Actress offers tips to protect women in the business
The recent murder of a young Santa Monica woman who was lured with hopes of fame and fortune has reminded the local acting community how dangerous auditioning can be.
When news hit late last month that 21-year-old Kristi Johnson vanished after she went to meet a man who claimed to be a publicity photographer, actresses in Santa Monica started exchanging war stories about questionable situations they have found themselves in.
They were lucky. Johnson, however, was not.
The Santa Monica College student, who was more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the entertainment business, was lured into the clutches of a smooth-talking predator who has a long criminal history of telling young, attractive women that he can make them famous.
Johnson’s partially clothed, bound body was found in the Hollywood Hills last Monday, two weeks after she disappeared. Johnson told her roommates on Feb. 15 that she was going to the Century City Mall to meet the purported photographer she had previously met. She never returned. Her car was found a week later at the St. Regis Hotel in Century City, which was dropped off on Feb. 16 by a man who matches the description of the suspect police now believe may have murdered Johnson.
The suspect, who is in custody at the Los Angeles County Jail on an unrelated felony charge, is a three-time convicted felon who was released from state prison on Jan. 20. Murder charges are expected to be filed within the next week, police said. or meet someone they don’t know, there are precautions they can take,” said Santa Monica Police Lt. P.J. Guido. “What’s helped in our investigation is that Kristi did some things we would suggest... she told someone where she was going and who she was going to meet.”
The information Johnson gave to her roommates about her meeting on that fateful day may have helped police track down her alleged murderer, but more precautions may have saved her life.
Another woman who was lured by the same man just weeks before Johnson’s disappearance was able to escape because she brought her boyfriend with her.
The woman called local police on Feb. 20 to report that she had been approached in late January in the Century City Mall by a man claiming to be a photographer. He was reportedly auditioning women for the same film that Johnson told her roommates she was going to audition for, according to police.
“Kristi was very young and when older men are flattering you, many (young girls) succumb,”
“Not all of them are molesters and kidnappers, but many directors assume that any woman will sleep with you to get to the top.” — Adams said
But the woman said when she and her boyfriend went to meet the man at a prearranged location in West Hollywood, he tried to forcibly move her to another location, police said.
The woman’s boyfriend interceded and searched the man to find his identification, but the supposed photographer was able to free himself and run away, police said.
While the tragedy of Johnson’s murder may have raised awareness in the acting community to be careful of who to trust in a business rife with shady people, some are taking it to another level.
Aleesa Adams, a local actress, has vowed to not let Johnson’s death be in vain. She plans to start a campaign to promote safety for women in the acting and modeling world.
“This really just breaks my heart,” Adams said. “She was so young.”
Adams attended a vigil for Johnson on what would have been her 22nd birthday on Feb. 27 held at a Santa Monica church. Adams, who never met Johnson, came to the vigil because the circumstances relating to her disappearance hit too close to home for the actress.
“I get approached all the time and as actors, your headshot goes out all over town,” she said. “As an actor, you submit yourself to so many things... this town is just so full of perverts.”
Adams said she was once approached by a man promising her a role in a cable television show. He told her to come to his home, but when Adams asked for more details, like which network he represented, he wouldn’t provide specifics. When she declined to come to his home, the man called off the audition.
“It made me so angry I wanted to call the police,” she said. “But what are they going to do? I’ve gotten so angry about this during my career.”
After hearing about Johnson, Adams quickly typed up several reminders for actresses that could save their lives. (See related story.) She hopes to gain support from others like her in the industry to help create a Web site that will link to other industry sites that actors visit, as well as distribute pamphlets in acting studios, organizations and agencies.
She wants to provide information for actresses and models on how to keep their personal information private, what behavior is considered professional, what should set off alarms, and what questions to ask to determine whether or not someone is legitimate. The Web site also will contain a history of prior cases of actresses and models being taken advantage of, hurt, or murdered.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 14, 2003. Read the original PDF.