Queen of the Hill
Get your fill of One Tree Hill's Emmanuelle Vaugier. Then wait 10 minutes before you go swimming.
Stuff, August 2004

Those readers who own a television might recognize the ridiculously beautiful woman to the right of this sentence as Nikki from One Tree Hill. Or maybe as Dr. Helen Bryce from Smallville. or maybe as Stripper No. 4 from G String Divas. (Hey, we can dream, can't we?) We spoke with the always effervescent Emmanuelle about all manner of work, play and homicidal costars while she was visiting the sun speckled coast of Cannes, France, which we think is just off exit 7A on the Jersey Turnpike. Listen in, won't you?

Stuff: Does the motto "What happens in Cannes stays in Cannes" apply?
Emmanuelle: (Laughs) I suppose some of it. For me, the motto hasn't really applied, because I haven't done anything that evil.

Buy you hope to.
I don't know about that, but I am enjoying these Bellinis. It's a glass of peach juice with a little mini bottle of champagne that you just pour in, and eventually there's more champagne than there is peach juice. They are so good. You have to come her just to get those!

Ok, but before I cross an ocean to stalk you, tell me about your role on One Tree Hill. You abandoned your baby?
Yes, and now I want my baby back! I'm trying to refrain from saying, "I want my baby back, baby back, baby back," but I guess I just said it.

Recently, you played a prostitute in Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss. Having portrayed a purveyor of sex, do you think prostitution should be legal?
You know, there is a fine line. I don't think that it's right, but if it were legal, at least there would be some control over safety issues as far as the spread of diseases. Other than that, I'm not a big fan.

You played Lex Luthor's wife on Smallville. Have you ever dated any evildoers?
I've dated confusing people who have left me in a state of Why did I just do that? I've been bewildered with my momentary lapse in sanity as to why that even happened - why I went out with an arrogant, pretentious asshole. (laughs) I hate the Hollywood scene.

When you were on Charmed, did Alyssa Milano pester you to dial 1-800-CALL-ATT?
You know, I kept wondering when she was going to ask that. I'd stand next to her and whisper into her ear, "ATT, 1-800,1-800," and she just didn't do it!

Wait, so she didn't want you to save a buck or two?
That's right! She was like, "That bitch isn't saving any anything!" (laughs) Hold on. (sound of loud footsteps) Sorry, I had to run through the courtyard area. There was rustling in the bushes that sounded like small animals or maybe something larger that might want to kill me.

The wildlife of Cannes is coming out after you.
That's right. Well, at least it's not like Australia. I love Australia, but most of the things that can kill you live in Australia. The spiders and the snakes - all these things just live there! It's like, "Come to our country and die!" But I've never been stung by anything, so that's good. My friends and I have been going for years. It's beautiful country - not that I've seen a lot of it. Usually I'm there for about a week, and I mostly see the inside of a hotel and part of the Sydney Harbor. At some point, I'll have to stay a little longer and take advantage of the beautiful sights.

And venomous wildlife.
Yes, I have to venture out and see if I get eaten by something. The problem is, it's not like Canada, where we have bears. You can see them coming. You can't see the little spider that crawled into your shoe. You put your shoe on, it bites you, and half an hour later you're like, "Oh, shit! I'm in the middle of nowhere and I'm dying! Thank God it's hot and the sky is blue. I'll go out with a smile on my face!"

Speaking of venomous bugs, you have had the rare honor of being killed by Judd Nelson. How was that?
Fabulous. It all happened very quickly. It was a TV movie (Return to Cabin by the Lake), so we didn't do many takes.

Was Judd a generous killer?
He was. He was very gentle. It was quick and painless.

You had a pretty famous scene with Josh Hartnett in 40 Days and 40 Nights which he had to fake it. Does your acting ability ever carry over into the pleasuredome?
Have I ever had to fake it? You know, I don't feel the need to. If it's not going to happen, it's just not going to happen. I really couldn't be bothered to put in that much effort, to be like, "Oh, my God! It is so good!" (laughs)

What drives Emmanuelle nuts?
Patchouli oil. Not a lot of stuff pisses me off, but one thin I cannot stand is patchouli oil, because it smells like body odor. Some people just love it, and it smells like BO to me. It's like, why bother showering? You could just not shower for a week and you'd smell the same way!

"Emmanuelle," as you many know is also the title of a series of -
Soft-porn movies? Oh, yes.

Any connection there?
My father had a collection and said, "Hey why not name our daughter that?" (laughs) No. I'd like to believe that perhaps she was named after me, but she happened far before I did. I should rent them and study. I can maybe learn a thing or two.

I own them all on DVD. I'll send them to you.
Excellent.

Written by Dan Bova , Photographs by Charlie Langella