Nineteen years ago, a white stuffed animal bunny was living her life in anonymity at a Hallmark in Ridgecrest, California?just another victim of the uncontrolled stuffed pet population. Then fate intervened: Kym Canter plucked the bunny from the shelves and adopted her as her own. The current creative director of L-atitude, Canter armed her furry friend with all of the tools necessary to make the journey from suburban bedroom to the cutthroat world of fashion, fame, and fortune (including a name that demands to be spelled out in bright lights). Now, Star Von Bunny tells all in her new memoir, ?Star Von Bunny: A Model Tale? (HarperEntertainment), a very candid account of how a small-town girl made it big and what it takes to stay on top?even when you?re barely pushing two feet tall. The model/actress/whatever (or M.A.W., as Star likes to say) lets us in on how she defied critics?and logic?by becoming the first runway regular with a tail.
How did find yourself thrust into the limelight from such humble beginnings? Did you always know that you were somehow ?different??
I always knew I would be a Star; it just took a bit more practice than I had imagined?many hours of study, first in front of the TV and then in front of the mirror. Many people felt I was a long shot?too short, not thin enough?but I never listened.
Overcoming adversity can definitely make you stronger?and svelte, in your case. You always look so great and together. What is your beauty and fitness regimen?
I follow a strict white-food diet because i believe you are what you eat. It?s all detailed in the book! But generally speaking, I am a firm believer that a girl has to turn her minuses into pluses.
You?re just as big a star as the myriad other M.A.W.?s that keep the gossip mags in business, but you seem much more levelheaded. What?s your secret?
Oh, I never let my head get too filled with all that fluff. And I spend a lot of my time doing charity work. I am deeply involved in my pet charity, P.E.T.S.A- People for the Ethical Treatment of Stuffed Animals. But seriously, a portion of the proceeds from my book go to Doctors Without Borders?Kym insisted.
Speaking of Kym, you two have seemed to stand by each other through thick and thin, no small feat in today?s turbulent world of celebrity. How would you describe your relationship?
I am her muse and she is my stage mother from hell! But truthfully, most of the ideas come from me.
If you could issue a message to all of the young starlets running wild in Hollywood, what would you say?
I would tell them to act like a star, dress like a star, and someday they will be just like Star.
All Photos: Courtesy of HarperEntertainment
From Clockwise: Kashmir Loom, Letters Couture, Letters Couture, Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, Kismet and Sophia 203.
