A Real Jewish Princess

Zeddy Lawrence - Wednesday 4th 2005f May 2005


Hot property

Given our traditional take on Caprice Bourret – a leggy Los Angeles lovely lounging in lingerie – academia is understandably the last thing we consider when the face of Diet Coke springs to mind.

But for all the fizz and froth that goes with being a can-of-pop icon, the former Miss Teen California is, perhaps more than any other celebrity, evidence of a fascinating phenomenon that could have sociologists scratching their heads for centuries to come and which they’d no doubt term ‘subverted stereotyping’.

For while we decry those who caricature Jews as all possessing certain physical features, in the case of Caprice, ironically many find it hard to accept that this blonde, blue-eyed beauty could be of the faith, simply because she shatters a mould we claim doesn’t exist.

Note the Jewish magazine which ran an in-depth interview with the star in 1997, eliciting such quotes as “I go to shul on the holidays” and “I only date Jewish men because if I fall in love, I’ll want to get married”, only to pose the question at the end “Still can’t believe she’s Jewish?” before inviting readers to dial a hotline and vote on the matter.

A similar sentiment is echoed in correspondence from doubtful readers when we run stories about the 29-year-old glamourpuss.

And yet it was a very Jewish Caprice who at the equally Jewish Jewish Blind and Disabled annual dinner had a chat with her chums from the pretty certain we’re Jewish Jewish News.

Okay she’s not a frummer. “I’m more of a spiritual person than a religious person”, admitted the model who last year donated part of her payout from a libel case to the charity she’s supported for several years.

Nonetheless, the five foot nine stunner who has graced the cover of more than 300 magazines is more ‘religious’ than many. “I’ve been kosher for about 12 years,” she said, adding. “I will raise my children that way.”

Children? No, none on the way that we’re aware of. But when we spoke that Sunday we presumed it was a nod to the family she’d soon be starting with toyboy tycoon Alex Davis. “I’m excited,” she enthused when we asked about her forthcoming nuptials. “Isn’t everyone excited when they get engaged?”

Who knew that three days later the pair would have separated? Perhaps we should have realised something was amiss. The couple had been engaged eight months, but while most blushing brides-to-be have their heads head buried in bridal brochures, Caprice confessed to us, “I’ve not started preparing anything.”

At the time, it didn’t seem surprising though given how much the model-turned TV presenter-turned actress-turned pop singer-turned swimwear designer has on her plate. Career-wise, she defies definition in the conventional sense, seemingly willing to turn her hand to each and every opportunity that presents itself. Well, almost every opportunity. “I’ve been asked to appear on reality shows about 5,000 times but I’ve never said ‘yes’ yet.”

She may know where to draw the line, but Maxim magazine’s international woman of the year for three consecutive years also knows the importance of pushing the boundaries. “The world of entertainment is always evolving and changing”, she reflected. “If you’re not multi-dimensional you won’t succeed.”

And true to form, the coming months see her with fingers in more pies than Little Jack Horner. “Over the next year”, she said “I have my lingerie line selling in Debenhams and I have my hair care line selling in Argos and Comet”.

She’s also working on a Channel 4 documentary and has just finished shooting a movie in Toronto with footballing film star Vinnie Jones. No, not a big screen version of Beauty and the Beast. It’s an exhilarating road trip drama called Hollywood Flies. And with that in the can, she says “I’m now preparing for my next role in a romantic movie called Jinxed In Love.”

A poignant title. But can Caprice cut it? Well, with rave reviews already under her belt for The Vagina Monologues and Rent, it seems the aspiring actress is steering a steady course along a path that has proved treacherous for the stiletto heels of many other models. And she seems determined to push on. “Movies are the way I see my career going”, she revealed. “Ultimately, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do."