Tinsel Korey: Maxim today's girl

Tinsel Korey: Maxim today's girl



Tinsel Korey
Birthday: March 25, 1980
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Where You've Seen Her: Despite having half of her face covered by cruel special effects scar make-up, Tinsel shines as wolf-loving Native American Emily Young in the Twilight movies. When not dodging rabid fans, she is also an up-and-coming artist on the Canadian music scene. Tinsel returns as Emily in this month's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

On the Twilight phenomenon: "I have a scar in the movie so I think people are expecting me to have a scar in real life, so I don't always get recognized on the street and stuff like that. So I kind of live in my own bubble. I mean, yeah, I get to go to conventions and hear screaming fans and stuff like that."

On character authenticity: "Most people don't even know that the Quileute nation—which is the [wolves'] nation in the book—is actually a real nation. And I visited with them and I went over and I taught their kids acting for a couple days. And actually my character is from the Makah nation and after I visited my cousin on the Quileute reserve, I went to the Makah nation, too, and I spoke to their kids as well. So it's actually a real nation that most people are not even aware of."

On hairless werewolves: "You know what? Native American men actually have, like, no hair on their bodies, they just lucked out that way. So I'm kind of used to seeing that. But it's so funny 'cause all the girls are like, 'What is it like, doing your job?' I'm like, 'Oh I have the hardest job in the world. I've got to be on set with like half-naked men all the time.' But they ended up being like my brothers."

On female power: "It's very important for me that indigenous women are portrayed properly in the sense that we're shown in a good light. I think a lot of times we're shown as sex objects, like the Pocahontas kind of deal. And most Native women are very like strong and empowered. You don't mess with native women, you know? So I try to find the stronger characters. I want to do an action film but I'm like, "Not the bimbo action role. The tough, Lara Croft role, where she's still sexy but just doesn't lose her clothes all the time.' I actually find that women are more sexy when there's more left to the imagination, and I find a lot of guys think that too."