Lawrence.com

Kansas University alumna Laura Kirk is living on the edge of fame.

When the young actress walks down the sidewalks in New York City, people recognize her face and try to get her attention. When she goes on auditions, the other actors know they're competing against the co-writer and star of "Lisa Picard Is Famous," an independent movie that drew raves from critics at the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly.

"And you can find me on the Internet now," Kirk said, obviously perplexed by the development.

This week, the Lecompton native is in Lawrence to talk to KU theater students, reconnect with friends and family and attend a screening tonight of "Lisa Picard Is Famous" at Liberty Hall. During the weekend, she will meet with other members of the Professional Advisory Board for KU's theater and film department.

"Lisa Picard Is Famous," directed by Griffin Dunne and produced by Mira Sorvino and Dolly Hall, is about aspiring actors Lisa Picard (Kirk) and Tate Kelley (Nat DeWolf), who set out to star in a mock documentary about two unemployed actors starring in a documentary about their search for success.

The comedy, which had a budget of less than $1 million, features cameo appearances by Carrie Fisher, Sandra Bullock, Buck Henry, Spike Lee, Charlie Sheen, Dunne and Sorvino.

Kirk, a 1989 KU graduate with a degree in theater, has had to deal with the fickle nature of fame since "Lisa Picard" premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2000.

"I had my first press junket (at Cannes)," she said. "I had people yelling my name and taking pictures. But as soon as I was back on the plane on the way to New York, that bubble burst."

The U.S. premiere, on Aug. 22 in New York City, again brought out the paparazzi and a bevy of stars that included Rolling Stone Keith Richards, actress Hilary Swank, Darrell Hammond of "Saturday Night Live" and KU alumnus-actor Paul Rudd.

Richards gave the movie a thumbs-up and posed for photographs with Kirk at a post-premiere party at the Lotus Club.

"He said he laughed, but he didn't know how the movie would play in Peoria," she said. (Richards noted that he had never played in Peoria either.)

Although the movie is showing nationwide, Kirk said she is not rolling in money. However, the film has brought her clout in the movie industry. Two weeks ago, she went to Los Angeles and met with a number of studio and network development teams and is auditioning for better parts.

She and DeWolf are developing a television series based on "Lisa Picard," in which they would star. They also have written two more film scripts and a tongue-in-cheek self-help book titled "The Joy of Always Being Right."