Stacy Keibler dancing with stardom on ‘Samurai Girl’
By Amy Amatangelo
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Stacy Keibler has built her acting career by turning down work.
The former wrestler stars as the villainous Karen in the ABC Family miniseries “Samurai Girl,” beginning Friday at 8 p.m.
Keibler’s career took off after her run on the second season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
“I was able to be a part of a family show that has a little bit of everything to it and was able to just do something that I’ve never done before and entertain people. After ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I was offered so many different projects – movies, TV, hosting everything you see on the air – and to say no to those kind of things is very scary in itself,” Keibler said.
“I say you build a career on saying no, and if I would have said yes to all those things, I might not be sitting here right now doing what I really love to do.”
What Keibler loves to do is act. She’s had her Screen Actors Guild card since she was 8 years old and made a name for herself as a wrestler, first in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and then in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). When she made the decision to leave WWE and pursue acting, she easily could have been another blond girl in Los Angeles – if it had not been for the ABC talent show.
“I’m so blessed that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ happened. It would have not been the same for me. It changed my life. For sure,” she said.
Her wrestling fans embraced her career move, and the show introduced her to a new fan base.
“It was so great to have little girls coming up to me wherever I was and hugging me. I had women come up and say, ‘Thank you so much. You were able to get my husband to watch the show with me.’ It really bonded a lot of couples. I just had a lot of positive feedback.”
Her success on the show led to a deal with ABC and roles on “What About Brian,” “October Road” and now “Samurai Girl.”
“I don’t take it for granted that I have a deal,” she said. “I still feel like I have a lot to prove. That’s why I work so hard. You never learn as much as you do when you work. And when I’m not working, I’m still in acting class three or four times a week.”
The Baltimore native also sells her WWE memorabilia on eBay to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other charities.
“I think that it’s part of my responsibility as an actor,” she said. “The bigger my career gets, the more I can help other people.”
- amybostonherald@hotmail.com
