Kelly Rowan: Kelly Blue

The Canuck actress hits the big screen in the intense high school drama, 187, starring Samuel L. Jackson.

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Why is she squirming and cackling nervously? "Is it the double espresso you just swilled?" I ask. "No, it's that I'm not used to talking about myself for an hour." Well, you better get used to it, kid.

Stardom, you see, has snuck up on Rowan. After 10 years of slogging through TV sitcoms and film roles such as Peter Pan's mother in Hook, this 30-year-old, Canadian-born actress is starring in the studio feature 187. How'd she get the job? "A casting director who'd cast me in Assassins sent a video to Kevin Reynolds, the director, and Mel Gibson, whose company is producing 187. Then I went in and auditioned, and a few hours later, they called me." Rowan plays a teacher in an urban high school, where one of her colleagues is Samuel L. Jackson. "187" is the penal code for murder, and in the school, when a gang is unhappy with you they write "187" on one of your textbooks, which means your number is up. "Do you and Sam get it on?" I ask. "We don't quite, but we kind of try to."

I wonder what Rowan is doing with her newfound movie money. "I have a shoe habit. If I'm in New York it's a problem, because I'm walking and I have access to more stores. In L.A., it's not as bad." "What have you bought lately?" "A pair of Donna Karan boots and maroon Hush Puppies which are very exciting." Besides yoga, Rowan unwinds by riding a stationary bike, calling her mom, dating a man who's not an actor and boxing. "Really? You hit people?" "Whenever I do, I apologize." "What would you like to say to Sam that you weren't able to say on the set?" "I'd like to tell him that he looked really cute in his underwear."

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Jeff Lantos