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January 2, 2001

Elk Rapids woman lands latest Hollywood role

- Tanya Newbould can currently be seen in 'The Family Man'
By HEATHER L. VANDYKE
      Record-Eagle staff writer
      ELK RAPIDS - If you pay attention to the latest film by Nicolas Cage,"The Family Man," you may recognize a woman seen about Elk Rapids with her own family.
      Or, dude, maybe you caught Tanya Newbould in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey."
      Or perhaps by some miracle you remember her from "Sister Act II."
      Newbould, 31, is building a career for herself. Next stop: "Rush Hour II," starring Jackie Chan.
      "I think it's going to be a comedy part - the big hair, the clothes, the whole nine yards," she said.
      Her path to Hollywood has not been an easy one. The former Ms. California credits the time-tested approach to success: Persistence.
      "If it's what is in your heart, follow it," she said. "I'm very strong-willed. I don't give up."
      There is little choice.
      "It's constant rejection," she said of acting. "I have seen many people come and go and this is not a business for those that do not stay."
      "It's a terrible rejection job. I knew it was going to be tough," said her mother, Joan Newbould of Elk Rapids.
      Born in England, Newbould did not began living in Michigan until she was 2 years old, after her American mother and English father moved to the Sterling Heights area.
      Eight years ago her parents moved to Elk Rapids, where her family had vacationed since she was 5 years old.
      After graduating from Fraser Heights High School and later Macomb Community College, she went on to California State Long Beach University to pursue her passion for theater. She graduated in 1988.
      But before the agents came the pageants.
      "I was sidetracked for several years doing beauty pageants," she said, "a glamorous and a great time."
      In 1989 she was crowned Miss Newport Beach. In 1990 she was the first runner-up for Miss Hollywood. In 1995 she was crowned Ms. California.
      And then there was the Barbie gig.
      "I was even Barbie for Mattel," she said. "I was visiting children in hospitals. It really was a blast because they thought I was really Barbie," she said.
      She landed her first movie role in 1992, as a rock 'n' roll reporter in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey."
      The scripts kept coming and thanks to actress Whoopi Goldberg, so did her part in the film "Sister Act II."
      "I have Whoopi to thank. She helped me get the role," she said.
      Newbould said she prefers doing films over television. The actresses she admires: Glenn Close, Michele Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon.
      But regardless, working as an actress, she "will never give it up," she said.
      "One thing nice about acting is, if you're good and you work on your craft, you can do it all your life. I'm blessed and I feel very fortunate," she said.