going to take the O, so Rebecca O'Romijn.

What about kids?
I would love to. I can't wait.

Do you have any nieces and nephews?
No. I'm the first born on both sides of my family, so everyone is waiting for me. They keep saying, "We want grandkids."

You have a new series, another 'X-Men' movie and a wedding to plan. How do you balance home and work life?
It is a fine balance. My mantra all day long is harmony. Find the harmony. I publicly apologize to all my friends that I'm so bad about returning e-mails. Certain things are put on the backburner. It is all about pacing myself and finding time on the weekends to go out and do something fun. It was funny because by the third weekend, I was still catching my breath by the time the weekend came around. I can barely get out of bed. And Jerry would say, "You can't let your whole life be 'Pepper Dennis.'" We still have to go out and do fun things.

What are some of those fun things?
We go on hikes with our dogs. We go exploring to find new restaurants. We take drives. Nothing too wild. We are not nightclub people.

So no weekend hang gliding.
(Laughs.) No. I don't have the energy for that.

What are some of your favorite current TV shows?
I love watching TV. I'm not really snobby about what I watch. I love watching any number of reality shows. I love 'American Idol.' I loved a Bravo show from last year called 'Show Dogs Moms and Dad' and Kathy Griffin's show ['Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List']. I love '8th and Ocean' on MTV. Then I try to church it up and watch 'Frontline' and '60 Minutes.'

Being a former model, do you watch 'America's Next Top Model?'
I don't watch it regularly, but when I do it's fun to watch. J. Alexander taught me how to walk when I was in Paris right before my first fashion show. He was hired by the agency to teach all the girls how to walk. Tyra has done a great job with that show. We are old friends, and I'm so happy for her.


What is your all-time favorite TV show?
It would have to be 'I Love Lucy.' Absolutely.

Interesting, so has it always been a dream to play a comedic role?
Yes. I grew up idolizing Lucille Ball and Goldie Hawn and the women who have successfully combined beautiful, sexy and funny. There aren't that many women who can do it. I idolize women who can.

In the past, you were never offered these roles? You were just a beautiful woman and that was it?
Oh, yeah the model turned actress thing. They can't handle comedy. They just want to sit around being pretty. (Laughs.)