HEART TO HEART
The former Bay watch star reflects on the long road to discovering her true passion
Former Baywatch star Erika Eleniak tells Closer about her long journey to finding happiness.
From 1989 to 1992, Erika Eleniak played rich girlturned-lifeguard Shauni McClain on Baywatch, the Los Angeles-set series that became a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s. “There was such wonderful camaraderie on the set between the cast, the crew, the creators and our real lifeguards,” Erika tells Closer. “There were so many moments of laughter on a daily basis.” Fans of the original series, which ran for 11 seasons from 1989 to 2001, can relive all the fun and excitement on the Heroes & Icons network. The complete series has been remastered in HD and is airing seven days a week, with two back-to-back episodes on weekdays and Sundays.
Since leaving the beach, Erika, 51, has tried many things. Today, the divorced single mom is a life coach with her own podcast, Spiritual Alchemy with Erika. “It’s the culmination of many years of study and passion,” says Erika, who shares some sage advice on self-love, confidence and living your best life. “We’re trying to offer up things that inspire.”
Did you always want to be an actress?
I kind of fell into it. When I was 10, my dad was dating a lovely lady who worked for a film company. They often needed extras for trainee films or Coke commercials.
How did your mom feel about you becoming a model and child actor?
She schlepped me around and supported me but also kept me in check. She was the opposite of a stage mother. She wanted me in school. She tried really hard to keep me grounded.
You made your feature film debut in E.T.
the Extra-Terrestrial. Do you feel like you missed out on a normal childhood because you were an actor?
No, I was not really a Hollywood kid, even though I grew up in the industry. I really grew up in my neighborhood. I was a naughty teenager at times, but I never did the Hollywood scene.
What was it like working with David Hasselhoff on Baywatch?
There were so many moments of laughter and goofiness with him. I remember there was one episode where Billy Warlock and I had a scene. It was a close-up scene, heavy duty with tears needed from me. As the camera rolls and I’m all ready to go, there’s David behind the camera making the most horrific faces at me! It just killed the mood. He’s such a prankster.
We’ve heard that about him.
Oh yeah, he’d always do something funny, like pull on Billy’s hair before he went on with the camera literally rolling. The pranks were just constant with him.