Model marriage

Joliet native has bigtime modeling career — and so does her new husband

By Scott Deininger
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

JOLIET — Who says models don't eat pizza?

Joliet's Amy Lynn Ruddy was doing just that when a talent scout "discovered" her at Southern Illinois University in 1986.

Some 16 years later, Ruddy is a hot commodity in the modeling world, having worked on numerous campaigns like Pantene, Eddie Bauer and Avon.

"Every day I remind myself how lucky I am to have a career that involves world-wide travel," said Ruddy, 35. "I've been blessed with a great family and my strong Midwestern values have made methe person I am today. Of course, the great genes don't hurt, either."

Ruddy, who goes by Amy Lynn for modeling work, married fellow model Jeffrey Moore in Miami Beach On Oct. 6, 2001. Moore is represented by Zoli International Model Management of New York City and Ruddy is with Wilhelmina International Model Management of New York. The couple met while working on a shoot for Bacardi in the Caribbean.

"We've been together for a while and our schedules sometimes have us apart for long periods of time," said Ruddy.

"Because we've both only worked as models, we know what the job calls for. We make the most of our time spent together."

The couple splits time between Miami and New York since the weather dictates when and where many of the shoots will take place. Generally, November through April is spent in Miami and May through October is spent in New York City.

Interested in TV, sports
 

Ruddy, whose father Paul is the athletic director at Lewis University, attended SIU to study broadcast journalism. She was interested in television and since she grew up around sports, she hoped to combine the two.

It was during Ruddy's sophomore year at SIU when things took a turn down a different path. Ruddy was in the campus student union enjoying a slice of cheese and sausage pizza. A talent scout from Elite Model Management of New York, there for a model search, approached Ruddy, then 19, and gave her his card. The agency kept in touch with her and signed her in 1987.

"You hear of stories that come from nowhere. Mine is like that. I hadn't given much thought to modeling at the time. Then I wasn't sure if I was really model material," said Ruddy.

"I took a photo test to see how I was in front of the camera. Sometimes there's a pretty girl who doesn't necessarily take pretty pictures and vice versa. You never know what you'll see once the flashes and lights are on."

Ruddy said that she takes an active role in most ofher contractual negotiations to better understand the business end of things, a work ethic she learned in college.

"I'm glad I finished school before becoming a full-time model," said the 5-foot-10 Ruddy. "I left with a great education and a business sense that made the transition into modeling easier."

Ruddy, who has been with Wilhelmina for seven years, began getting steady work soon after graduating from SIU. She received work in the smaller modeling markets like Chicago and St. Louis before she was sent to the top cities, New York and Miami.

"It didn't come easy, though. At first I did shoots for everything just to gain the experience," said Ruddy. "There were some stretches when the money wasn't that good. I definitely had to pay some dues to get to where I am now."

Her first taste of international exposure landed her in Brazil at the age of 23. She also had four- to five-month stints in Germany and Spain for most of six consecutive years in her mid-to-late 20s.

On road education
 

"Besides having a strong business awareness, the best education I've had is traveling," said Ruddy. "Having lived for many months in different countries, I've learned international economics, which has included varying money systems and stock markets.

"I've paid close attention because often our pay is in foreign currency."

Traveling has also afforded Ruddy the opportunity to see some of the historical places she only read about as a child. Ruddy, a 1985 St. Francis Academy graduate, credits a grade school teacher for her knowledge of history.

"Pat Paul taught me history at St. Pat's [in Joliet]. He gave a great view of history both in America and abroad. When I've worked in many cities and foreign places, I've known something about all of them from Mr. Paul."

From the Costa Rican rain forests to Cape Town, South Africa's majestic coasts, Ruddy has had some simply breath-taking backgrounds to work with. But it's not always as glamourous and beautiful as you may think.

"Much of my time is spent in motor homes," said Ruddy. "And when we get to the shoot, it usually calls for winter clothes worn in the summer and summer clothes worn in the winter."

Ruddy's typical work week calls for four days of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shooting. This includes time spent in make-up and hair design and in and out of various catalog, magazine and commerical shoots.

When not on the shoots, Ruddy prepares her promotional packs to be sent to various agencies seeking updates of her portfolio.

Some might think that because a model works on clothing campaigns, the clothes are theirs to keep. Not so.

"Because many of the clothes are manufactured outside of the country and used for commerical purposes, there isn't an import tax paid," said Ruddy. "The clothes are damaged with slits up the back. Just because we wear the clothes on TV doesn't mean we have closets full of free things."

A member of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) for television commercial work, Ruddy has been seen in ads for Tommy Bahama, J. Crew and Bath and Body Works as well as gracing the covers of Glamour, Journal and Mademoiselle magazines.

Ruddy's husband has modeled for 16 years. His portfolio includes spreads for Polo Sport, Brooks Brothers and Eddie Buaer.

Moore's parents grew up in nearby Homewood and later moved to California. He has a younger and an older sister.

Familieis important
 

"Our families are very important to us. Being that we've both have roots in the Midwest, we have similar outlooks and beliefs. They (our families) have given us a firm foundation and have kept us grounded," said Ruddy, who has two older sisters and a younger brother.

"Even though we travel a lot and live far away, we visit every chance we get."

When asked how it is to see yourself in print or on TV, Ruddy is very modest. Once, while in line at an airport, a young woman had a copy of Health magazine. Ruddy just happened to be on the cover and confirmed that when the girl's mother asked.

"It's kind of strange to see myself on TV or in a magazine," Ruddy said with a laugh. "When I see a commerical go by or flip through a magazine, I have no idea what to expect because, as the talent, we have little to do with the finished product."

Ruddy said that unlike most models over the age of 30, work for her will continue for many years.

"In the past, if you were approaching 30 as a model, your career was all but over. But there will always be work for models of my generation," said Ruddy. "The baby-boomers comprise the largest percentage of America's consumer population. As long as they continue to buy the goods, I'll continue to work."

Even though modeling will be there for years to come, Ruddy also has her sights set on real estate. She's used the business sense gained in college and has further developed as a model to refurbish custom built homes in the Miami area.

"I've hired some general contractors and have seen great strides made in my investments," said Ruddy. "The property value in these parts has gone up in recent years. It's a good time to be in real estate."

Living in New York City through October, Ruddy was a mile away from the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.

9/11 memories
 

"I will remember that day forever. I could see the devastation from my balcony," said Ruddy. "We didn't have time to think about what was happening. We were in constant survival mode. Bomb threats were called in all over the city in the days that followed 9/11."

Before they achieved fame as two of today's hottest young actresses, Ruddy spent shoots working with Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron.

"They were both great girls getting their careers off the ground," said Ruddy. "We shuffled from shoot to shoot and had fun all the while."

So why hasn't Ruddy followed Diaz's and Theron's lead and made the leap on to the big screen?

"To move into acting, I'd virtually have to begin a whole new career and start over," said Ruddy. "Besides, I wouldn't want to want to deal with all the training and endure years of heartbreak that come with acting. I'm already established in a career I love."

12/29/02