Lisa Ray's soulmate
It's a windy lunch hour in Toronto, the kind of day when even the trees seem to be shivering, but somehow it doesn't feel that cold. Perhaps it's because Lisa Ray and I are talking about lovers.
"India is my most complex lover," she says. "It's the place where I feel most at home, but it's also the place that vexes me the most. It's a very honest place - it's life lived out in all of its glory and misery in front of you, unapologetically."
Lisa Ray: Disarmingly honest
We often love (or loathe) what we recognize in ourselves, and Ray, like India, is disarmingly honest. "Unapologetic," along with its partner in crime, "unabashed," seems to be one of Ray's favourite words, turning up in conversation every few minutes, serving as both adjectival tic and life dictum. In fact, what strikes me most about Ray - beyond the fact that she is almost preposterously, objectionably beautiful - is her candour. The model and actress, who is best known in Canada for her starring role in Deepa Mehta's Water, dispenses with the typical starlet's I-don't-talk-to-the-press-about-my-private-life routine. She speaks happily about Jason Dehni, her soulmate of the human variety. They met through Artbound, a non-profit he co-founded in support of Free The Children, which helps kids in developing countries. As she shares their how-we-met story, her eyes kindle with mischief and she notes, "I'm deeply in love." Tomorrow, the couple is heading to Turks and Caicos for a much-needed mini-break: "I'm hugely excited!"
Lisa Ray has more than the Caribbean sojourn to be excited about: After a very public battle with multiple myeloma and a stem cell transplant in January 2010, Ray is in remission. She plans to launch a fundraising drive in support of stem cell technology and regenerative medicine; she has partnered with two women to open Moksha Yoga Brampton; and she is hosting the new season of Top Chef Canada, which premieres March 12 on Food Network Canada. About what attracted her to Top Chef, she says, "Initially, I was skeptical of reality TV. But food has been really significant in my life," she tells me over tartar di tonno at Terroni Bar Centrale, "and I've had a complex relationship with it.
Why Top Chef Canada? Deny denial
"On the one hand, it's been a source of comfort, but I've been in a business where it's also about denial. If you're a model or an actress, you're expected to deny yourself." For her, taking on this project stems from an appetite to deny denial. The show "is a celebration for me. I love food - I'm unapologetic about that."
Mark Lysakowski, supervising producer of Top Chef Canada, explains why he sought out Ray: "Lisa has the ability to go from being the grand, impressive host to being this complete gal. That's a rare quality: to have someone who can command a room and be your best friend. The other thing is she would dig right in to the food. You know those beautiful models who don't eat anything? No, no. She gets in and she eats! We've had 16-course meals, and she'd try it all and just say, ‘Bring out the next course!' "
Next page: Lisa Ray: "I want that life!"
