‘Baywatch’ star Carmen Electra says she was ‘homeless’ before rise to fame: ‘Lot of struggling’
Former Playboy model Carmen Electra opened up about her past struggles before she became a sex symbol in the 1990s.
"Baywatch" actress Carmen Electra didn’t have a place to call home before reaching worldwide fame.
Electra, 52, revealed she was homeless before getting her big break in Hollywood.
"I was homeless in L.A., I’m not from a rich family or anything like that," she shared during 90s Con, according to People magazine.
FORMER ‘BAYWATCH’ STAR CARMEN ELECTRA REFLECTS ON HER RISQUÉ LOOKS FROM ‘90S: ‘IT WAS SHOCKING'
"I knew where I needed to be in N.Y. or L.A. So, there was a lot of struggling, and I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I just started to try things and come out of my shell really. So that’s the beginning."
Despite Electra being a 1990s sex symbol, she admitted she was "very shy" at the start of her career.
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She continued to open up about how she was discouraged in the beginning about pursuing a career in Hollywood.
"I would not want to go into auditions, I’d leave and say everyone’s so pretty, I can’t do this, I can’t memorize anything," Electra added.
"I felt like trying things and meeting some good people on the way that helped me."
Electra, who was born with the name Tara Leigh Patrick, grew up in Cincinnati and trained professionally as a dancer with hopes of touring as a "backup dancer for Janet Jackson."
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She was recording demos with Capitol Records when she caught the eye of Prince, who was putting together an all-girl group.
Electra said Prince "discovered" her and changed her name. Prince additionally asked her to tour with him in Europe.
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"With his support I got a tad bit more confident and just tried things and tried to keep that in mind with all my insecurities that I still have."
The OnlyFans model admitted she's been on the cover of more than 150 magazines, but never earned the Playmate status on Playboy despite posing for the coveted publication a number of times.
Electra went on to star in dozens of film and television roles, including the "Scary Movie" film franchise, "Starsky & Hutch" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2." Her arguably most recognizable role was Lani McKenzie on "Baywatch."
"Baywatch" was originally on air for 10 years. In 1999, after the series ended, the show was rebooted as "Baywatch: Hawaii," which ran for two years.
