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Jolene Blalock (born March 5, 1975
in San Diego, California) is an American actress best known for playing
the Vulcan T'Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise.
A popular model, Blalock left home at 17 to model in Europe and Asia. She
has appeared on the cover of many men's lifestyle magazines and was twice
featured in Maxim's "Girls of Maxim" gallery. She posed for a clothed
fashion layout in Playboy in April 2002. She was later interviewed by the
magazine for its "20Q" section in February 2005.
Blalock spent years dieting as a model and was relieved to move into
acting, saying: "I'm jaded by my experiences in the modelling industry.
You're never skinny or perfect enough, and it was difficult mentally
making the transition to acting."
She made her television debut in sitcom Veronica's Closet, before guest
appearances in The Love Boat: The Next Wave, CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation, JAG, and starring as Medea in a 2000 adaptation of Jason
and the Argonauts. TV movie On The Edge and mini-series Diamond Hunters,
in South Africa, paved the way for Star Trek prequel Enterprise.
Landing a role in Enterprise was Blalock’s biggest break, and she
described it as a dream come true. She admitted she was excited at being a
newcomer to the cult series:
“ We're really fortunate. More than 100 people are working together on
this every day and we haven't had one argument. It's incredible. I've had
bad days in my personal life, but it's always a joy to go to work. There's
also a sense of immortality that the show gives you, that you're working
on something that will never die, that your contribution will last for
ever. That's a very special feeling. ”
Blalock also said of the project:
“ For people like myself, who loved the original show but got lost along
the way and never really got into the later Treks, I think Enterprise will
bring everyone back. I love playing a Vulcan, but I almost blew the
opportunity. I used to go to a minimum of three auditions a day and film
work was my highest aspiration. When the Star Trek call came I said no,
without knowing anything about Enterprise at all, without knowing the
premise, without any knowledge of my role, because the last couple of
shows hadn't intrigued me at all. But after I'd passed on it a second time
my agent dropped the script in front of me and just told me to go home and
read it. It was beautifully written, set in a much more interesting time
than the last few Star Trek series – and my character was incredible. It
was irresistible. Suddenly I was desperate to be a part of the show, and
fortunately the producers still wanted me on board.”
Blalock said of the original series: "Spock was Star Trek’s real sex
symbol. People always assume it was Kirk, but they're wrong."
Every day of filming, it took two hours in make-up to transform Blalock
into T'Pol. On joining the series, she also had to have her belly button
ring removed. The make-up artist and hair person tried unsuccessfully to
twist it off with pliers. "It was so painful," she explained. "In the end,
they sent me to a tattoo artist." On another occasion production on
Enterprise was stopped and Blalock hospitalised after suffering agonizing
pain from a burst ulcer in her colon.
Blalock's 30th birthday coincided with the filming of her final scenes as
T'Pol. During the spring of 2005, she was quoted in a Toronto Star
interview and at her Pasadena convention appearance as calling the
Enterprise finale episode, "These Are the Voyages..." "appalling" although
the reasons for this opinion were not initially reported. In a later
interview, Blalock expanded upon this by saying that she was upset that
the final episode focuses more upon characters from Star Trek: The Next
Generation than Enterprise.
Blalock initially confessed she found the Trekkie phenomenon "a bit
scary", saying in 2002:
“ I've yet to go to a convention, although I plan to. I've heard they can
be a little intense so it might get a bit weird. I met one young lady who
was a Trekkie and a friend of my mum. She worked in a hospital and when my
mum introduced me, before she even got my name, the girl blurted out: 'I
know what you do, but you don't have any reason to fear us. We get a bad
rap, that's all' ... which kind of put me on edge. ”
She made her first appearance at a convention in Pasadena, California, in
March 2005. Her second appearance was at an autograph signing show in
Milton Keynes, England, in late April; this was soon followed by an
appearance at a convention in Bonn, Germany, and others.
She appeared in the film Slow Burn with LL Cool J and Ray Liotta which was
filmed in 2003 between seasons of Enterprise, unveiled at the Toronto
International Film Festival in September 2005 and finally saw limited
theatrical release in 2007.
She guest starred in two episodes of Stargate SG-1 as Ishta, leader of a
group of female Jaffa.
She was scheduled to appear on an episode of Lost during the 2005-2006
season as a former love interest of Sawyer (Josh Holloway). Even though
she filmed some scenes, the flashback scenes in that episode were changed
from Sawyer to Michael (Harold Perrineau), and her scenes were never
actually used in an episode, nor featured as "deleted scenes" in the DVD
set's bonus material. Set photos from the shooting of a scene surfaced in
2008.
She co-starred in a horror film entitled Shadow Puppets.
She starred in the made-for-TV movie I Dream of Murder which was released
in 2006.
Her most recent film appearance is as Captain Lola Beck in Starship
Troopers 3: Marauder, a sequel to the film Starship Troopers, which was
released on August 5, 2008.
She made an appearance on the House episode titled "Teamwork" as Lexa (the
wife of the porn star featured as the patient in this episode). Airdate:
November 16, 2009
She currently plays Sister Nicci, a Sister of the Dark, in the second
season of Legend of the Seeker.
Blalock was born and raised in San Diego, California, with three siblings.
She spent her childhood developing surfing and artistic skills. She said
of her childhood:
“ I was such an awkward-looking child, I've no idea what happened. I
didn't have a good childhood because I never could get along with other
kids. I was the child sat in the corner eating lunch by herself. I worked
in the library at lunchtime because I had no real friends. I read a lot
and educated myself a different way because me and school didn't get
along. Even boys were never interested in me. I remember playing
kiss-chase in the first and second grade. I would run but no one would
ever chase me. ”
Blalock's nickname is Leno. She currently lives in Los Angeles. She is
known as "a favourite on the Tinseltown party circuit", and told an
interviewer:
“ Living in LA, there's always a party to go to if you've got the time.
The best are those that Hugh throws at the Playboy mansion. The last one I
went to was great fun because it was packed with beautiful girls. It was a
pyjama party so I wore a long trenchcoat and nothing underneath except
clingy white lingerie. ”
Blalock told Loaded magazine, "I love sex. But check the equipment before
you fall in love. Anyone who says size doesn't count is a liar." She said
she likes men who are so "brilliant they are almost insane", adding, "I
also like men who have hands with big masculine veins that you can squish
and move."
She dated Terminator 2 star Edward Furlong for several months in 2001, and
was originally best known as his "hell-raising girlfriend". On 25
September 2001 Furlong was stopped twice in the space of hours by
Hollywood police. After being pulled over in the afternoon, he was allowed
to go but his car was impounded by police. Hours later, he and Blalock
were driving away from a hotel on Sunset Strip when they were involved in
a minor accident. He was breathalyzed, arrested for drunk-driving,
handcuffed and bundled into a squad car. Blalock was arrested with him in
connection with the same traffic-related incident.
Blalock split from Furlong and later went out with London-based Canadian
Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation, whom she had previously met when he
booked her for a beer commercial in Los Angeles. Nearly all her time was
taken up with work. He lived in England and while working on Enterprise
she found conducting a long-distance relationship difficult, running up an
"astronomical" phone bill. The two married in Negril, Jamaica, on 22 April
2003. Breaking with tradition, she proposed to him.
Blalock is a passionate dog-lover and appeared on the cover of popular
British dog publication K9 Magazine. She took her Rottweiler Sheila and
pit bull Harrah to instructor Heather Stevens's canine "Ruff Yoga" at
Runyon Canyon dog park, Los Angeles. |
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One Kine Day (2010)
"Legend of the Seeker" .... Sister Nicci (2 episodes, 2010)
- Perdition (2010) TV episode .... Sister Nicci
- Dark (2010) TV episode .... Sister Nicci
Sinners & Saints (2010) .... Stacy
"House M.D." .... Lexa (1 episode, 2009)
... aka House (South Africa: English title) (USA: short title)
- Teamwork (2009) TV episode .... Lexa
"CSI: Miami" .... Feratelli Porter (1 episode, 2008)
... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
- Bombshell (2008) TV episode .... Feratelli Porter
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008) .... Captain Lola Beck
... aka SST 3: Marauder (USA: short title)
Shadow Puppets (2007) .... Kate
I Dream of Murder (2006) (TV) .... Joanna
Slow Burn (2005) .... Nora Timmer
"Enterprise" .... Sub-Commander T'Pol / ... (98 episodes, 2001-2005)
... aka Star Trek: Enterprise (USA: new title)
- Terra Prime (2005) TV episode .... Commander T'Pol
- These Are the Voyages... (2005) TV episode .... Subcommander /
Commander T'Pol
- Demons (2005) TV episode .... Commander T'Pol
- In a Mirror, Darkly: Part 2 (2005) TV episode .... Lt. Commander
T'Pol
- In a Mirror, Darkly: Part 1 (2005) TV episode .... Lt. Commander
T'Pol
(93 more)
"Stargate SG-1" .... Ishta (2 episodes, 2003-2004)
... aka La porte des étoiles (Canada: French title: dubbed version)
- Sacrifices (2004) TV episode .... Ishta
- Birthright (2003) TV episode .... Ishta
On the Edge (2001) (TV) .... Charlie's Wife (wraparound segments)
"JAG" .... Corporal Lisa Antoon (1 episode, 2001)
... aka JAG: Judge Advocate General (Australia)
- Touch and Go (2001) TV episode .... Corporal Lisa Antoon
"Diamond Hunters" (2001) TV series .... Ruby Grange
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" .... Laura Garris (1 episode, 2000)
... aka CSI: Las Vegas (South Africa: English title: informal
alternative title) (USA: syndication title)
... aka C.S.I. (USA: short title)
... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
... aka Les experts (Canada: French title)
- Crate 'n' Burial (2000) TV episode .... Laura Garris
Jason and the Argonauts (2000) (TV) .... Medea
"D.C." .... Kristi (2 episodes, 2000)
- Justice (2000) TV episode .... Kristi
- Truth (2000) TV episode .... Kristi
"G vs E" .... Libby (1 episode, 2000)
... aka Good vs Evil (USA: new title)
- Cougar Pines (2000) TV episode .... Libby
Queen for a Day (2000) .... Hot Babe in Yellow
"The Love Boat: The Next Wave" .... Woman (1 episode, 1999)
- Prom Queen (1999) TV episode .... Woman
"Veronica's Closet" .... Woman #3 (1 episode, 1998)
- Veronica's Breast Efforts (1998) TV episode .... Woman #3 |
