Sonja Henie in Hollywood

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22582, 21 November 1936, Page 16 (Supplement)

Sonja Henie in Hollywood

Film Debut is Exciting for World-famous Woman Skater HARE* WORK HAS BROUGHT HER SUCCESS By PAULINE GALE

She is pretty enough to be really oustanding in Hollywood, where pretty girls abound. She looks, close up, like a Northern elf, with her cute little turned-up nose and eyes that slant upward at the corners. If she can act as well as she can skate, says the studio, she will be worth her weight doubled in gold. It is the general estimation that she will be worth more than that to audiences surfeited with languorous beauties and glamorous screen ladies who languidly gaze at the movie-conscious world out of half shut eyes. That is Sonja Henie, world-famous skater.

THERE is no langour about Sonja—she is vivacity personified. Her eyes sparkle, her dimples flash, and she moves her hands in quick gestures while she talks. One of the most outstanding points about her is her appearance of freshness and health. She glows with it, which is not unusual in an Olympic champion, but for moving picture queens it is definitely " something new." She refused an offer of a cigarette with a quick smile. " I do not smoke," she explained, " because I always keep rigid training rules. Especially now, when I have to skate in my first picture." She displayed great interest in her screen work. <4 There nr© lots ot dancing numbers on skates," she said happily, " and some of tho most beautiful skating costumes were designed lor me. 1 do so want tc bo successful on the screen. . T " t*\er since I was a. little girl 1 wanted to be on the stage, she said. " First I wanted to be a ballet dancer and I studied dancing until I was 20 years old. I study now, too, so that 1 can keep my senso of balance perfectly. Ice skating is not alone a sport it is an art, too. 1 have skated before hundreds of thousands of people; in fact, ever since I began to skate I ha\e been before the public. I have tried to entertain the public —to put some of the beauty of the dance into my skating. Now I dance on skates instead of just skating. " Many dancers are actresses. Ihey prepare for their acting career by dancing. I have done the same. I do not wish nor intend to give up skating. It means so much to me, and I believe it is too beautiful to be lost. I think it is quite as entertaining for people to watch as dancing, and much more swift. Now, I want to further myself, to carry my career another step forward by acting." Sonja, when she talks is hardly the picture of a " cool, reserved Scandin-

avian.' 1 Her mother who accompanied her to Hollywood explained this entirely un-Norwegian phase of Sonja's personality. " My grandmother was Irish," said Mrs. Henie. " That is why Sonja is—well Sonja." Sonja started being Sonja, it seems, at the age of three. She danced and skipped almost continuously, often loving to wrap herself in drapes and pretend she was a dancer. At four Sonja began to study dancing at a ballet Bchool in Oslo where she was born. Thus, Sonja danced before she skated. She did not learn to skate until she was eight years old. Then, like any other youngster in Oslo in winter, she wanted a pair of skates for Christmas, so that she could go to the Municipal Stadium with other children and skate too. Once she found her legs, so to speak, Sonja knew she was always going to be happy while she skated. Tho other children raced on their skates and even her own father would tell her about the time when he was the second fastest speed skater in Europe, but Sonja was only interested in dancing on the ice. After she learned to skate, she paid even more attention to her ballet dancing. The second winter of her skating life, Sonja started to win honours at figure skating. At nine years old, she won the junior competition of the Oslo Skating Club. At ten she won again. At eleven she won the Norwegian championship, and went to tho Olympic Games in Switzerland just for the experience, and without making any effort to win. By this time she realised that she had too much to learn before she really began to skate with any degree of seriousness, such as making it her chosen profession.

Angeles was a huge success, for in fivo performances she was seen and applauded by 20,000 spectators. A quartette of major studios sought her for a contract that could be written just as she liked. Darrvl F. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production at 20th Century Fox, scored a "scoop" for his studio When he obtained Sonja's coveted signature on a contract. " J like this studio," said Sonja, " it is so big and so pretty with its trees and grass, but 1 am so eagerly awaiting the result of my picture—just to know how good—or bad, I might bo."

" Are you nervous about facing tlio camera?" I inquired. " Yes," she said surprisingly, considering tho thousands of people she has had for an audience. " 1 am used to big crowds of spectators —but close up when they watch every move of your face—no that is different. It is rather hard," she admitted. Tho fake sets of the studios never fail to interest Sonja. She loves to revisit the sets and watch other actors at work. She suffered her one disappointment when she was refused admittance to tho " sacred set." Sho had wanted to meet Gnrho moro than anyone else iu tho film city. " Do you think I should change my name?'' she asked anxiously. " Everyone here seems to uso another name for screen purposes." " No," 1 said firmly, " Sonja Henio is a lovely name." "If tho people would pronounce it correctly," sho mourned. " It's Sonya Hay-nee, just like that, see?"

As a result, she decided to train assiduously before entering any moro competitions. This when she was already Norwegian champion I At the ago of 13 sho undertook active competition again and was placed second in the world championship contests in Stockholm. Next year she won the world championship. Thus, at the age of 14, Sonja's dancing on ice had carried her to the World I 1 iguro Skating Championship. Tho title has been hers ever since. In 1928, sho captured her Olympic Championships, which she retained in 1932 and 1936. Sonja has worked very hard for her success on tho rink. When sho was 18 she wont to London and studied ballet dancing under the Russian, Madame Karsavina. After learning the intricacies of tho ballet, Sonja translated the famous " Dying Swan " into a dance on skates, and her brilliant performance at London's Ice Palace drew a command performance for King George and Queen Mary, at which King Edward, then Prince of Wales, was also present. In her charming Beverly Hills home, Sonja has a " roomful " of silver cups, gold medals and plaques that sho has won in skating competitions. Her career has taken her all over Europe and to tho United States. On her first visit to the United States in 1929 sho learned an American custom that she has made her own. " I heard about carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck," she said earnestly, " and have carried one myself ever since. I hope its lucky _ powers will materialise in mv first picture." "Have you got it with you now?" I asked. " Oh, yes," she answered quite seriously; " I keep it with me always, especially in Hollywood." v Sonja Henie seems to think that all the luck she can conjure tip is needed in the land of cinema and fortune. Her return to the United States last March came after winning the Olympic Championship in Germany. Her appearance at a skating rink in Los