[IMG:L]It’s easy to see why Stacey Dash is the front runner on Celebrity Circus. Her graceful, acrobatic performances–such as the trapeze act she did last week–are so awesome they leave her–and the audience–out of breath. Fighting injuries when other cast members have been sent home under doctor’s orders, Dash takes a small breather to talk to us after a rehearsal of her trapeze act.
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Hollywood.com: How does it feel to have made it this far?
Stacey Dash: I am exhilarated. I am so proud of myself. I am forever a changed woman. Whatever doubts I had about myself, they’re gone. I’m more confident. I have more faith just in the human being and a power other than myself because there are times, there were things I was terrified to do that, terrified. Honestly terrified and I got over it. I’m not only over it, I’m enjoying it.
HW: Are all your stunts that intense?
SD:That I’ve done, yes. It just so happens all the ones that I’ve done have been for some reason every single week.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: How long did it take you to get to that point where you could pull yourself up and twist yourself around on the trapeze?
SD: I’ve only had four days.
HW: Could you have done that in the beginning of this show?
SD: Well, I was training to do that which is like flying trapeze and doing that on a cradle, but I broke my ribs. So when I broke my ribs, I couldn’t train for that because had I fallen, and even when you get down, you fall into a net and I could have no contact with my ribs because they were broken. That was the stipulation. If I’m going to continue this, I had to do something where I would not have any impact. So then I started training for bungee which is what I did the first week. So as soon as my ribs healed, I was like, “Come on,” which was last week. Sebastian and I decided to go back to it. So yeah, yeah I could’ve trained for it in the beginning but unfortunately my ribs got broken.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Is it even scarier when other contestants have to leave because of injuries?
SD: Yeah, but like I said, breaking my ribs, as soon as the doctor said my ribs were broken, the first thing in my mind was, “OK, sh*t, what can I do?” It wasn’t, “I’m quitting, I have to stop.” It was “What can I do?” which is what Chris [Knight] has been doing. Unfortunately, his bones did not heal so it took a doctor saying, “OK, that’s it” putting the kibosh, and the insurance saying, “We’re not going to pay because you can’t continue” for him to stop. Because it’s dangerous–it is.
HW: How does it feel to be the frontrunner on the show?
SD: I’m honored. I feel honored because everyone’s worked so hard. We’ve all worked so hard and I’m just honored to be with these last four people. I am absolutely honored, and to me at this point–yes, I want to win, but I would be happy if any one of us wins. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: That’s amazing for a group of actors to be so supportive and non-competitive with each other.
SD: It’s amazing. We’ve bonded because this is more than a competition. This is a very profound experience because you are dealing with tangible, real fears. So you must go to a deeper level of yourself, of your being and you have no choice. I think that’s the difference.
HW: What do you think has kept you getting high votes every week?
SD: I don’t know, just being honest. I’ve had people say, “Oh, this is what America wants. Just smile all the time. Just be happy.” And I’m like, “No, I want to share what I am experiencing, what I’m going through because maybe somewhere out there, there’s someone going through something in their life. If they see me overcome something, maybe this can translate to them somehow.” To me, honesty and being authentic is always the best policy. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: Have you gotten a sense of how people see you now that you’ve shown this side of you?
SD: No. I’ve been literally in a box. I come here, I go home, I crash. That’s it. I’m with my kids. My attention goes from my kids to this, my kids to this, my kids to this.
HW: How does it feel to see footage of yourself performing the stunts?
SD: It’s amazing. Unfortunately, because I’m kind of hard on myself, when watching, I’m like, “F**k I missed that. Oh sh*t, I should’ve done that.” That’s what I do. There have been moments where I’m like, “Wow, wow, I’m pretty high, I’m going pretty fast, I’m flyin’.”
HW: What has been your biggest wow moment?
SD: So far, the cradle. That was my biggest fear and it is my biggest wow. That first fall is just, and then I find myself trying to get it again through the act. Like OK, I want to feel that again. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: Physically, how do you go back to regular yoga class or the gym?
SD: Oh, it’s going to have to be Bikram yoga now. Then I don’t know, man. Sh*t, I’m going to have to get a black belt or something. Like I said, horseback riding. When I’m going fast on a horse, I get that feeling and I love it, so I think that’s what’s going to have to fill my up. You become addicted. They all warned me, all the circus freaks.
HW: And aren’t the costumes fabulous?
SD: Yeah, right? Sparkly. I’m sparkly. I love it. My daughter loves it. She just loves to go, “Ooh, Mommy’s so pretty, sparkly. I want sparkles.” Now I’m going to have to go home and bejewel everything she has.
HW: Do you think your kids might be inspired to get into more physical activities?
SD: My son does already. He’s a real daredevil. He skateboards and he just flips off walls and he does this thing called Spider-Manning. He’s done it since he was about six years old and he actually physically climbs from wall to wall to wall. He’s now going to be 18 in a week and he still does that. He’s not wanting for any of this. He does it every day. I’m just happy I impressed him. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: How do you top this?
SD: I think I have wings. I have big plans for myself, things I always said I wanted to do. Just from things like write a book to produce a movie or get a leading role, win an Academy Award. All these things that I thought were dreams. Not anymore.
