Interview circa 1970's, courtesy of Alpha Blue Archives. Q: Where did you break into films?
A: In Sweden, in avant garde films by Tiobylrn Axelmann, very, very wayout. One is about the circus, and he has a composer write the music for the whole films. They are something like the French films of Jacques Tati, but with the Swedish humor. There is sex and nudity, of course, but very light, like he shows the nude body but not the pubic hair. And when he introduces sex he has a reason for it, which I like, and they are not skinflicks. He is simply free to use sex, because in Sweden you grow up being nude, more or less.
Q: How is that?
A: Well, we have a lot of islands that are nudist islands, and even in the restaurants on the islands everybody is nude. And you don't identify the two-sex is sex and nudity is something else. A nude body has really nothing to do with sex.
Q: What has the nude body to do with, then?
A: It's just very comfortable. Why put on clothes to go to swim and then lie next to a pool in a wet swimsuit, if you can live without clothes?
Q: Did you make any films in Europe, after Sweden?
A: No, just some theater work in Switzerland and then I came here to Hollywood.
Q: And how did you break into films here?
A: I did pretty-girl modeling first for all major magazines and in all the double-folds and covers, and so the agency started to get calls from people who wanted to use me in films. These were skinflicks, but usually films which had a story and had a reason for the sex, but they did have nudity so they would call them sexploitation pictures. Some of them were pretty good and made good money.
Q: In these sex films your big breasts would be especially attractive?
A: Not necessarily, although Americans are attracted to big busts, more so than Europeans, because Europeans say,
"So what?" and they look on the legs or whatever.
Q: Did anything happen on location or on a set when you were filming?
A: Yes, I did a magazine layout for a Japanese outfit, and they could hardly speak any English, but they had an American who knew Japanese who would translate. They hired me for a week and on one of those days we were shooting at a private zoo, and I was sitting on a lion and I had a little loincloth on, made of leather, and the trainer of the lion was there for these scenes. And another scene I did with a tiger in a tree, and they were beautiful shots with three-dimensional camera for those postcards in which you think things move when you look at them.
Q: Was the lion free?
A: Yes, I was sitting on the lion and it was completely free, just his guard was standing by because they are tamed animals.
Q: How were you free to do it?
A: Because I love animals and I took their word that they were tame, and the guard was there anyway.
Q: The lion tolerated you sitting on him?
A: Yes, he didn't mind at all and I would cuddle him, and they were beautiful shots.
Q: How did that feel?
A: Oh, I loved it-beautiful! But anyway, we had a break because they had to go and get some other animals, and one of the Japanese photographer was with me for a minute. I was putting on some lipstick and he comes and takes my breast and he starts to suck on it. Just like that, and he was very shy before. I couldn't believe it, so I pushed him away, but comes like a little boy and he begs with his hand, Luckily the other people came back at the same time, and I saw on his face that he was petrified that I would say something to his boss, because he was an assistant. But I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get him into trouble. It was so funny, he couldn't speak any English and there he was, fast as a weasel. He just shot over to me to come to my breast.
Q: And you had no idea that he would do this?
A: No, I never expected it.
Q: How did it feel when he did that?
A: Oh, just like a little child he felt, taking the breast, and I just pushed him away.
Q: He was afraid that you would speak of it but he had to do it anyway?
A: He just had the urge, I suppose, but I would never get him into trouble.
Q: So you went on with the scenes?
A: We finished the shooting and he never came back, but I smiled at him occasionally, winked with my eyes and no problem. He was a charming little Japanese fellow, tiny, came hardly up to my neck. It was the first time he came to America.
Q: Probably the first time he came near such breasts?
A: Yes.
Q: Then it was incredibly right for it to happen under the circumstances?
A: Yes, I can understand it, and I thought it was funny.
Q: But the animals were all right and controlled?
A: Oh, yes, beautiful-I love to work with animals.
Q: Did they shoot any pictures nude?
A: Not completely nude-I was topless, but I would have a loincloth or a bikini on at all times, because in Japan they were very strict about seeing pubic hair.
Q: But you did some nude films on location?
A: I did a film called The Dirt Gang where we shot one week on the Bell Ranch and two weeks in the desert, and again whatever nudity was in that for a reason. I was part of the girls of the gang and there were sexy scenes with a sweat-shirt and no bra and some topless.
Q: What would you like to talk about on sex or your life-to get off your chest, so to speak?
A: Thinking of my doing interviews for casting, I know that many girls say they have bad experiences, or in the skin films themselves, but people treat me as I want them to and I've never had any trouble. I always find everyone very courteous, and if I go to an interview it's very professional.
Q: Have you had any propositions during a casting interview?
A: I've had proposition, but nicely done, and I would refuse them nicely.
Q: How is a proposition nicely done?
A: Like after I'd gotten the job, people would say to me that they find me very attractive and they'd like to get to know me better, and how about going out for a cocktail or dinner, and I would say however I would feel. But films is my business and my private life is my own, and I would not like to combine both. So I would decline very nicely and say that I'm flattered by the offer, and I really never had any trouble.
Q: Haven't there been any more direct proposition than that?
A: I have had people saying to me, "There are three girls out for the job and the three of you are equally talented and pretty-now, the one who is going to be friendly with me is going to get the job." And I would say, "I'm afraid I'm the wrong girl." Then I'd get an answer like "If you want to keep your Victorian attitude, you'll never get ahead in films", and I'd say, "Oh, well, that's just too bad, thank you, and good-bye." But that happens very rarely.
Q: But apparently they chose the friendly girl of the three?
A: It happens, but never to me. I think there is a lot of gossip about it that is completely untrue. Most of the casting directors are interested in getting the job over with and getting the cast together, especially if they have already done a few films. I think it must become very boring to cast girls for skinflicks. And so with photographers, it must be a job for them. Because many girls are tired and just waiting for the day to be over and get the money. They're not interested in the photographer and it's just a job. It's work to hold a good position all day long, for five or six hours-it's hard work. You have to stay in an angle that's most uncomfortable, your back hurts, and everything hurts, and you're waiting for focusing-you get tired so it's not all that easy as one might think.
View Uschi's movies at ALPHA BLUE ARCHIVES.
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