Angel Hair: Jaclyn Smith Gets in Her Reality-TV Cuts

Let's cut to the chase: Jaclyn Smith is pure heaven. And now that the former Angel has spread her wings into reality TV — as host of Bravo's hairstyling competition Shear Genius (Wednesdays at 10 pm/ET) — we decided to have a little coif-y talk.

TV Guide: First off, you look amazing. You have the body of a 20-year-old.
Jaclyn Smith: Boy, you're sweet. I like hearing that on a stressful day.

TV Guide: Now obviously, you know hair....
Smith: Well, I definitely have a point of view, and I've learned a lot from [Shear judges] Sally Hershberger, José Eber and Frederic Fekkai, who really are [among] the elite group of hairstylists.

TV Guide: And you have no problem voicing your opinions about the competitors.
Smith: Yeah, well, it's sort of hard to see them go. I think they're all extremely talented and they all have their own individual personalities. Of course, you root for certain ones and you have your favorites, but it isn't the most talented who makes it to the end. I think it's the most rounded, the most grounded, the one who stays within the confines of the challenge.

TV Guide: Shear Genius' early ratings weren't exactly Project Runway numbers.
Smith: I think it started off better than Top Design and, from what I understand, our [premiere] numbers were better than Top Chef's. What I'm amazed at is the reaction to the show. My daughter tuned me into Project Runway because all of her friends get together and watch it. But this show is [attracting] old, young....

TV Guide: Because everybody gets their hair cut.
Smith: And hair can make or break you. When people say that a woman's hair is her crowning glory, I think that's very true.

TV Guide: Is the show bringing up flashbacks of bad 'dos gone by?
Smith: [Laughs] Kind of. Charlie's Angels is running again and yes, I had a classic hairstyle, but I'm thinking, "Why didn't I do this or do that?"

TV Guide: Honestly, Kelly Garrett had the best Angel hair, but Farrah [Fawcett]'s got all the hype.
Smith: [Laughs] Well, her hair was pretty amazing. It just had a life of its own. But my first acting job came from a Breck commercial, so [hair] has always been a part of my history.

TV Guide: And then there was Rage of Angels. That hair was huge!
Smith: Oh, yeah. Well, that spanned a big period of time. And it's one of my favorite TV-movies. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, too. Again, three decades, three different looks using wigs. In George Washington, I was in wigs again. Hair in the research of a character is very important. Creating the look, the demeanor.... It puts you in the mood of that period of time.

TV Guide: Was there anyone on Shear Genius you would let do your hair?
Smith: Oh, absolutely. I think they're all very talented. I wouldn't mind having any of them do my hair.

TV Guide: Would you let them use hedge clippers like Evangelin did in the household-tools challenge?
Smith: That — I don't think so! [Laughs] Although that cut was pretty great, wasn't it? Pretty daring.

TV Guide: And I'm glad to see one of the episodes pays some attention to men's hair.
Smith: That one is really like, "Wow." It's so visually impacting because I think some of these guys hadn't touched their hair in years. [Laughs]

TV Guide: Would you allow yourself to be one of the subjects?
Smith: That would be a really fun way to go. Not that they would do it that way, but with Sally there, it's almost like you want to try things. Certainly when you go back for a second season, you have more of a handle on it. This was basically unknown terrain for me. If you had told me I would be doing a reality show, I never would have imagined it.

TV Guide: What would you say was your worst hairstyle ever?
Smith: Probably the bubble cut: short, very unimaginative. It was worse than a ducktail. I'm not a short-hair person.

TV Guide: What did you think of the Charlie's Angels movies? I know you made a cameo in the second one.
Smith: I thought they were great. Obviously, the movies are different from our show. They had computer enhancement, they were like superheroes, jumping off buildings and remaining alive. [Laughs]. It's just another genre of film, modern. I think Drew [Barrymore] is amazing and certainly masterminded it wonderfully. And I think it's great to bring back a winning concept.

TV Guide: What's it going to take to get an "original Angels" reunion movie?
Smith: Boy, I don't know. A great script, for one thing. It would be fun if we could work out our schedules and had a great script. No need to come together if it wasn't the greatest. We certainly have thought about it, though.

TV Guide: Let's put it out there so those screenwriters can get cracking on something.
Smith: [Laughs] Yeah. Manifest it!

Let our new Online Video Guide show you some Shear Genius video clips.

Send your comments on this Q&A to online_insider@tvguide.com.