Hilarious and hella real, the tech-savvy siren is accessible like no other. That's why Fanboy nation can't get enough.
This feature originally appeared in Complex's February/March 2008 issue.
Olivia Munn has a serious jones for laughter. The 25-year-old actress, model, and host of G4 TV’s Attack of the Show! will say or do just about anything to elicit a guffaw. Though she’s been percolating for a minute—as everything from a Fox Sports sideline reporter1 to a Hawaiian surfer2—she was never the type of fame hound3 to sniff out celebrity by acting scandalous. In fact, it wasn’t until she became the face of G4 in April 2006 that her sex appeal and formidable comic gift were fully unleashed. And with a role in Rob Schneider’s April comedy Big Stan, a lead in the upcoming thriller Insanitarium, and a burgeoning relationship with the guys from the Broken Lizard comedy crew,4 even more of you will know her, love her, and bust a…gut over her.
Did you ever think you’d reach the heady heights of doing a photo shoot with fake, um, ejaculate in your wig?
I’ve always aspired to it, but I didn’t know if it would ever come true. I wanted it in my eye for one of the [There’s Something About Mary homage] shots, but they said it was too much.
Complex is classy like that. This issue focuses on classic Hollywood comedies. What are your favorites?
Office Space is probably my top. When I grew up, everybody had New Kids on the Block posters; I had a poster of Chevy Chase. I kissed him every night. I loved Fletch. Everything that he did, I was like head over heels for.
Drugs included?
Well, it did make me go head over heels. [Laughs.] I follow Chevy. If that’s what he wants to do, and if he wants me to do that, then I will. No, actually, it’s kind of depressing. I loved Chevy so much, and there was a definite fall from grace.
We read you hate shopping “with a passion.” What does that mean?
I don’t have the discipline to become anorexic or bulimic, and when you go shopping all the time, there’s this need to fit into trendy clothes, like skinny jeans. The constant focus on what you look like—I just can’t take it.
I gave out my Gmail address on TV once, like “whatever”—and then I got 6,000 emails in one day.
You’re aware that you’re absurdly fit, right?
I’m a surfer and I’m OK with being called “athletic-looking,” but when people say you look “healthy,” they mean you’re a fatty.
Not us!
Thank you, but I think that’s a guy’s thing. Girls are always like, “You’ve got strong calves! Don’t eat potato salad because they might get stronger—and by stronger, I mean fatter.”
What do you think about hardcore guys camping outside stores to buy sneakers and video game consoles?
My favorite thing on a guy is a cool shirt, sneakers, and a watch, so if a guy’s camping out to get sneakers, that’s cool. I think you can really tell a guy by the kind of shoes he puts on his feet.
What do guys wear that turns you off completely?
Anything that looks like an outfit he put more time into than I put into my outfit, matchy-matchy, pink shoes with a pink shirt.
Nonetheless, you’re generally very approachable.
I gave out my oliviamunn@gmail.com address on TV once, like “whatever”—and then I got 6,000 emails in one day. I had to make an alternate, but I still use that one. I’ve called fans if they gave me their number, too.
Is that ever overwhelming and/or scary?
I don’t want to be untouchable. When I was a kid, I loved Luke Perry. I sent him a five-page letter and got back one of those letters that looked hand-written, but you could tell it was just printed out. I was so upset by that. That’s why it’s important to me to be connected with the fans, because I’m not that special.
So true.
I meant that in a really humble way; I mean I am special because I’m not special. Nobody really says they’re not special, which in turn makes me special. [Laughs.] I just want you to really like me!
We’re not the only ones who do. At last year’s Comic-Con, you spent five hours signing autographs for your horde of fans. Do germs bother you when you shake that many hands?
They always have sanitizer for us. The weird thing is, I’m really O.C.D.—I wash my hands a lot and I like things in corners—but when it comes to fans, I forget to sanitize my hands. There were a lot of kisses on the cheek, too, and it just didn’t bother me after a while. I know it sounds gross, but it’s because they’re such nice, normal people.
My friends sat me down and said, 'Olivia, it's OK to be a whore-dog.'
So fan germs touched your body later when you showered?
I’m sure some of their germs were in my mouth. When I was in the shower, I just thought about all of them and their dirty, nasty germs all over me. I mixed their germs and saliva with lye and created a bar of soap. That’s what I bathe with now.
You’ve said that being stalked would confirm your celebrity. What would be your ideal stalking?
I’d like to be stalked by Shia LaBeouf. I’d like him to one day become obsessed with me, be outside my door every day, and I’m like, “Shia, dear God, go shoot Indiana Jones!” And he’s like, “No, I love you. Transformers 2 is coming out, and I need you to be in it because I can’t work another day without seeing your face.” And I’m like, “Oh, Shia, I just can’t.”
Have you learned a lot hosting G4’s sex advice segment “In Your Pants”?
Still a virgin.
A virgin?!
Oh, just in my ass. The other way, I’ve slept around a lot.
Are you sexually adventurous?
I can’t bring in another girl. I can’t have sex with people that I’m not emotionally attached to. And the thought of going down on a girl grosses me out. But if a guy says, like, “I want to stick this carrot in your ass,” I would be like, “Well…if that really turns you on….”
So you’re not the anal virgin you make yourself out to be!
[Laughs.] I’m saying if somebody wants to put a carrot in my ass! Nobody has put a carrot in my ass.
Complex might.
We would have to develop a relationship and feelings!
This is our second interview with you!
OK, what the hell. Just make sure it’s one of those baby carrots.
You might lose that up there. That wouldn’t be good.
OK, you could use a big one. Just use the bigger end—the pointy end might hurt. [Awkward pause.] I love awkward pauses. [Laughs.] I’m a whore for a laugh.
And for emotional attachment. So you were never one for making out with strangers at bars?
That’d gross me out. A group of girlfriends once had an intervention for me—this is 100 percent true. They’d always have one-night stands, but I didn’t even want to randomly make out with guys. They sat me down and said, “You know, Olivia, we just want you to know it’s OK to be a whore-dog.” I swear to God, they said “whore-dog.” I’m like, “But I don’t want to.” And they’re like, “But maybe you should.”
I’m not a big porno person. Like, I don’t want to see what my anus looks like. I really don’t.
Great friends. What would it take for you to leave G4?
If they were to say, “You can’t act.” Then I’d say, “Well, I’m sorry, I have to leave.” I’m the person who’s adamant that this is not a stepping stone for me. My role might change [as I act more] and I might not be there as much, but either way I want to stay there. I love seeing the network grow and being one of the reasons it’s growing. I love the fans.
What’s the weirdest gig you’ve been offered?
American Gladiators wanted me to be their host, but I didn’t want to do that. I mean, I used to love American Gladiators, but I don’t want to be the host of American Gladiators.
You’ve said you wouldn’t do theatrical nudity without a real reason. What’s your policy on making sex tapes for personal use?
I’m not a big porno person, but I’ve seen a few here and there, and that shit does not look good. Like, I don’t want to see what my anus looks like. I really don’t. If I ever did a sex tape and it got out, I would be suicidal. I want to be in control of how people perceive me. I don’t want to be known for a sex tape or being on the cover of US Weekly; I want to be known for who I am, my hosting, my acting. I don’t walk the red carpet with my boyfriend because I don’t want to invite all that.
Plus, that leaves a glimmer of hope for amorous fans.
Well, I’m not married, and I cheat on my boyfriend regularly, so there’s hope for everybody!
Looks aside, guys love you for being into or knowledgeable about a lot of “guy things.”
Is there anything guys love that you don’t?
Um, eating vagina. And I don’t like watching baseball on TV. I love going to the games and eating, but it’s the most boring sport on TV.
If you didn’t mention vagina, we were going to run wild with that.
[Laughs.]
WATCH OLIVIA'S BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO:
FOOTNOTES:
1. Her fine body hidden in a huge coat, Munn settled for showing off her football acumen while reporting on her beloved Sooners team (she was born in Oklahoma). Sooner? We hardly know 'er! Sigh. [BACK]
2. She won the role on the cable drama Beyond the Break after passing a surf test, and she still stays fit riding waves. Bikinis and wetsuits--makes us want to shoot the curl, nahmean? NAHMEAN?! [BACK]
3. When paparazzi ran up on her and friends Jeremy PIven and Perrey Reeves (Entourage's Mr. and Mrs. Ari Gold), she played the back to avoid being dubbed Piv's "new conquest." [BACK]
4. She recently landed a role in their upcoming film, The Slammin' Salmon, and is producing a TV show with them. Is she the Fergie to their Black Eyed Peas? She's already the apl.de.ap of our eye. [BACK]
ADDITIONAL CREDITS: (HAIR) John Ruggiero/Exclusive Artists for Bumble & Bumble. (MAKEUP) Jeffrey Paul/Exclusive Artists for Lancome. (SET DESIGN) David Cook. COVER AND FIRST IMAGES (FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH): Bikini by Lenny. SECOND IMAGE (WEIRD SCIENCE): Underwear by Hurley. THIRD IMAGE (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY): Top by Norma Kamali. FOURTH IMAGE (DODGEBALL): Bathing suit and shoes by D&G; stockings by Agent Provocateur. FIFTH IMAGE (WAYNE'S WORLD): Dress & Shows by Patricia Field. SIXTH IMAGE (DUMB & DUMBER).
