Perhaps sometime in the last week, you were strolling down a Manhattan street when you looked up to see the image of an attractive blonde reclining on the side of a New York City bus.
Upon closer look, you might notice the patent leather green platforms on her feet, the lacy see-through underpants, the hand resting suggestively below her pierced naval, her breast spilling out from underneath an open book covering her chest, the necklaces wound around her neck. Finally, your eye might wonder up to her face, at which point you’ll realize that you are in fact ogling Hearst publishing heiress, model and now actress Lydia Hearst.
The ad is for an obscure drama titled The Last International Playboy, in theatres on June 12, starring Jason Behr (that guy from Roswell), Krysten Ritter (of the canceled Gossip Girl spin-off), and Monet Mazur (of, well, a lot of stuff you’ve probably never seen). According to IMDb, the film is about a “playboy” named Jack Frost, who becomes very depressed after “his childhood love gets engaged” and his mother commits suicide.
Ms. Hearst, who is “old friends” with first-time writer and director Steve Clark, has a minor but notable role in the film–she, Mr. Behr and Australian supermodel Nicole Trunfio all strip off their clothes and get frisky in the opening scene of the film.
Naturally, the marketers of the movie have used Ms. Hearst’s scantily clad visage for the majority of the promotional materials.
“I saw my first one last week, which was pretty exciting,” Ms. Hearst, speaking to the Daily Transom by phone, said of the photo. Ms. Hearst was on her way to the gym last week near Madison Square Park when she saw an image of herself go by. “I think it’s on about 20 different buses. But I don’t exactly know what the bus lines are. It may have been the M5 bus.”
The ad didn’t exactly make Ms. Hearst blush. She has appeared in various forms of undress several times before. “I’m very happy with the photo,” she said. But according to Ms. Hearst, the ad has been banned in several cities across the nation, including Seattle, Chicago and Dallas, which has left the heiress confused.
“I have to admit, I love the Calvin Klein and Armani ads, but I think those are a little more racy than my image on the bus,” she insisted. “It’s so interesting to see what the censorship people say is okay and isn’t for our society to see. I’m curious who was looking at the images and thought that they were too suggestive and provocative.”
The Daily Transom, which is anything but prudish, pointed out that she is wearing nothing but lacy panties, even if all the important parts are technically covered.
“True, but you don’t actually see anything,” she replied.
Ms. Hearst has done a few indie films in the past and of course also appeared in the season one finale of Gossip Girl.
Where else is her multi-faceted career headed?
“If there is anyone I can be like in the entertainment industry, I would hope to be like Milla Jovovich,” said Ms. Hearst. “She is such an amazingly successful, high powered supermodel. A very highly respected actress, a mother, and she has her own fashion line. I don’t think there is really any one way to truly define a person.”
What does the rest of the Hearst family think of the racy movie ads?
“My sister saw it when she was grabbing lunch with her husband somewhere in Midtown,” said Ms. Hearst. “She saw one of the buses go by and picked up the phone and called me and was so excited.”
So really, the whole Hearst bunch is just beaming with pride?
“They love it,” Ms. Hearst assured us. “They’re very supportive of my career and my work. I would never do anything to upset my family.”
