The price of celebrity doesn't come cheap, especially regarding privacy. Hawaii's Amanda Schull, a Punahou graduate who dances in the "corps" of the San Francisco Ballet, hit it big last spring starring in the film "Center Stage." Dance with film fame
tricky for Punahou gradBy Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.comSchull, who admits to being "no major ballet star," did become the center of attention on the screen and in her ballet company. She's still so popular that there are dozens of Web pages dedicated to her, and fans, mostly young girls, who wait outside the theaters' doors where she performs Sharpies in hand hoping for an autograph or picture.
Schull, 23, returns to Hawaii for her first professional performance here with the San Francisco Ballet on Saturday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, calls the attention "embarrassing and freaky."
"When I used to read about actors who complained that they couldn't even get a cup of coffee without being bothered by fans, I would think, 'Hey, you get paid millions to do what you do so it comes with the territory,' " she said in a telephone interview from her San Francisco home.
But since the film, Schull has received phone calls from fans at her rehearsal hall and flowers at theaters where she performs. On the advice of friends, she also checked the Internet to see what is posted online.
"There was this one site where a couple of guys had a chat room about me," she said. "They had weekly tennis matches and whomever won the match was my boyfriend that week and they talked about me like they were my boyfriend. Isn't that really weird?
Schull never broke in to set the record straight. "I wouldn't give them the satisfaction," she said.
A couple of months ago during a European tour, Schull was walking to her hotel through the streets of Barcelona, Spain, after a late-night performance when she spotted a group of people following her. "I was really scared so I went into this hotel," she said. "I could see them standing outside looking at me."
When she completed a phone call, the group approached her. "They recognized me from the film and just wanted to talk," Schull said.
Showcasing principal dancers from the San Francisco Ballet Ballet Stars From San Francisco
Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall
When: 8 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $25 to $55
Call: 526-4400; groups of 15 or more can receive a 10 percent discount by calling 732-7733
Schull started as a student of ballet at Hawaii State Ballet with John Landovsky. As a teenager, she acted in various productions here, such as "A Little Night Music," "Evita," Gypsy" and "Into the Woods." She also performed with Hawaii Ballet in "The Nutcracker," "Esmeralda," "Carmina Burana," "Hamlet" and "Paquita." She attended Indiana University for two years. In 1999, after apprenticing with San Francisco Ballet, she became a full company member in the corps de ballet.
"Center Stage," followed, focusing on the hopes and dreams of young dance students as they try to forge careers. Acting in the film was a positive experience and Schull says she never second guessed herself about taking the job and the time off from ballet.
"The film didn't affect my dancing career with San Francisco at all and I didn't want it too," she said. "It hasn't affected my position in the company."
When she returned to the ballet company, Schull started as an apprentice, receiving no special treatment for her Hollywood "star" status.
"It's funny for the people in the company when we go on tour because there are people waiting to get my autograph and I'm only a dancer in the corps," she said. "No one has been jealous; they think it's hysterical but it embarrasses me because the principal dancers and soloists are the artists."
The film also had physical consequences for Schull, including putting on a few pounds she has since lost.
"I really didn't dance that often during the filming unless we were rehearsing a dance scene. And I should have been stretching between takes rather than hanging out at the food cart."
Schull only had one day of rehearsal with the company after the film before performing "Giselle" at the Kennedy Center then off to London to dance "Swan Lake."
Schull does maintain an agent, a potential film career is on hold for now. "I have worked so hard to become a dancer that I wasn't going to just quit and give up all my dreams and hard work," said Schull, who was offered a principal roll in another dance film which she declined.
"Why would I want to do the same thing again," she says.
So what is her life's plan?
"I really should have one of those shouldn't I?" she says. "Well, I want to be able to dance as long as I can and I know that's not a very detailed plan. But I love performing, and I love being in San Francisco. And that's what I'm looking forward to for a very long time."
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