Yes, Kylie Ireland is taking the VCA publicist's job. She starts in that capacity, May 5.
No, she's not retiring. "Everybody kind of assumes I'm retiring and quitting by taking the VCA job," she says. "That's not true. I've accepted the job. I'm completely and totally excited about it. It's going to be a challenge. For five years I've done nothing but dance and make movies which doesn't really require much of a brain. Now I get to use my brain. The [VCA contract] girls are all excited and willing to work with us. We're going to do the best that we can and just promote the snot out of the girls which hasn't been done in the past. It's not going to be that way, now.
"I'm still under contract for VCA for movies," Ireland added. "I will still be doing my 4 to 5 movies every year. I have no intention of retiring from movies. I have way too much fun doing that. I told Russ I wanted at least to make movies until the end of 2000. He said I could stay on as long as I want, so I guess it's kind of open-ended. We'll see how the business goes, as long at it's stable and safe. I'll continue to be an actress for quite awhile - as long as I'm looking good.
"I've been doing all my own publicity anyway," says Ireland who studied communications in college. "I haven't been bad at it, but I haven't had the time to fully throw myself into it. This is right along my lines in what I went to school for. Now I get to do it with a little more enthusiasm and a good company and a product that I believe in. How hard can it be to sell the VCA girls? Five good-looking chicks who are hot on the screen. I told Russ, obviously, I'm not going to walk in here and be a Joy King on the first day. I don't anybody could do that. But, over a period of time, who knows?
"Russ gave me an incredible opportunity to have a job like this and I appreciate his believing in me. But Russ is like that."
