By Lesley Mckenzie
Photography by John Russo
Styling by Sarah Gore Reeves
“I think comedy is my strength,” announces actress Barbara “Bar” Paly, fresh on the heels of filming Judd Apatow’s new movie, “Trainwreck.” “If you’re trying out for the CIA agent role, there are a hundred girls in the room who look like me or better—but if you’re trying for comedy there aren’t a lot of girls who look like me and can be funny.” Paly is sitting on the balcony of the Soho House in West Hollywood, sipping on a Coke as the sun hits her face. Tall, curvy blondes are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but she’s right: there aren’t many who can hold a candle to this self-described girly girl’s sweeping cheekbones and her smoldering gaze, topped off with her knack for making people laugh.
It’s a unique combo that has served the 29-year-old bombshell well since she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of Tel Aviv in 2006 to both model and pursue her longtime big-screen ambitions. Paly, who appeared as the face of the 25th anniversary campaign for eyewear brand Oliver Peoples last year, got her first acting break a year after her arrival, when a commercial agent put her up for a part in an HBO pilot; the show never made it onto the air, but by then, the leggy Israeli was on Hollywood’s radar.
Donna Karan fur jacket, Nordstrom at Aventura Mall; Calvin Kein skirt, Aventura Mall; Christian Louboutin pumps, Saks Fifth Avenue at Bal Harbour Shops.
“All the people who said, ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’ were suddenly calling and asking to represent me,” she says. Soon, Paly was landing parts on shows including “CSI: New York” and “How I Met Your Mother” and the 2008 horror film “The Ruins.” In 2013, she got her second big break as a stripper in the Michael Bay-directed film “Pain & Gain” opposite Mark Wahlberg—a role which allowed the under-the-radar actress to wet her feet in the world of feature films, and to show off her comedic chops.
“I appreciate Michael,” she says. “He took a chance with the girl who was unknown, who had never done a big studio film of this measure.” Paly admits the experience was “scary,” especially when she suddenly found herself doing lines with costars Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for the first time. “They made me feel really comfortable and it was fun. [Eventually] we started improvising scenes.” Filming took place over three months in Miami, where Paly was able to soak up some Florida sunshine, and spent her only free weekend exploring the Everglades.
It’s this adventurous spirit that has enabled Paly to excel since she was young. Born in Russia in 1985, Paly spent her formative years in a small industrial city near the Ural Mountains. “I have great memories of my childhood,” she says, recalling memories of playing in the snow. At age 7, Paly and her parents emigrated to Israel. Immediately, Paly felt the effects of culture shock. “Suddenly I was the blond girl who looked funny and spoke funny,” she says. “Kids can be cruel.”
Sister by Sibling dress, siblinglondon.com.
It wasn’t until seventh grade, upon her acceptance into performing arts school, when Paly truly felt accepted in her new environment. Since she was a child, she saw herself becoming an actress, a dream that her parents helped nourish by taking her regularly to see plays and movies. So it was no surprise to her family when Paly began to audition for various performing arts schools to pursue her passion. “At regular school, I was a little different and maybe not the most popular girl, but at performing arts school, everyone is weird,” Paly says. “The more different you are, the more interested people were in you. When I watch films about high schools with cheerleaders and bullies, I didn’t have that experience. My school was very much a community.”
Paly’s love of acting continued to flourish, as did a career in modeling, which also helped propel the actress in front of the camera for Israeli television. But it was her modeling career that took Paly to Europe, and eventually stateside, where she set her sights once again on Hollywood. “Modeling was my job and my career was acting, and I was just doing it as a way to support it, and now it’s the other way around,” says Paly, whose focus today remains on film and television. “I definitely respond more to acting, because you’re judged on abilities such as…character development, and you do all this stuff…but I enjoy modeling as well. It’s just more fun in that aspect of fantasy and fashion.” Nevertheless, with measured successes in both fields, it’s clear that Paly has a competitive streak—one that’s even on display when she’s not working. (Her favorite activities include paintballing and beat-the-clock scavenger hunts.)
Helmut Lang sweater, Neiman Marcus at Bal Harbour Shops.
From hobbies to Hollywood, Paly’s relentless commitment to being at the top of her game is clear in the on-screen credits she continues to rack up.
Earlier this year, Paly starred alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore in “Non-Stop” (“We filmed it in New York after the hurricane happened…there was a period of time when it felt almost apocalyptic in a way,” she says), followed by a role in “Million Dollar Arm,” in which she played Jon Hamm’s girlfriend. The actress also just wrapped up the indie flick Headlock with director Mark Polish.
Expect to see more of Paly in 2015, when “Trainwreck,” which also stars Amy Schumer, Bill Hader and Daniel Radcliffe, hits big screens.
“What I like about Judd [Apatow] is he finds strong girl comedians and shows that girls can be funny,” Paly says. “And we are!” Yes, funny business indeed.
Originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue.
