She’s gorgeous, sexy, talented, and been in the business of acting for over a decade. She dazzled us as the adorable Grace Sheffield on The Nanny; our mouths hung open when she kissed Hayden Panettiere on the show Heroes, and she continues to blow us away as the bad girl on Showtime’s Californication. Nobody can argue that she’s well rounded, not to mention highly desired by men across the country after a few steamy and dysfunctional scenes between her and David Duchovny; nothing says hot like a sucker punch to the eye during sex (season 1, episode 1 – watch it now!).

With her burgeoning success, it comes as a surprise to many of us who admire her that she isn’t yet a household name. Who is Madeline Zima and why is she not making headlines like other Hollywood starlets such as Megan Fox, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Anne Hathaway, or Rachel Bilson? Why isn’t she mentioned regularly in gossip columns, plastered on Us Weekly, or featured prominently in the glossy pages of prestigious magazines?

As I stare at the cover of Elle’s latest issue with Emma Stone on the cover, I can’t help but scratch my head and wonder where the disconnect lies. It’s especially puzzling considering the success of Californication and her controversial role as Mia Lewis, the beautiful, borderline sociopathic teen who steals Hank Moody’s (played by David Duchovny) book and passes it off as her own work. After all, there’s no question Hollywood loves a hot mess. Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Charlie Sheen are a prime example of that phenomenon.

Granted those are real life dramas and not fictitious shenanigans like Zima’s. Perhaps that’s where the issue lies; she’s not dysfunctional enough in real life. She’s not haggardly stumbling out of clubs at 2AM with booz on her breath, coke rimming her nose, and boys on both of her arms; she’s not dying her hair blonde, then red, then purple, then brunette, then blonde again; she’s not getting out of cars with unmentionables spewing out of her skirt and she’s definitely not posing for any mug shots due to second and third DUI’s.



We know her for her talent and talent alone. There’s nothing plaguing her reputation or clouding our perception of her and she clearly keeps her private life private. I recently scrolled through blogger Perez Hilton’s “Star Seeker” drop down menu and Zima was nowhere in sight. Not a single entry, mention, or mumble… nada, zilch, zero. While I don’t consider Perez the ultimate barometer of success, it does clearly indicate a lack of both bad AND good exposure.

Hollywood history has shown us that even stars that stay to themselves and keep it classy...

have to learn the delicate balance of letting the public in on their lives just enough for us to stay engaged in their career. Whether it be letting us in on a hot new (and short lived) love affair like Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn or promoting philanthropies like George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt, we need something other than just a walk down the red carpet. We need to know that our “royalty” has a pulse.

She’s only 25 years old but has been in the business since 1992. We knew we’d be seeing more of her after her breakout role in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle – and we have – but as a big fan I’m left wanting more from her. It’s great that she has two shih tzus named Ziggy and Bebe and that people call her by a couple of nicknames, “Maddie” and “Madsters,” but what kind of woman is she? You can’t get a feel for a person by reading a few facts off a random fan page or Wikipedia entry.

Zima has a bright future ahead of her and an even brighter one if she gives us a little more insight into who she is; a career full of more “F*cking and Punching,” bad girl antics, and roles bursting with potential. If the status quo works for her and she’s content with the level of success she’s earned then more power to her. I’d just hate to see that powerful punch not live up to its full potential.