Tara Considers Herself An Actress Now

[R.D.]

Article:

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...nt/local/8d9880dab9bdb625862570a1000c563f.txt

"I guess I consider myself an actress now," the 23-year-old says by phone. "I've worked so hard to get past skating I don't want others to think of me just in those terms. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of what I did. I'm grateful for my past career, but I don't want casting directors to think that's all I can do."

Your mileage will vary.

Let's hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest...

 

[Jhar55]

Well, I saw Tara on 7th Heaven last season and IMO she can't act. Has she ever thought of going to school just in case the acting doesn't work out she'll have something else to fall back on. Sorry I am not a Tara fan...

 

[mzheng]

Was she quoted in this very same article that "I think acting was part of me since birth," ......yeah, in a sense I think she was right, she's always being acting in life.

 

[IDLERACER]

Well, I saw Tara on 7th Heaven last season and IMO she can't act

I assure you that that was deliberate. Good acting (or for that matter, good writing) isn't allowed on 7th Heaven. The show is aimed at six year old girls, which is why the acting is about on the same level as your average Sesame Street episode. Casting Tara Lipinski as a prostitute might not make much sense in the real world, but in 7th Heaven's universe, it's perfectly logical.

I thought she did O.K. on that other show that I can't remember the name of (where Jamie Gertz is a hot wife married to a fat ugly guy).​

 

[RealtorGal]

Poor Tara. She's in denial. If she is in that final group of 10 that's been whittled down from 2000 wannabees, something tells me it's not due to her talent; rather, her recognizable name. Still, it's her life.

I don't understand why she says she turned down lucrative skating contracts and the opportunity to continue competing because she was simply done with skating. I thought she retired because of her severe injuries. Quotes like this confuse me completely: "If I hadn't achieved what I wanted, maybe I would have stayed, too."

 

[R.D.]

I thought she retired because of her severe injuries. Quotes like this confuse me completely: "If I hadn't achieved what I wanted, maybe I would have stayed, too."

That same quote confused me as well. I thought she retired because of her injuries? Maybe there's more to her decision than we think/ However, even if she DIDN'T win the gold medal, her hip injury would have forced her out sooner or later anyway. I think the OGM really made her into a household name. I don't know if she would have been as well-known without the OGM.

 

[soogar]

I don't understand why she says she turned down lucrative skating contracts and the opportunity to continue competing because she was simply done with skating. I thought she retired because of her severe injuries. Quotes like this confuse me completely: "If I hadn't achieved what I wanted, maybe I would have stayed, too."

If Nicole Bobek can skate on a tour with only singles and doubles, you don't think that Tara would have the same opportunity to do so?

I personally think Tara turned pro because she wanted to and not due to injury. She was skating very strong on tour and in pros the first 1 year and a 1/2 after the Olympics. I think she felt the need to justify her turning pro (with injury) because so many people questioned her decision. Maybe there was some thought that she knew she was pushing her body too hard and didn't want to to do so for the next 4 years.

 

[gezando]

Article:

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...nt/local/8d9880dab9bdb625862570a1000c563f.txt



Your mileage will vary.

Let's hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest...

If this turns into a bashfest, we know who starts the thread. I agree with Tara, she has achieved her goal young at 15, and is free to set other goals for herself

That same quote confused me as well. I thought she retired because of her injuries?

You thought wrong, at the time Tara said she had achieved all she wanted from skating, and she wanted to spend more time with her dad.

 

[R.D.]

I think she felt the need to justify her turning pro (with injury) because so many people questioned her decision. Maybe there was some thought that she knew she was pushing her body too hard and didn't want to to do so for the next 4 years.

I thought she gave away the (main) reason in this very article- that she felt that she had accomplished all she wanted to in skating and wished to move on...

And Gezando- you just enjoy disagreeing with me, don't you?

 

[76olympics]

Tara is very young (literally and emotionally, IMHO)--and that is what this article exudes to me. She probably made the correct decision if the skating world was not fulfilling her any longer for whatever reason.

 

[Linny]

7th Heaven

The retirement - depends on which retirement Tara is referring to. The reporter didn't really say. Since she alludes to eligible competitions, I'm guessing that she meant retirement from eligible competitions. At that time, I remember that she did, indeed, indicate it was because her family had given enough already and it was time for her parents to be able to live together again.

The other retirement - the one from skating altogether - I don't think this is what she meant. Methinks that it isn't a subject that she likes bringing up and since the reporter didn't...

Linny

A bit OT:

Oh, and BTW, I'm a 7th Heaven fan. Yes, Tara's part was miscast. The entire story line was pretty silly. The whole season was focused on the dangers of premarital sex. The script writers were "reaching" a little. The moral lessons on the show can get a bit pendantic... but at least they're trying.

Still, I enjoy the show. I like the concept of a nosey family where everyone is into everyone's business because they care about each other. I find it entertaining. Perhaps I'm not always looking for good acting on Television. If I want to see good acting, I'll go to the movies (North Country! Amazing movie!).

 

[millie]

That same quote confused me as well. I thought she retired because of her injuries? Maybe there's more to her decision than we think/ However, even if she DIDN'T win the gold medal, her hip injury would have forced her out sooner or later anyway. I think the OGM really made her into a household name. I don't know if she would have been as well-known without the OGM.

As I can recall that going into the Olympic season, all the hype was on Michelle and even during the Olympics. Tara was on the side lines, just watching. Everybody thought that Michelle was going to win. I can vaguely remember that Tara was upset with all the hullaballu about the media attention that Michelle was getting and even after the Olympics. I think that she had enought of it and had the OGM , why else would she stay. She had proven that she was the best at that time and that was all she had to prove.

I'm not bashing Michelle or meaning any harm, just recalling what I think made Tara to retire.

 

[gezando]

As I can recall that going into the Olympic season, all the hype was on Michelle and even during the Olympics. Tara was on the side lines, just watching.

Going into Olys they were cofavorite. During the competition, there were tons of fluff piece about Tara meeting a wrester, etc Tara, as the reigning world champion, reigining GPF winner going into olys received plenty of attention

Everybody thought that Michelle was going to win. I can vaguely remember that Tara was upset with all the hullaballu about the media attention that Michelle was getting and even after the Olympics. I think that she had enought of it and had the OGM , why else would she stay. She had proven that she was the best at that time and that was all she had to prove.

I'm not bashing Michelle or meaning any harm, just recalling what I think made Tara to retire.

You are not bashing MK, just remembering wrong that Tara was upset about the media attention that MK received. She was not.

 

[gezando]

I thought she gave away the (main) reason in this very article- that she felt that she had accomplished all she wanted to in skating and wished to move on...

then you thought

she retired because of her injuries?

Maybe you enjoy arguing with yourself

 

[millie]

Going into Olys they were cofavorite. During the competition, there were tons of fluff piece about Tara meeting a wrester, etc Tara, as the reigning world champion, reigining GPF winner going into olys received plenty of attention



You are not bashing MK, just remembering wrong that Tara was upset aboaut the media attention that MK received. She was not.

I am not remembering wrong. I can recall at that time that most of the media was on Michelle and Michelle winning. Even after Tara won, the media was on Michelle losing. I remember I was a bit pissed with the media at that time. I never said that Tara was upset, I meant that Tara was fed up with it(the media hype).
I think that she proved to herself that she could do and moved on.

 

[gezando]

I am not remembering wrong. I can recall at that time that most of the media was on Michelle and Michelle winning. Even after Tara won, the media was on Michelle losing. I remember I was a bit pissed with the media at that time.

After the competition, they both had about equal but different press. Tara went to the Oscars, she signed up with SOI, she got a contract to do soap opera on CBS.

I never said that Tara was upset, I meant that Tara was fed up with it(the media hype).

If you meant Tara was fed up, I still think you remember wrong. Tara moved on, and was not fed up with anything.

 

[R.D.]

Tara DID get her fair share of attention down in Houston, so I don't really know what it was like in other parts of the country.

 

[Ptichka]

Some skaters just think they'd be great on screen. Tara Lipinski, Oksana/Pasha Gritchuk... who else? Kulik had that film role as well, but it didn't interfere with his skating (and, BTW, he wasn't bad at all).

 

[mpal2]

I couldn't tell from the short snippets that I've read but was Kat Witt serious about trying out acting or was she enjoying cameos? I have no problems with cameo appearances but making a career of it is something else entirely.

As for press attention to Tara / Michelle before the Olympics, from what I could tell it was equal. I watched the 98 O's more or less expecting the ladies competition to be a toss-up between the two.

For what it's worth regarding objectivity, I wasn't part of the online chats then so all the fan whining about who got more or less really never influenced me then. I was in college without a tv before that so I never got to see the years leading up and I had completely missed the tv comps (including Nats) leading up the games. This area doesn't tend to advertise skating, everything is football. I really did base my opinion on the past World standings only (with no commentary or actual viewing of said events), press releases leading up to the Olympic Games and the event itself.

 

[euterpe]

You thought wrong, at the time Tara said she had achieved all she wanted from skating, and she wanted to spend more time with her dad.

She did? Her dad lives in Texas. Tara began touring with SOI, then built a house on Kiawa Island, South Carolina, where she spends her summers. She recently bought another house in California.

And what about the interview with Tara that appeared during US Nationals in 2003? Tara admitted that she had injured her hip badly while training for the Olympics and that she was in pain that entire final competitive season. She said she wasn't diagnosed with torn hip flexor muscles until after she had signed with SOI. She had to have surgery within a year, then went back to SOI too soon after the surgery and developed arthritis in that hip.

Tara admitted all of that openly, then said that even with the pain, she was glad she did what she did.

Before that interview, and all that season, she had been missing show after show with SOI because of severe pain. Eventually she dropped out of SOI and stopped skating altogether because the cold, damp rinks just exacerbated the arthritis.

I think saying now she quit skating because she didn't want to be 40 years old and alone is just plain catty. The only skater who fits that description is Kat Witt, and she certainly has NEVER been alone. And all of the older skaters in the SOI cast are married or have long-term significant others.