From the Vault: Lauren London

Don't be fooled by the baby face. Sure, actress Lauren London looks PG-friendly, but what the black-and-white blend craves is R ratings. Violence and sexual themes included, this Los Angeles native is partial to pistol-packing movie men with street-type spidey sense. "There's no way I should be tougher than my man,” she says. "I can't go to rough areas and have my man get nervous. That'd be straight bitch!” Gotta love angels with dirty mouths.

By Matt Barone

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Congratulations on your photo shoot! Was the first time as painful as ladies say?
I loved it. It was a little awkward, having someone telling me to get into all these weird positions [laughs]. But it looks sexy, so I'm happy. Nothing too crazy, though. I couldn't give all the goodies up the first time.

Nonsense. A butt-naked first impression can go a long way.
I'm just coming out. I have to keep some type of mystery to myself. When I have $30 million in the bank, call me. The goodies will be ready then.

Fair enough. ATL is your first step to big bank. With no real prior experience, how'd you convince filmmakers to give you a shot? You don't seem like the casting-couch type . . . .
I was the underdog, really. They didn't even want to see me for the role. I just went in with my back against the wall, like, "Fuck it, this is me and this is what I have to offer.” I nailed the first audition, and then went in to do a screening test with T.I. After that, it was a wrap.

Talk about a Cinderella story.
It's crazy, because if I didn't land this role, it wouldn't have been pretty for me. I had just gotten fired from my job at this wack-ass company in L.A. that's not even worth mentioning. That was like two months before I found out about the audition. I took acting lessons with my last $100, just so I could land this audition and nail it.

Novice or not, your physical scenes with the Southern King seem pretty cozy. You sure you don't have any on-camera experience?
You mean a sex tape? No way! Those scenes weren't as awkward as I thought they were going to be. I used to watch movies and think, "How can people kiss like that?” Tip helped me to be real comfortable with the romantic stuff. It was his first time onscreen, too, so that made it easier on me. Rather than some hot-shot guy who has done it for 10 years being like, "Come on, it's just work. Give me your tongue.” [laughs]