But there is more to this Southern California
girl than just wearing over-the-top sexy outfits that hug her voluptuous curves
and being arm candy to her man at celebrity events. She is also a business
woman and an advocate of full-figured women being comfortable with their
bodies.
The 34-year-old, blond bombshell’s latest project
is Peepshow at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The striptease show has
wowed audiences. Coco was even named by Las Vegas Weekly to be one of the top
13 performers to watch in 2013. TheCelebrityCafe.com had the chance to speak
with Coco about Peepshow (which has been extended through Sept. 1st) and
how she manages to make her marriage work despite the distance.
TheCelebrityCafe.com:
What can people expect at Peepshow?
Coco Austin: When people hear the term
peepshow they automatically think of it as a sleazy, grimy-type atmosphere. But
this show is the opposite of that. It’s a musical love story. Everything you
would expect at a Vegas show is in Peepshow such as Cirque du Soleil-like
entertainment, comedy, singing, and dancing.
Another thing viewers won’t expect is the
character I play, Bo Peep, who is shy and timid, which is the exact opposite of
me. A lot of people didn’t think I could pull it off. In fact, after each show
I do a meet and greet with the audience and some actually thought I really was
shy like my character. So it’s nice to know that I did my performance so well
that people really thought I can be timid.
TCC: Do you personally sing,
dance, or do any acrobats on the show?
CA: I only dance on the show.
When I first got the call to do the Vegas show, I had seen Holly Madison prior
to taking her place on Peepshow and she was singing and dancing. So I
said, “If I am coming all the way from New York to Las Vegas for the show I
want to dance.” The reason why I said this is because I have been dancing my
whole entire life. Peepshow gave me the opportunity to show off my
skill. There are not too many times that you start something in your childhood
that you actually get a chance to show off later on in life. I might tweak it a
bit and incorporate singing in my performance. But for right now I’m not too
into it. I can hold a tune, but I’m not comfortable doing that just yet. I am
not on the level of the talent we have on the show. So I’ll leave the singing
to them. (Laughs)
TCC: Since this is a burlesque
show there is nudity involved, right?
CA: Um…maybe I shouldn’t give it
away, but in the show my character gets some help on how to be more comfortable
with her body. So there is nudity involved. I won’t tell you what parts are
shown, but it happens suddenly that the audience doesn’t expect it.
TCC: Were you nervous during your
debut because of having to bare your body in front of an audience?
CA: I get asked that all the time
and what people don’t realize is that you do so many rehearsals before you
actually hit the stage. After practicing over and over again when you finally
perform on stage it comes off natural. Also, when on stage what the audience
doesn’t know is that you can’t see them because of the stage lights that hit
you in the face. It’s a trick that stage performers do. So that helps me a lot
when I’m doing my thing on stage.
TCC: Is Peepshow something
only men will enjoy or could they bring their wives or girlfriends with them?
CA: It is for all audiences. Let
me tell you, I have a really big female fan base. So I mostly see more women
than men in the audience. And they come in packs because of girls’ night out or
celebrating a bachelorette party. Back then I used to have more of a male fan
base during my swimsuit modeling days. But now that I do television more women
are my fans and so they come to see my show. And I am grateful for that.
Also, women love musicals and love stories,
sometimes they bring their husbands with them. After watching Peepshow
people always say to me that it was more than what they expected. It is so much
more than a musical. It has a lot of energy and is fast-paced. You are
entertained the whole time watching it. One guy from Germany watched Peepshow
every single day for the whole week he was in Vegas. He found the show to be
that interesting. Some have watched the show more than once because there is so
much going on that you miss a lot the first time you see it.
TCC: Would you want to do
burlesque shows permanently?
CA: This has been a great
experience. When you’re on stage, you really feed off the audiences’ energy.
There is nothing like it. After Peepshow I really don’t know what my
next project will be. But I would like to keep on doing theater. I think I
could do that forever.
TCC: How does it feel being a
1,000 miles away from your husband, Ice-T, while doing the show in Las Vegas?
CA: We do a lot of Skyping.
That’s like our NO. 1 thing. When I’m not in New York visiting him, he’s out
here on the weekends to see me. But now that the season for Law & Order
has recently ended, Ice will spend the whole summertime with me. He really
likes Peepshow. He said to me, “This show fits you perfectly.” It feels
nice getting approval from your man. I want him to be proud.
TCC: Would you like to dispel
rumors that you and Ice-T are on the brink of divorce because of an alleged
affair you had with rapper AP.9?
CA: The internet is complete
rubbish. We never like to read anything off the internet. We hear rumors but we
don’t feed into it. Our relationship is very strong. We have been together for
12 years and will continue to be for many years. Simple as that.
TCC: Will there be a fourth season
of Ice Loves Coco?
CA: Right now the show is on a
break. We just finished season three. Ice has finished Law & Order
and I’m doing Peepshow so we are going to figure it from there. It’s a
lot of work doing three shows at once. You never really know.
TCC: Now in regards to your
clothing line Licious that’s dedicated to curvy women. Why do you think
the general public equates curves with being fat?
CA: I believe every woman’s body
is beautiful in its own way. I have never understood that just because a woman
has thick thighs she is considered fat. For so long I’ve been around in the
modeling world and have tried to break that barrier. But I think now it’s
turning around. In my opinion, I believe there are more curvy girls out there
than skinny girls. To have curves means you are healthier. But when you are
super skinny you are not eating correctly probably because you are not eating
at all, I mean, let’s be honest here.
The reason why I started the clothing line Licious
is because I had trouble finding clothes for my body type. I figured if I’m having
trouble finding clothes for me being curvy I know girls with my body type are
probably facing the same issue. And so with the help of my designer, I came up
with the idea of creating my own clothing line. They are clothes that I like to
wear and people like the style. It’s a hobby. I really don’t consider myself to
be a designer. But I feel full-figured women deserve to wear clothes that show
off their curves in a flattering way. When you have clothes that fit your body
type you feel more confident and comfortable with yourself.
Follow Coco Austin on Twitter @Cocosworld.
And for more info on PeepShow and how to
purchase tickets, please go to her website at CocosWorld.com or www.lasvegaspeepshow.com
Photo courtesy of John Ganun
