So just who is Naturi Naughton, the 27-year-old singer-actress who's slipping into a bunny costume to appear as Brenda on NBC's new Monday night series The Playboy Club? Us Weekly uncovers some need-to-know info about this young talent to watch.
1. The girl can groove! As a member of the 90s girl group 3LW ("3 Little Women") along with Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams, Naughton saw her first album go platinum, and later toured with acts including Destiny's Child, Nelly and Jessica Simpson. Naughton left the group in 2002, and has since enjoyed solo chart success, namely with the title track from the 2009 Fame remake, in which she played Denise.
2. She makes the grade. Should Naughton's acting career not pan out, she's sure got book smarts. Attending a Catholic high school in her home state of New Jersey, Naughton went on to study political science at Seton Hall University.
3. She's OK with the fact that her show is considered controversial. Though the series delivers a strong message about female empowerment, it has been seen as some to be exploitative and misogynistic. Former Playboy bunny Gloria Steinem even called for a boycott. "At the end of the day [controversy] is going to be there because were doing a show about Playboy and about the Bunnies. That instantly means something to do with a sexual side," Naughton told Zap2it.com. "So naturally it's controversial, and I don't think it hurts anything because we know that we have the goods."
4. Her bunny suit fit like a glove! "Fortunately when I put on my bunny suit, it fits perfectly," the actress has said of the cleavage-baring bodysuit made famous by Hugh Hefner's gals. "I love the way it gives me curves and everything like that….I was really attracted to the bunny suit. I mean, it looks amazing. I was like, 'Oh, I'd love to be able to rock that.' Little did I know how tight it would be and how hard it is to wear that for hours on end!"
5. Naughton doesn't have any immediate plans to return to music, but she just might return to the silver screen — in superhero form! Said to be close to inking a deal to appear alongside Hugh Jackman in the sequel to X-Men Origins, The Wolverine, Naughton won't confirm a deal, but is just happy with the buzz. "Well, there's still some loose ends to tie up," she told The Huffington Post of her supposed next flick. "I'm grateful just for the interest and the talk about it. I can't really go into it in a deep way right now, but I can say that it's exciting to have so many possible opportunities on the forefront."
Catch Naughton on The Playboy Club starting September 19 at 10 p.m. (EST) on NBC.
