Shannyn Sossaman: Untouchable

Shannyn Sossaman goes from gamine to gangster girl in bold, '30s-inspired pinstripes stolen from The Untouchables.

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Behind the Scenes

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1. One would be remiss, in writing about Shannyn Sossamon, to not mention the now-famous story of how she first got discovered by a casting agent while deejaying at Gwyneth Paltrow's birthday party. What many don't realize is that the then-aspiring dancer/actress wasn't really an overnight success. She had already toiled in Hollywood for five years, landing spots in Gap and Kmart commercials, and videos for Cher and the Goo Goo Dolls. But the Hawaiian-born, Reno, Nevada-raised beauty--who's a mix of Hawaiian, French, Dutch, Irish, Filipino and German--soon nabbed the romantic lead opposite Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale. Though the movie wasn't as big a hit as everyone had expected, Sossamon went on to win starring roles in 40 Days and 40 Nights, opposite Josh Hartnett, and the upcoming films The Rules of Attraction, with James Van Der Beek, and The Sin Eater, again opposite Ledger. Not bad for a gal who drove to Los Angeles the night of her high school graduation and never looked back.

2. Nightclub impresario Ivan Kane knew a thing or two about Tinseltown before he began titillating it with his sexy, ultrahip hotspots Kane, deep and the newly minted Forty Deuce. The New York native got his start as an actor, appearing in such award-winning films as Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. But Kane's special gift lies in achieving that perfect mix of decadence, sensuality and plain or good fun at each of his haunts. Besides being frequented by heavy-hitters like Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and George Clooney, deep--located at the spot on Hollywood and Vine once inhabited by the famous Brown Derby--has also made appearances in movies (Ocean's Eleven), TV shows ("Alias") and music videos (Nelly's unforgettable "Hot in Herre"). The 5,000-square foot nightclub features three bars, VIP rooms and, for the ultimate thrill, Amsterdam-inspired "red-light district" rooms where Fosse-style dancers perform behind two-way mirrors.

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