Gretchen Mol: Mol or Nothing

And not just in love, but engaged. Director Tod Williams (The Adventures of Sebastian Cole) popped the question on Mol's last birthday, November 8. "We met through friends years ago in New York," she explains, "and then we kind of bumped into each other at the right time, as we were coming out of other relationships." So will the couple be planning a big, splashy wedding? "I'm in denial right now about it," she says, cringing. "We're trying to keep it casual. I just want to find a pretty white dress and I don't want people having to decide whether the guests want steak or fish--I'd just rather fire up a barbecue. I want it to be fun."

Mol knows the value of simple fun after all the hoopla of her initial Hollywood experience, and particularly after the crash and burn of her high-profile TV series, "girls club," which was canceled after two episodes. "I was sad at first, but when I look back I realize I was miserable," she says. "The schedule was murder, but the worst part was the publicity. It was always another photo with the three girls pulling off their neckties and the photographer shouting, 'Hey, bump and grind!' We'd say, 'Wait, this is not a lesbian set-up.' I swear, it was like selling your soul."

Which is not to say that Mol is anti-TV. "Oh my God," she says, "I totally got sucked into 'The Bachelorette.'" Enough to want to play the show's heroine Trista Rehn in a movie version, perhaps? "I'd have to get the baby-talk thing down," she laughs. "We could get Owen Wilson to play the scary rodeo guy. And we'd get someone sweet and cute--Josh Hartnett," she laughs again, "to play Ryan, the fireman who won Trista's heart." The girl knows casting--and no wonder, since it may well be that she's just been cast correctly for the first time in her career.

GRETCHEN'S EIGHT GREATS

Favorite alcoholic drink: "I like beer, straight out of the bottle."

Favorite comfort food: "Pringles. When there are none left, I dump the can in my mouth and chug the crumbs. If you want to be sinful, dip them in sour cream."

Favorite designer: Marc Jacobs.

Favorite T-shirt: A vintage baseball jersey emblazoned with the heavy metal band Molly Hatchet. "My fiancé gave it to me and I wear it all the time."

Favorite workout: Yoga.

Favorite waste of time: Golf. "I like how leisurely it is and there's nothing like that feeling when you hit a great shot."

Favorite CD: The Pianist soundtrack. "It's my favorite movie of the past five years. The music's beautiful."

Favorite DVD: Richard Pryor Live! "He's just a genius. So fun."

__________________________________________

Pages: 1 2