Shawn Alff: From the playmates you've met, do you feel more get selected by submitting their photos or from attending casting calls?
Amanda Cerny: There have been fourteen playmates chosen from casting calls, but the girls all get in through different ways. One was discovered at a concert when she got on stage. I met another girl who submitted her photos like me and she is shooting her centerfold right now, but everyone has her own story.
SA: When picking which photos to submit, were you trying to project a certain persona or did you just send the ones that looked best?
AC: I had some photos from doing modeling here and there in college, so I just submitted the best ones I had from that. But it turned out I had to send nude photos too, which makes sense because you are going to be posing nude and they need to see what you look like. For that I just put my camera on self-timer.
SA: You submitted nude photos you took of yourself?
AC: Yeah. It was kind of funny. I put my camera on my windowsill in my room, put it on timer, ran to take the picture, then ran back to reset it.
SA: From
your Twitter photos you seem to be an expert at taking pictures of yourself with your phone. What suggestions do you have for other women who want to submit nude photos they take of themselves?
AC: Just have fun with it and be comfortable with the camera.
SA: Other than the photos you submitted of yourself, was Playboy the first nude photo shoot you did?
AC: Yes, Playboy was my first.
SA: Were you nervous about getting naked in front of the camera for your test shoot?
AC: I was for the first five minutes, but then the makeup artist came up to me and was like, ‘I can tell you are a little bit nervous.’ She explained to me that everybody there is so professional and that they have been there for so long. That made me feel so much better and made me really comfortable with it. Now posing nude feels the same as if I am wearing a bikini... You might be nervous walking in, but you will leave feeling like, ‘Oh, okay, that was great.’ I had a great experience.
SA: When you got the call to fly out to LA for a test shoot, how much time did you spend in the gym leading up to the shoot?
AC: At FSU I was at the gym every day of the week. I would be there for like two hours at a time because in Tallahassee there is not much to do besides school, party, or workout. It is such a college town. I still went out when I was there, but I kind of chose the gym over that. It’s better for you.
SA: Were there any areas of the body you worked on specifically?
AC: I love running, but I know it is not that great for your knees and everything, so I tried to do mixed cardio. I did focus on my abs. I was addicted to doing P90X every other day.
SA: How important do you think a modeling background is for becoming a playmate?
AC: I think it is half and half. Some of the girls are super into modeling. They have their careers going in modeling. For others it is their first time being in front of the camera.
SA: Why do so many playmates have small dogs?
AC: That’s funny. I'm staying at the Playboy mansion's guesthouse and I had to walk outside because two little dogs kept barking at me when I tried to get on the phone for the interview. I like big dogs. Maybe it is because they travel a lot and it’s easier. I don’t know, but I noticed that too.
SA: How similar is the Playboy mansion to a sorority house?
AC: Just yesterday I said, ‘This is just like our own little sorority.’ But, it is more like a family than a sorority. Everybody here is so supportive of each other. When I came here I was pleasantly surprised. I thought playmates were going to be catty, but they are all the nicest girls. If I met them outside of Playboy I would probably still be best friends with each one of them. They are all amazing.
Check out Amanda as Miss October on Playboy.com and follow her at Twitter.com/AmandaCerny
If interested in trying out to be a Playboy model, visit PlayboyCastingCalls.com
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