Jawbreaker

Background:

"Yep, I have made some bad films. But unlike Kate Hudson or Gwyneth Paltrow, I didn't grow up in Hollywood, with stability and wealth and all my needs were catered to. I came here trying to survive. I couldn't afford to make worthy, artistic movies for no money. I had to pay the rent." Rose McGowan

Italian actress Rose McGowan initially gained notice for portraying beautiful, blasphemous and morally ambiguous protagonist Amy Blue in director Gregg Araki’s dark and stylish road movie The Doom Generation (1995). Her bright performance in the film brought her to receive a nomination at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards. She acquired even more notice after playing Tatum Riley, the doomed best friend of Sydney (Neve Campbell), in Wes Craven’s hit thriller Scream (1996).

In 1999, McGowan became headlines when she won the lead role of brassy, bitchy, Courtney Alice Shane in the dark comedy Jawbreaker (1999, opposite Rebecca Gayheart and Marylin Manson), in which she was garnered a MTV Movie Award nomination. On the small screen, Jawbreaker star McGowan made a name for herself while playing one of three sisterly witches, Paige Matthews, in the television hit Charmed (2001-).

Rose McGowan was listed as the 39th of 102 Stuff magazine's “Sexiest Women in the World” in 2002. As for her romantic life, the Charmed beauty dated the shock-rocker Marilyn Manson (aka Brian Warner) in late 1997 and became engaged in 1999 after Manson asked her to marry him in a bathtub surrounded by candles. In 2001, however, the couple proclaimed their separation. She was next linked to the Men's Health magazine editor in chief David Zinczenko whom she met at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Las Vegas. After their three-year, long-distance relationship, McGowan announced their split. She is now enjoying a turbulent romance with Formula One racing star Jensen Button.


Vogue Bambini’s Child Model

Childhood and Family:

“It didn’t really mess me up being raised in a commune. It was a really idyllic part of my life. I mean, I grew up surrounded by rolling fields and playing in castles that had been cannonballed in the 14th century. What messed me up was moving to the States.” Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan was born in Florence, Italy, on September 5, 1973. The daughter of an Irish artist father and a French writer mother, Rose was raised in the Italian chapter of the Children of God cult. She was a child model in Vogue Bambini and other Italian magazines from age three.

"I traveled to Portland and started hanging out in gay clubs, where you could spend all night and be safe--although I was gay-bashed one time coming out of a club. I got socked in the face because someone thought I was a lesbian, and I woke up in the parking lot. But this isn't even an eighth of the things that happened to me.” Rose McGowan

After the divorce of her parents, the second oldest of six siblings Rosie moved to Gig Harbor, Washington. She attended an art school in Seattle, Washington, in which she was a misfit.

Fifteen-year-old Rosie, who has a tattoo of a pin-up girl on her right shoulder, then left her family and worked a variety of jobs to support herself. During hard times, she even lived on the streets before relocating to Los Angeles to enroll in beauty school and pursue a film career.


The Doom Generation

Career:

Starting out as a kid model in the Italian magazine Vogue Bambini, Rose McGowan, who once worked as a waitress, sales clerk and ticket taker, made her early TV appearance as Suzanne in an episode of the Fox series "True Colors" (1990) before playing the small role Nora in her film debut Encino Man (1992, starring Brendan Fraser).

Relocating to Los Angeles, McGowan was spotted by director Gregg Araki while she was outside of a gym. Shortly after, her break out role arrived when she was cast as beautiful, blasphemous and morally ambiguous protagonist Amy Blue in Gregg Araki’s dark and stylish road movie The Doom Generation (1995). The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995 and received lukewarm reviews from critics. On the more positive side, McGowan was garnered a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards.

McGowan followed it up with a minor role in the tacky Pauly Shore comedy Bio-Dom (1996), opposite Stephen Baldwin, and costarred with Heather Graham in the low-budget flick Kiss and Tell (1996).

Wes Craven cast her as the fated best friend of Sydney (Neve Campbell) Tatum Riley in the hit thriller Scream (1996, also starring Courteney Cox Arquette). McGowan’s turn as the anti-stereotypical, busty blonde, who meets with an unseemly death under a garage door, won the hearts of the viewing audiences as well as brought her publicity.

McGowan was quickly in demand after the success of Scream. In 1997, she played roles in four films appearing at the Sundance Film Festival. She was seen in the short film Seed (1997, as Miriam), the independent film Going All the Way (1997, portrayed Gail Ann Thayer who attempts to seduce a very eager Jeremy Davies), Araki’s Nowhere (1997, made a cameo as Valley Chick #3) and Lewis & Clark & George (1997, starring as George). The following year saw McGowan land a starring role opposite Ben Affleck and Peter O'Toole in the movie adaptation of Phantoms (1998, book written by Dean Koontz) and play the lead role of Kathy Quinn in the independent movie Southie (1998). She also made her television movie debut as Debbie Strand in Devil in the Flesh (1998).

After portraying Jackie-O in the made-for-video Marilyn Manson: God Is in the T.V (1999), McGowan’s next big break arrived when she played the starring role of Courtney Alice Shane in the 1999 dark comedy Jawbreaker, alongside Rebecca Gayheart and Marilyn Manson. In the movie, she portrayed a high school pupil who conspires to cover up her accidental murder of a friend. Through her brassy, bitchy, and often sadistic character, McGowan received a nomination for Best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards and cemented her position as a star, although the film was met with mixed reviews and was a disappointment at the box office. She finished the decade with Sleeping Beauties (1999, played Sno Blo).

In the new millennium, McGowan costarred in a comedy about a pair of wrestling fans titled Ready to Rumble (2000), played Nancy in The Last Stop (2000), Moira in Strange Hearts (2001), rejoined Brendan Fraser in Monkeybone (2001) and worked on the television film The Killing Yard (2001).

McGowan joined the cast of The WB popular series Charmed in 2001, portraying Paige Matthews, the long-lost sister of Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Piper (Holly Marie Combs). She was the replacement character for Shannen Doherty. She rose to fame with the success of the series.

In the independent movie Vacuums (2002), McGowan played the starring role of Leha. She next reprised her character of Jackie O for the video film Lest We Forget: The Video Collection (2004). McGowan also recently played Ann-Margret in the CBS miniseries "Elvis" (2005), a film about the Elvis Presley’s life and will portrayed Sheryl Saddon in the forth coming The Black Dahlia (2006).


Awards:

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