Kellie Martin is nothing like the not- quite- a- doctor she plays on NBC's ER this season. First-year resident Lucy Knight is all thumbs with an IV; in Martin's case, there seems to be little the 23-year-old TV veteran can't handle. If she seems uncannily relaxed and confident, perhaps it's because she has practiced going through her "awkward phase" maybe a dozen times- and in front of millions to boot. In fact, Martin has made a career out of coming of age: as a teenager on Life Goes On, as the teenage schoolmarm on Christy, and in
countless TV movies. Now she's set to do it again as the overeager new kid on ER. When she's not scrubbing
in for trauma scenes, Martin is, in real life, a third-year art history major at Yale, with a serious photography
habit, a boyfriend who's a law student, and a penchant for wearing "whatever is on the floor."
What makes a good hair day? I wash and blow-dry my hair every day. I know it's not
good for it, but I'm kind of compulsive about keeping it clean. I like to smell clean hair. I use Sebastian
conditioner- it keeps it feeling silky.
Are you a blonde at heart? I'm not a real blonde. I've been every color: red, brown,
black. When I have black hair, I look dead. And I don't have the striking personality to go with it. This
is lighter- I'm a light person, and my hair reflects my personality, I think.
What's your makeup routine? I use Dermalogical skin-care products. When I go out
to an event, I use Chanel. I love their new eye shadows; they're fun. I use fun stuff, like Stila, which has
crazy colors. I like purples, blues, whites and little shimmery things For lipstick, wine and pink. Sometimes
I use blush, but only when I go out.
What's in your makeup bag? Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Very Black and Chanel Lip
Glow. When I have to be presentable, Chanel Matte Makeup and Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in Excentriques and
Embrun. Those little eyelash curlers. And vanilla lotion! I put it on every morning, and when it wears off
I put it on again. Sometimes when I go out at night I wear Envy, but I'm kind of overwhelmed by perfume.
What beauty area do you neglect most? I never, ever do nail polish. I do a lot of
photography, so when I'm developing and printing my own stuff, the chemicals eat away at whatever I have on.
Nail polish doesn't really go with fixer. Fortunately, on ER no one comes in with a manicure, because they
get closeups of our hands and they can't look too well kept- a real doctor wouldn't have time.
What do you eat to stay fit? I hate talking about diet! I eat a lot of power bars. I
get to work and they say, "You want some pancakes? French toast?" Never something good for you. You can't
eat like that every day. I mean, I'm 5-foot-2, 5-3 on my good days. So I have my little bars. The diet
of an actress or model isn't much fun.
So what is your idea of fun? I love sushi, pizza, pasta, oatmeal- all the comfort foods.
Oh, and frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles - once a day. Gotta have that. On my birthday I eat a big
stack of pancakes, because life is too short. When I was 13, I didn't eat anything. My friends started
throwing their lunches away at school, and I did too. I think girls need to know not to buy into that. I
like actresses who have a body. Kate Winslet is gorgeous; there are women who are too skinny.
Are you a jock? I love tennis. I started playing at age 7, with my dad. But recently
I broke my foot playing tennis, so today I started Pilates, and I loved it. I normally do high-impact stuff
that's pretty hard on your body, like kickboxing, so I'm excited about keeping up with this. I'd like
to get into yoga, but I'm too antsy. Yoga's too calm for me at this point in my life.
What's your fashion fetish? I love suits! But I don't get to wear them often. I
wouldn't love working in an office-actually having a job - but I love the clothes. I have very different
personalities. When I'm at school, my style is completely different from when I'm in L.A. At school,
everything flies out the window, I wear what's comfortable, put on overalls and my coat, and go to the darkroom.
But in L.A., I love wearing Mark Wong Nark, or Richard Tyler if I'm going to something like the Emmy's.
Have you ever gone through a phase? When I first started college I went through a preppy
phase where everything was very buttoned-down. There are a lot of very preppy people at Yale. But then I
started photography and suddenly I was hanging out with a whole new type of person - they were very artsy, blue
hair and everything. I didn't go that far, but I definitely loosened up my style a bit. - Hillary Johnson
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