The Star of the Uschi Obermaier Biopic Eight Miles High Talks to Us About Movies, Nudity, and Sexual Freedom!

Eight Miles High recounts the amazing true-life story of ’60s-era actress, model, and sexual-revolution icon Uschi Obermaier (Picture-1-2).

To portray such a vividly larger-than-lust character, the makers of Eight Miles High had to scour the globe in search of a radiant talent who could do justice in the part of Uschi.

They found her in the flawless form of Polish beauty Natalia Avelon (Picture-1-2-3).

With Eight Miles High opening in Chicago on August 22, Natalia chatted with Mr. Skin about the film, her experiences, and what it’s like to be exposed before the eyes of the world.

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Tell us about growing up so gorgeous and sexy in your native Poland. How is it different from other countries?

Thank you! I grew up in Poland till I was eight years old. The Polish ’80s were very political. The country used to be ruled by a communistic government and there was a lot of trouble going on.

For me, Poland is the land where you are forced to eat more than you would ever imagine! Visiting polish people, you have to know that the word “no” doesn’t exist! It’s impolite! So you better eat!

And we have beautiful Christmas songs! Very touching.


Were you familiar with the story of Uschi Obermaier prior to making Eight Miles High?

No, I wasn’t particularly familiar with Uschi Obermaier. I was familiar with music and art of the ’60s and ’70s and also with the politics but not really familiar with all the national celebrities of those times.

What was it like recreating the life story of someone who is still very much alive?

The positive aspect of it was that Uschi was kind of an acting coach for me. Getting to know her, watching her moves, her behavior, her body language and facial expression, the way she reacts to different situations, talking to her and learning about her thoughts and attitude was the best ever that could happen to me.

The “not that positive” side of it was: Big sister was always watching! I couldn’t fool around as I would have done playing a fictitious character in another movie. I had to stick with facts concerning her personality. It was a challenge as every role is.

How was your relationship with Uschi before, during, and after making Eight Miles High?

When we first met, Uschi wasn’t very outgoing. She was more the skeptical observer, of course she was! Imagine facing the person who is about to tell some pretty intimate things about you . . . in a movie!

First of all you’d be analyzing too. And so did she. But some days later, after finding out that I’m a quite uncomplicated girl, she started to like me, and, what is more important, she started to trust me. From then on we became friends! We call each other. And I visit her as soon as I’m in L.A. Then we go out for dinner, sit on the patio drinking wine, or do other things friends do.

You appear in the nude in Eight Miles High. What was that experience like for you?

Well, reading the script I “guessed” I would have to wear less clothes than a diver. The ’60s were famous for the sexual revolution and the emancipation of women. So it was quite a wild time back then.

I had two sex scenes in the movie. That’s not that much for a biopic showing a period of life of over ten years.

And if a couple is traveling throughout hot countries where it gets way over 104 degrees in a bus and it’s just the two of them, I guess it’s normal not feeling embarrassed being naked. They were in love, they felt sexy, and they felt free!

And that’s what I tried to connect to the audience acting the way I did: Freedom!

The most important thing for me was the aesthetic aspect of shooting those scenes. And I think we managed it quite well.

Of course it is weird to appear naked in front of a team of maybe thirty people you don’t know at all. But the nicer the team is, the more confidence you gain. And mostly we had a closed set with not more than three to four people.


Aside from Uschi, what other famous women do you find inspirational?

I love Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige. They show me how strong women can be.

Women with a strong will, never giving up their goals and dreams, being smart and hot at the same time, having moral courage and lots of creativity, that inspires me!

Glenn Close (Picture-1), Meryl Streep (Picture-), Cate Blanchett (Picture-), Marilyn Monroe (Picture-1-2), and Scarlett Johansson (Picture-1), for instance, inspire me in my profession.

And one person I admired a lot was Mother Teresa.

Please name the three actresses or models that you think are the sexiest.

My number one: Monica Bellucci (Picture-1-2-3). What a body!
Scarlett Johansson: Very sensual and feminine.
Adriana Lima: Hot as hell and funny! That’s a great mix!

What is your favorite sexy movie of all time?
I think every movie with Marilyn Monroe is sexy. Because she was.

Then I remember watching Set It Off. I loved the love scene between Jada Pinkett Smith (Picture-1) and Blair Underwood.

And I love the video clips Justify My Love and Erotica from Madonna (Picture-1-2). These are really sexy!