Poppy Montgomery
FHM | May 2004
Without a Trace’s Poppy Montgomery demonstrates her undercover techniques.
From Heather Locklear on T.J. Hooker to the myriad actresses with rock-hard bottoms on NYPD Blue, female TV cops always seem to be packing serious heat. But when it comes to portraying FBI agents on the small screen, it’s been a parade of Gillian Anderson’s sensible haircuts and pants suits. Well, Poppy Montgomery from the CBS hit drama Without a Trace is on a one-woman crusade to shoot down the myth that female FBI agents look like J. Edgar Hoover in drag. “Female FBI agents aren’t like male women,” Poppy says. “They’re attractive women who take care of their appearance and keep up with the guys.”
Like any good federal agent, Poppy strong-armed Hollywood into giving her what she wanted. With only a McDonald’s Extra Value Meal to her name at age 18, she bombarded Julia Roberts’s manager with a phone call and head shot daily until he signed her.“ It was either a restraining order or representation, and I got representation,” quips the Sydney, Australia, native.
Now the only thing the 31-year-old starlet has to worry about is her ever-increasing frosting addiction. “If I’m not careful, I will get a big ass,” she admits. After our thorough interrogation, a large derriere should be the least of her concerns.
Do you ever try to get out of tickets by telling a cop, “I play an FBI agent on TV”?
I’ve tried flirting with cops to get out of speeding tickets, but it doesn’t work. There was one time when I did get out of a ticket, and then the next time I got one, it didn’t matter that I was batting my eyelashes and everything. I was mad. I was like, “How does that happen?” because the first time I’d gotten out of the ticket, so I expected every time that
I cutely said, “Please, officer, don’t give me a ticket,” it would work.
Is it true you were too scared to shoot a real gun while doing research for Without a Trace?
I wasn’t frightened with shooting the gun. I was fine with that. I was frightened by its power. You really have a dangerous weapon in your hand. Knowing you could kill someone is a scary thing.
But there has to be some sort of rush when you shoot that first bullet.
I wasn’t like, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” I was really humbled by it because guns aren’t just these cool things you see on TV. They’re weapons that kill people.
Is it the danger element that gets guys all horny for chicks who can handle artillery?
I imagine that’s sexy to a man, so I get it. There is that fantasy of chicks with guns. It is a hot thing for guys.
Speaking of hot, what do you wear to feel sexy?
I’m not into crotchless lingerie. I like light, effortless simple kinds of stuff. Boxer shorts, the wife-beater tank tops. I like those a lot, or even briefs and a tank top in the summer. Places make me feel sexy more than clothes. New York is a very sexy city.
Tell us about your wild side.
My wildness is more like jumping on a plane to go to Florida by myself when I was 18, or running off to Bali with my boyfriend when I was 16. I don’t have wild stories where I’m like, “I was dancing on the bar and my skirt flew up.” That’s not really me. I’m more impulsive and spontaneous about stuff, and I’m not afraid of a lot, so it can lead to people going, “Wow, that was a wild decision you made,” and I don’t think of it that way.
What’s something else that’s risque about you?
I have a pool at my house and I skinny-dip. I don’t have issues with nudity. I don’t mind walking around naked. I was brought up on the beach in Australia. There, everybody sunbathes nude. You can be topless. People aren’t really hung up over it, and yet when I had a scene where I had to be in bed with Tori Spelling in a film, I was terrified by it. I was like, “Oh my God, I really hope that my boob isn’t falling under my arm right now while I’m lying on my back.” That would really suck. That’s a vanity thing though. I’m comfortable with nudity.
In that film, 50 Ways to Lose Your Lover, were you upset that you couldn’t make love with Tori since, as you put it, Tori “has the rockingest body” you’ve ever seen?
I was so nervous. I was like a little schoolgirl, but Tori, oh she has an incredible body. I was like, “Damn, I would kill for her body.”
We’ve also heard that your mouth needs to be washed out with soap.
I can have a sailor’s mouth. I can keep up with the boys when they’re talking like truck drivers. I certainly don’t shy away from that stuff. I think it’s funny and interesting when someone at a dinner party tells a completely inappropriate joke. I’m the one who’s rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.
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