Can there be life after George Clooney? The stunning model soaks up the opportunity to man her own ship and navigate toward new horizons…
by Margarita Hirapetian
When you’re famous mainly for dating one of Hollywood’s most desired (and commitment-phobic) bachelors, you ought to be prepared for the judgment of the masses. Talking heads will wax philosophic about your past, present and future, while snarky bloggers and their army of commentators will scrutinize the minutest details of your being, from your appearance to every single word you utter. It takes a very strong person not to buckle under all the pressure, perhaps one who isn’t afraid of ingesting scorpions and scaling breathtaking heights.
Sarah Larson never imagined that being a Fear Factor contestant would lay the groundwork for her whirlwind foray into the world of celebrity. The drop-dead gorgeous 29- year-old played catch on a tight-rope and drank blended scorpions to win the top prize. “I really wanted to do the stunts,” she says. “The adrenaline rush was intense!” Crazy stunts, indeed, but not too far from the bizarre drama she’s come across in Hollywood. In fact, she may have to resort to tight-ropewalking just to elude the madcap paparazzi.
According to the press, it was about a year ago when Larson was working as a cocktail waitress at the Palms in Las Vegas when she and George Clooney began their year-long courtship. Since then she has been thrust into adjusting to the guerilla tactics of photographers supplying gossip rags with fodder for their stretched truths that feed the prying eyes of a celebrity-crazed public, and handling it all with aplomb. She says, “Everything happened so fast, I had no choice but to roll with it.”
Larson is a refreshingly serene girl with caring eyes, there’s not an ounce of pretentiousness in her, which makes her striking part- Mongolian, part-Norwegian beauty even more appealing. She speaks softly but with intent, “I’m an adaptable person so, surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult. But, it was nice to go back to my bubble in Vegas to decompress.”
Though her too-good-to-be-true romance with perpetual rogue Clooney has come to an abrupt end, it hasn’t stopped the model from adamantly pursuing her career goals. “I’m very work focused right now and enjoying it,” she says. Larson’s recently been named the spokesmodel for Christian Audigier’s new line of dresses, and has even begun working on her own swimwear line. “I’ve been offered hosting jobs on a variety of shows,” she says. “I’ve been doing a lot of modeling and, of course, I’m dedicated to charity work.”
She works closely with Aid for AIDS of Nevada, an organization that offers support to people living with the disease. Next month, Larson plans to participate in a celebrity softball game hosted by Nick Lachey, and benefiting Tacoma General Hospital in Washington. Although she is svelte, the girl is no stranger to playing hard. Larson keeps her seemingly perfect figure in shape with a plethora of outdoor activities including wakeboarding, rock climbing and kayaking. “I love being active,” she says. “I’m adventurous, and always like to try new things.” This courageous spirit has taken her from the small city of Kent, Washington to the bright neon lights of Las Vegas and dropped her directly into the lavish lap of Hollywood.
Somehow Larson has managed to stay grounded despite havinglived it up in some of the world’s most luxurious locales. “I still go to the same grocery, the same salon and have the same friends,” she says. As for her personal encounter with fame, Larson appreciates the career boost it has given her thus far. “It has been helpful for me to take my career in a new direction, though at first it was challenging to maintain my own identity and individuality in the public eye,” she says.
Today she’s focused on playing the fame game on her own terms, “I don’t want to be known for being someone’s girlfriend or ex-girlfriend. I just want to be me.” Stocked with all the right tools, Larson is prime to make her own distinctive mark on the entertainment industry.
