Carmen Electra: TV, Movies, and Now Tennis

TV, movies, and now tennis. Is there no stopping Carmen Electra?

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 has recently been released on DVD. Yes, there’s a reason to rent it even though Steve Martin hasn’t been funny since Planes, Trains, and Automobiles). It's Carmen Electra, who busts a move on the court. New to tennis, she was game enough to take a crash course for a day with a pro (we can only imagine what he text-messaged his friends) before filming her scene. It was an uphill battle. “I’m not athletic in the least,” she says. “You should see me run.” We did. On Baywatch.

“Let me tell you, I suck at tennis,” Electra says, laughing. “I learned how to roll the racquet—you know, to spin it in your hand.” She spreads her feet apart and squats down like she’s ready to return serve.

So did she actually hit the ball or did the magic happen in the editing room? “You basically sit there and get ready and try to look good,” Electra says. “And they cut it up and make it look good.”

Meanwhile, her co-star Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) is into dating tennis players. “Nobody famous,” she says, “just regular guys.” Perabo doesn’t play often—“I’ll sit there and watch. I look cute in white”—but she’s a fan of the pros. “Agassi’s my favorite player, but Andy Roddick looks really cute in his little outfit.”

As for Electra’s electric on-court performance, Perabo says, “She’s so funny. And her outfit is hot. Venus and Serena are going to want to play tennis with her.”