|
Bustin’ Loose
In Acting, Former Video Vixen Melyssa Ford Finds New Beginning
By Christopher Windham
Men love actress/model Melyssa Ford. For almost a decade the Canadian-born starlet has been a fixture in high-budget hip hop videos, television programs and glossy men’s magazine. To say that Ford is “appealing” to men is an understatement.
But now with international name recognition, coupled with a growing stigma about the misogynistic undertones in videos, Ford is pushing full throttle with her acting career, which she hopes will help her shed the video vixen image.
“I’m so much more than that,” Ford says. “I’m a veteran in the industry and I’m looking for new challenges. Acting is a change. But it also represents a new challenge.”
Ford recently landed a part in Three Can Play That Game, the sequel the 2001 hit comedy Two Can Play That Game. Ford’s performance is garnering respectable reviews. She’s also set for a role in Love for Sale, a comedy written and directed by syndicated radio personality Russ Parr. Both movies are scheduled for release this year.
Known to many as Jessica Rabbit for a figure reminiscent of the animated vixen from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Ford says she’s pretty easy going on the movie set, with no demands for diva-like treatment. “No, I don’t have any outrageous demands,” she says with a chuckle.
Ford, who is of West Indian, Russian and Norwegian heritage, bursted on the scene in the early 2000s with eye-catching appearances in such videos as Mystikal's “Shake it Fast,” Jay-Z's “Big Pimpin'” and Sisqo's “Thong Song Remix.” She then went on to parlay the video appearances into host roles on several BET programs.
Though introduced to the world through videos, Ford says her video vixen days are over.
“It benefited me at the time but I’ll never do those again,” says Ford, noting that the video business has changed since the days when she commanded top rates for appearances. “The message is totally different.”
For young, aspiring models and actresses, Ford says there are many outlets to pursue to break into the industry besides videos. However, “it’s unfortunate that young girls believe that’s the only way.”
Though fans can still see Ford in a calendar she publishes and on the small-screen, she says movies are going to be the focal point of her career. Ford, who says she’s “bi-coastal” for the amount of traveling she does between New York and Los Angeles, says she hopes to do more unconventional, dramatic roles. “I’m looking for the opportunity,” she says. “For me, doing drama is part of the decision I made to challenge myself.” 
|
