From Catwalks To Close-Ups: 9 Model-Turned-Actresses

There's a certain stigma in Hollywood surrounding models who want to make the notoriously tricky transition into acting. While A-listers like Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz all started out as models, none of them walked the runways to global superstardom. They emerged as stars only after their acting careers took off, and were spared a lot of the skepticism that tends to greet more famous cover girls standing at the foot of Hollywood's golden gates.

In fact, there have only been a handful of supermodels who successfully parlayed their voguing skills into legitimate acting careers. Many observers see modeling as a vapid profession, one that requires little more than the ability to sashay down a runway in four-inch stilettos. Acting, they argue, is high art. It's cerebral, deeply felt, and requires years of training to master. While some models have failed in their attempts at a big-screen career, others have made it look easy. The latest supermodel to give it a go is Kate Upton, who stars alongside Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann in next week's ode to girl power The Other Woman. Whether Upton has a future in the pictures remains to be seen, but if she refers to the following slideshow as a do-and-don't guide for models-turned-actresses, we might just see her accept an Oscar when it's all said and done. Or, at least present one.