See her video at SavvyTV!

This week’s Savvy Girl is beautiful Tanja Reichert, photographed by the talented Brie Childers.

If Tanja looks familiar, it is probably because you’ve seen her on TV or at the movies. The Canadian’s resume includes a regular role opposite Tia Carrere on “Relic Hunter” and roles on the sci-fi series “First Wave”, “C.S.I. Miami”, “The Chris Isaak Show”. She has starred in such movies as Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde as Reese Witherspoon’s Delta-Nu sister, Chef Kelly in the Brozen Lizard’s Club Dread, Freddie Prinze Jr.’s undercover FBI partner in Universal’s Head Over Heels, and a part in the Wayans brothers’ horror spoof hit Scary Movie.

She appeared last fall on “Desperate Housewives” as one of Gabrielle’s modeling friends from New York City, and Tanja was also on the big screen opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. She recently shot a part in the new Adam Sandler comedy Click and filmed Bottom’s Up with Paris Hilton and Jason Mewes in 2005.

You would think that a girl who has worked with so many big name celebs would have a few tales to tell, but Tanja isn’t one to hold her co-stars too high on a pedestal above herself. She’s also surprisingly girly to have such a cool, laid back attitude.

“I’m not high maintenance – unless I’m ordering at a restaurant,” she said.

Savvy talked to her about show biz, fitness and fun in this interview…

Savvy: Tell me about your Savvy shoot.

Tanja: Oh, so much fun, I love, love, love the photographer, Brie Childers. I had shot with her once before and was really looking forward to the Savvy shoot. She had great ideas and made me feel sexy. It was her idea to rip up the wife beater and spray water on the floor and me. We had a lot of fun with that.

Savvy: We had fun looking at the photos. What do you think might come from your appearance in Savvy?

Tanja: I hope to bring world peace to the world.

Savvy: This isn’t a beauty pageant! (Laughs) Do you get back to Vancouver often?

Tanja: I try to. My family is there and my sister just had a little girl, my first niece. I’ve lived in Toronto, Los Angeles and I spent 11^th grade in Japan as an exchange student.

Savvy: Wow, so the hot foreign exchange student fantasy goes both ways. Geographically, I mean. Which of those places is your favorite?

Tanja: The best thing about Vancouver is how close to nature it is for a city. It has really clean air. It has a little bit of everything, especially for people who love the outdoors, which I do. Just check the weather report before you come because it rains a lot.

Savvy: You must get ass-deep in snow up there.

Tanja: The most fun I’ve ever had was snowboarding after a big storm, on fresh powder in the sun, having the whole mountain practically to myself.

Savvy: You into sports?

Tanja: I go snowboarding whenever I can. I watch F-1 racing and soccer, but usually only the World Cup. I like Tonya Harding, I think she got a raw deal, plus we have the same first name. If I weren’t a model and actress, I would probably be in the health or fitness fields right now.

Savvy: Okay.

Tanja: But on the topic of places, I do want to add that there is something magical about Japanese culture. The people are so friendly and giving.  Plus, I love their food.

Savvy: Okay, we’ll add that. Let’s talk about your career a little bit before we get into the racy topics, okay? I see you were on “Relic Hunter”? I cried when that show went off the air.

Tanja: They based the character of Karen Petrusky on Erin Brockovich because that was shortly after the movie about her swept the Oscars. They made the character a younger version of what she’s like.

Savvy: That was a cute, hot role. What are some things you have coming up?

Tanja: I did an episode of “One on One” that is airing in April on UPN. I also want to mention Click coming out this year, as well as the Paris Hilton movie, Bottom’s Up. I also hope people will visit my website at Tanjareichert.com. I have a bunch of new photos I am putting up.

Savvy: What was Paris Hilton like?

Tanja: What’s she like? I play a member of her posse but we don’t actually like her character so we kind of talk shit about her. I did not actually have any scenes with her and I don’t see her at parties so it’s not like I’ve ever had a conversation with her.

Savvy: Oh. What about some of the other celebs?

Tanja: I’ve met some celebrities, but I can’t say I know them that well.

Savvy: So no moments of ever being star-struck in your life?

Tanja: (Thinks, then Laughs) I went to some of the Oscar parties and I saw Anthony Robbins. There were tons of other celebrities around, but I was, like, “Oh My God, that’s Anthony Robbins!” I don’t know why, but I was so taken aback. I wasn’t so much star-struck as I was shocked to see him. It was not the place I would expect to see him. He’s very charismatic.

Savvy: Did he use his motivational powers on you?

Tanja: No. (Laughs)

Savvy: Ever wish you were not a celebrity yourself? Does show biz consume your soul?

Tanja: It’s totally crazy, but its fun and an adventure. It’s a fun ride, you know? I definitely enjoy it. I’m still waiting on my “big break”. It has been predicted.

Savvy: I’d bet on it. What’s been your coolest experience in show business so far?

Tanja: It was pretty cool working on “Desperate Housewives”. I was really struck by how laid back and not stressful it was. Usually when you work on shows, there’s a ton of pressure and go, go, go. People pressure you to hurry up. It’s a very high-stress situation. I found the attitude of all the people I worked with on that show very laid-back, easygoing and cool. That was surprising because you expect a real big show to be very hectic but it wasn’t.

Savvy: Speaking of surprising, what’s something that people may not know about you?

Tanja: I’ve been pretty open. (Laughs) I think I’ve put it all out there. I like to bake and cook. I go snowboarding. I’m really into fitness and nutrition. I’m fascinated with anything have to do with health. I love working out. It makes me feel strong. I aim to do something active every day – running, hiking, spinning. I have to be careful with weights, though, because I get muscles just looking at them. But I’ve kind of spilled the beans on all of that already.

Savvy: Then I guess we can move on into the sexy questions.

Tanja: People always try to ask me about my personal life. (Laughs)

Savvy: What kind of guy attracts you?

Tanja: I’m interested in masculine guys, guys who are fun and confident and intelligent. I love creative, funny guys, and good looking, of course. I’ve always been attracted to older guys.

Savvy: How can a guy catch your eye?

Tanja: By not trying to catch my eye.

Savvy: Pick-up lines. Your thoughts?

Tanja: If you genially feel something and say it, it can be cute. But don’t shout it out of a car window.

Savvy: Do guys lie about sleeping with you to impress their buddies?

Tanja: I had a boy tell his friends he slept with me in high school. It was lame. A man is not a man when he has to do that.

Savvy: What’s your favorite part of a man’s body?

Tanja: A man’s hands.

Savvy: Ever look at a guy’s hands to see how large they are? Is that true what they say about large hands indicating other body parts are large?

Tanja: Um, I think a man’s hands should have a masculine, strong look. I don’t know that it represents anything else. (Laughs)

Savvy: Oh, okay. Because my hands are so friggin’ big!

Tanja: Actually, wait. No, I like the second toe on a man’s left foot because it is longer.

Savvy: Okay… (Laughs) When it comes to sex, are you old-fashion or open-minded about trying new things?

Tanja: I like to think that I’m pretty open-minded.

Savvy: What’s the best sex you ever had?

Tanja: Gosh, there have been so many times it was great. (Laughs) I don’t know that there’s one particular instant. For me, it’s the connection, the closeness you feel with someone. That’s what can make sex really spectacular. I know that’s the boring answer and your readers probably don’t want to hear that, but that’s my answer.

Savvy: No, we just want the truth. What do men need to do better in bed?

Tanja: It is a pretty widespread comment that men don’t do enough foreplay. Pretty basic.

Savvy: Do you and your girlfriends talk about sex in graphic, nasty details?

Tanja: I think we talked more like that in high school and college but not now. Everybody knows that girls like to talk.

Savvy: If you could pick one celebrity co-star to work with, who would it be?

Tanja: Angelina Jolie, so I can feel her lips. She’s very sexual.

Savvy: Does that mean you are attracted to other women?

Tanja: Women are definitely prettier than men.

Savvy: What would freak you out sexually?

Tanja: Catching a man in bed with another man, which is still cheating, or if my best friend tried to have sex with me.

Savvy: Are you available?

Tanja: I have a man. Who else would I cook for? I have to have someone.

Savvy: What if your guy suddenly couldn’t cook in the bedroom anymore? Would you trade him in for another model?

Tanja: I would buy stock in the company that makes Viagra.

Savvy: During sex, lights on or lights off?

Tanja: Candles or lights on, sure.

Savvy: Ever made a dirty video with a boyfriend?

Tanja: That’s so last year.

Savvy: (Laughs) You’re funny.

Tanja: Thanks.

Savvy: What do men need to do better outside of the bedroom?

Tanja: It’s a listening thing, I think. Men would do to have more patience listening to women. As boring as that sounds for men to hear, it would probably help.

Savvy: So if you were upset, I guess you wouldn’t keep it to yourself.

Tanja: Like I said, I love to talk. Men also need to realize that hormones are VERY powerful drugs. I’d rather work for a man than a woman because men don’t get PMS. (Laughs)

Savvy: If you could go back in time and relive one special event in your life, what would it be?

Tanja: The first year of my life. I don’t remember a thing.

Savvy: (Laughs) Good one. If you only had five days to live, what would you do?

Tanja: Spend time with people I love and eat delicious food without regarding my diet.

Savvy: Any plans of settling down in the future?

Tanja: Marriage is definitely in the cards for me.

Savvy: Does that mean you would get hitched just to experience being a bride or to get a kid or security?

Tanja: I would rather adopt than marry someone I did not love just to have a kid. I think women are better off living alone than marrying just to be with someone. A woman needs to know who she is and what she wants before getting a wedding band on her finger.

Savvy: How do you know if it is really love?

Tanja: When he and I are inside a bubble and the outside world doesn’t exist.

Savvy: How should guys work up the nerve to approach hot women like you and actually be able to close the deal?

Tanja: Just go for it again and again until it becomes second nature.

Savvy: What do you do for fun besides snowboarding and working out?

Tanja: A laid back dinner with friends is relaxing. It is even better having dinner with friends somewhere exotic.

Savvy: How have you changed since high school?

Tanja: I have discovered Mystic tanning. (Laughs) My upbringing was typical suburban middle class. I was a rambunctious kid. Moving to L.A. on a whim was pretty wild to do but I don’t regret it.

Savvy: Speaking of wild, what is the sexiest thing you’ve ever done, personally or professionally?

Tanja: I think the whole coming out of the pool thing is pretty sexy; I’ve done it twice.

Savvy: Besides looking hot, do you have any other talents?

Tanja: No, not really.

Savvy: (Laughs) You are a hoot. Have you ever used your looks to get out of trouble?

Tanja: Of course. I hate getting in trouble.

Savvy: What’s your biggest flaw?

Tanja: Not being able to put my ankles behind my head.

Savvy: (Laughs) Yeah, I can see where that might come in handy.

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On the Net:

http://www.tanjareichert.com/