Things have been going pretty well for one-time Hot Complex Girl, Noureen DeWulf, since playing a stripper last summer in the Jeremy Piven-starring, Will Ferrell-produced comedy, The Goods. She is now a W.A.G., which is the acronym for wives and girlfriends of athletes. Said athlete being Buffalo Sabres star and U.S. Olympian, Ryan Miller. That's not all. She has a big role coming up starring alongside superstar, Jennifer Lopez, in the romantic comedy, The Back-up Plan. Complex rang up Dewulf to talk about working with J. Lo, having little furry co-stars and the rules regarding engaging in playoff sex...
Interview By Jack Erwin
Complex: What were some things that got you through the making of Back-up Plan?
Noreen DeWulf: The first thing would be working with Jennifer. I really looked forward everyday to going to work with her. That was really fun, and a very exciting life experience.
Complex: What was she like the first time you met her?
Noreen DeWulf: Really nice and very down to earth. We have our funny back-and-forth in the film, and we had that same kind of dialog in real life. She's so well-known, and it's amazing to get up close and personal with someone like that.
Complex: Did she walk you through some stuff given her experience level as an actress?
Noreen DeWulf: [Laughs.] No, it wasn't like that. When you get to set as an actress, you show up, you know your stuff, hit your marks, and go. The person that's giving you guidance is the director.
Complex: Alright. So meeting her was one of the good things. Anything else?
Noreen DeWulf: I really enjoyed working with dogs. [Laughs.] I love animals. Unlike other sets, when you just go in and it's just the closed set and other actors, our set was filled with little animals! It was such a pleasant distraction that it made me happy! [Laughs.] A lot of the scenes I got to carry around small animals. That was fun [Laughs.] It was funny though, because we'd be in the scene, and the dogs were so good that if during the scene, the dog had overstepped its mark, it'd slowly back up onto its mark. It was the cutest thing you've ever seen. These dogs are so professional! [Laughs.]
Complex: Okay, so the next question we're going to ask you is about your boyfriend, Ryan Miller. Back in the '80s when the Lakers were in the NBA playoffs all the time, their coach, Pat Riley, made a rule that when the playoffs started, his players had to be completely celibate.
Noreen DeWulf: [Laughs.] Please don't ask me that, I don't know, I don't wanna know! There's nothing he said about it, except that he's on the East Coast and I'm on the West Coast, so that should answer that. [Laughs.]
Complex: When you're watching him play, do you have certain rituals that you pay attention to? Like a special seat, or not getting up at a certain time?
Noreen DeWulf: I try really hard not to get into that superstitious energy. I mean obviously there's been times where my girlfriends and I are watching him play, and all of a sudden somebody scores, and we'll switch seats, and say, "Oh we need to go back to the way we were sitting before because that was more lucky!" In general, there's nothing I really do. I mean honestly I'm working a lot of times when he's playing, so if I get a chance to watch, it's on my computer, I'll turn it on and he'll be in the third period. I just try to catch what I can.
Complex: Catch it what you can?
Noreen DeWulf: Yeah. I mean, I catch whatever I can when I can, but I'm working a lot too, so it's hard for me to dedicate. [Laughs.]
Complex: So you don't obsessively DVR and go home and watch it?
Noreen DeWulf: Oh, no, no. [Laughs.]
Complex: With him playing in the Olympics this year and you having a big role in The Back-up Plan, it's been a really good year, both for you and him.
Noreen DeWulf: I feel like we're both incredibly lucky people, and we're both incredibly blessed people, and as far as me personally, it's nice to have someone who, I feel, we pair well with each other in a nice way, and that's a blessing. Both people kind of on a similar path, I think. In a relationship, that's a lucky thing.
• CLICK HERE TO READ NOUREEN'S "HOT COMPLEX" INTERVIEW
• CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO HER "HOT COMPLEX" GALLERY
