Image via Complex Original
You know those advertisements for the new Steve Carell/Ryan Gosling dramedy Crazy, Stupid, Love? The ones that fill in the blank after "This is..." with one one of the three words? Well, this is love: Analeigh Tipton. No, we didn't misspell Emma Stone or Julianne Moore's names; we're referring to the hot, scene-stealing newcomer who plays Jessica, babysitter to Carell's kids, in the delightfully funny and genuinely heartfelt rom-com.
Chances are, you've seen her before, either on an America's Next Top Model rerun or a glossy advertisement in a magazine. The reason: Not only is the 22-year-old on the verge of her mainstream Hollywood breakthrough, but she's also an accomplished fashion model. With her first major film role, though, Tipton has what should be her young career's brightest moment.
That said, if you want to trace her transition into Hollywood, or you're more interested in seeing hot pictures, click through as we familiarize you with the Crazy, Stupid, Love standout.
10. She was initially en route to becoming a professional ice skater.
At two years old, when most toddlers were attempting to perfect the difficult task of walking without hitting their heads on the ends of coffee tables, Tipton was already working towards an ice skating career. Once she matured, she and her partner, Phillip Cooke, competed in two U.S. Synchronized Team Skating Championships, twice won regional championships, and competed at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships two times. Ultimately, Tipton retired from the ice at the age of sixteen because of her major growth spurt, which eventually led her to modeling. Yet, she still skates for AIDS charities.
9. She placed third on America's Next Top Model.
Tipton, known as the bubbly and positive one during Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model, ultimately finished in third place, but she still managed to grab a Ford Modeling contract and jump-start her career. As affirmed by hostest/supermodel demigod Tyra Banks, our girl Analeigh is also credited with having the best "Covergirl commercial in the history of America's Next Top Model." The fact that she didn't engage in any physical altercations or throw any beer glasses at other girls (on screen, at least) probably helped her current success, too.
8. She made her film debut in The Green Hornet.
Okay, so maybe The Green Hornet wasn't the genre-bending superhero movie you were hoping it'd shape up to be. Regardless, Tipton made the most of her brief screen time to play Ana Lee, which we're guessing is a play on her actual name. Meaning? The role of "hot girl" was written just for her.
7. She posed naked with Robert Pattinson in Details.
Twilight star Robert Pattinson just keeps getting luckier and luckier. First, he gets to play a lady-killing wizard in a Harry Potter movie, and then he makes all women between the ages of "tween" and "menopaus"e fall in love with him as melodramatic vampire Edward Cullen. And then he gets to pose in the March 2010 issue of Details with Tipton? Naked, at that! Where's the justice in the world?
6. She guest starred on The Big Bang Theory.
Tipton, along with fellow America's Next Top Model contestant Samantha Potter, got to play... America's Next Top Model contestants on a Season Two episode of The Big Bang Theory. The boys became obsessed with the show and lived out every geek's fantasy: gaining acces inside the ANTM house by pretending to cable-men.
5. She stars in the upcoming movie Damsels In Distress.
In acclaimed independent filmmaker Whit Stillman's first film since 1998, Damsels In Distress, Tipton plays a style-conscious student in a group of women who "set out to revolutionize life at a grungy East Coast university." The flick seems to draw inspiration from Fred Astaire's A Damsel in Distress, as the girls try to help depressed students through song-and-dance numbers. The misguided students also believe that good hygiene and snazzy clothes are the best way to cure the break-up blues. In other words, we'll only see it for Tipton.
4. She's an aspiring screenwriter.
The figure skater turned model turned actress actually hit the golden coast with dreams of becoming a director and a screenwriter. While she's out promoting Crazy, Stupid, Love, she's also working on her own screenplay.
When she can fit it into her schedule, Tipton studies film at Marymount College, which she transferred to after taking writing courses at USC. There, the model/actress was "judgmental of actors and their Starbucks and fancy cars", resulting in her screenplays turning into slasher films. OK, that last part was just an assumption.
3. She will appear on HBO's Hung as a schizophrenic pimp.
If it's jarring to picture the sweet Analeigh as a schizophrenic pimp, maybe this will ease the discomfort: the character's alter-ego is a naive cake decorator, named Sandee. Doesn't that sound nicer? Despite the more pleasant image, that's just her day job while she's actually a pimp-in-training. All that icing-flower-making is just a ruse to keep her pimp hand strong.
2. The New York Times called her a "Face To Watch."
Not many people are honored by The New York Times for some secondary character work, so it means you should really pay attention to Tipton. In short, the article raves about her ability to play the gawky, awkward, vulnerable yet lovable character Jessica in Crazy, Stupid, Love, which, for us, currently puts her on par with acclaimed contemporaries Olivia Thirlby and Juno Temple. But we're pretty sure she'd rather have the career trajectory of co-star Emma Stone.
1. She's currently filming Samaritan.
Alongside Hung co-star Thomas Jane and The Runaways actress Stella Maeve, Tipton is currently filming the thriller Samaritan. Set to premiere in 2012, the film follows the relationship formed between a community college student and a suicidal girl he saved. Although she's billed as a lead, specifics for Analeigh's character "Rose" have not yet been released. Another schizophrenic pimp, perhaps? One can only hope.
