Carmen Electra Reflects on Being Homeless in L.A. Before Making It Big in the '90s: 'There Was a Lot of Struggling'

Mar. 15, 2025

Carmen Electra.Photo:Charley Gallay/Getty

Charley Gallay/Getty

The ladies of the ’90s are still iconic to this day!

Though Electra has long been hailed as a ’90s bombshell, theBaywatchalum, 52, admitted that she was “very shy” early on in her career while reflecting on how she got her start.

Carmen Electra on ‘Baywatch’.Getty

Getty

“I was homeless in L.A., I’m not from a rich family or anything like that,” she recalled. “I knew where I needed to be in N.Y. or L.A.. So there was a lot of struggling, and I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I just started to try things and come out of my shell really. So that’s the beginning.”

Though she was a trained dancer, the model knew she would struggle to have a successful career in that field. She recalled feeling lost and discouraged about how she would jumpstart her career in Hollywood.

“I would not want to go into auditions, I’d leave and say everyone’s so pretty, I can’t do this, I can’t memorize anything,” she admitted.

“I don’t know if people really know that about me but there it is,” she smiled before gesturing to the crowd. “You guys make it happen.”

Electra (née Tara Leigh Patrick) credits her rise to stardom toPrince,who she says “discovered” her. He changed her name to her famous moniker and produced her studio album. “He just set me up and he was so supportive,” she recalled, adding that he wanted her to open up for him in Europe. “With his support I got a tad bit more confident and just tried things and tried to keep that in mind with all my insecurities that I still have.”

Electra, 52, made a splash in the ’80s, ’90s and early ’00s for her roles in movies like theScary Moviefranchise andStarsky & Hutch. But herbreakthrough role was as Lani McKenzie inBaywatch.

Juliette Lewis.Roy Rochlin/Getty

Lewis, 51, has received various accolades throughout her career, including nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Some of her biggest film roles over the years were inCape Fear,Natural Born KillersandWhat’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

While reflecting on how she got her start at 90s Con Florida, Lewis recalled how she got the acting bug from watching her father Geoffrey Lewis work as a character actor when she was young.

(L) Brittany and Cynthia Daniel on ‘Sweet Valley High’.Alamy

Alamy

Brittany and Cynthia both co-starred as Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield respectively onSweet Valley Highfrom 1994 to 1997 for four seasons. The beloved series was based onFrancine Pascal’s novels of the same name.

During the panel, the two opened up about how they navigated their early careers in Hollywood while in in school.

“We were in high school, a good portion of that,” Brittany said, adding that they struggled with “breaking into the business” at 15 years old. “Then my sister and I didBasketball Diariestogether, then we gotSweet Valley High.”

Cynthia also chimed in, “I was working onSwans Crossing. I was in high school, I was a cheerleader, trying to figure out my life and who I was. Then we startedSweet Valley Highand soon after I met my husband Cole.”

“It’s so funny I have three kids and my daughter looks identical to my husband,” Cynthia said during the panel. “I gave you my eggs and you get the girl who looks like us! But that was really special.”

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90s Con Florida is occurring through Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.

source: people.com