Age: 23
Hometown: Flemington, New Jersey
She has two models for parents and a fashion-photographer stepdad, so Kate French’s early career path was almost pre-ordained. “I modeled in high school,” says the New Jersey native, “but I got tired of being judged on looks alone.” Lucky for those with premium cable, the genetically blessed 23-year-old jumped to television, scoring a role as hotheaded lesbian actress Niki Stevens on Showtime’s sexy Sapphic drama, The L Word.
For the record, Kate doesn’t bat for the visitor’s team, but her natural sexuality made the on-screen switch easy. “Women are much more affectionate and intimate with one another compared to men, so the role wasn’t too much of a stretch,” she explains. As for the future, Kate has juicy parts in the upcoming films Sutures (“a freaky horror flick”) and Fired Up (“a teen comedy like Superbad”), but becoming the next “It girl” isn’t high on her list of priorities. “I’m not in this for the fame,” she says. “I want to be recognized for the work I do, not for being photographed at a nightclub.”