by Meg Jones
If director Michael Bay has his way, audiences will be asking "Megan Fox, who?!" when model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley makes her big-screen debut in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (out today). Following some controversial remarks from Megan, Michael famously plucked Victoria's Secret Angel Rosie from the runway to replace the bombshell brunette, who had played Shia LaBeouf's love interest in the first two installments.
Rosie certainly isn't the first model to try her pretty hand (and face and body) at acting. In fact, our friends over at MTV Movies Blog took a look at several strutters-turned-silver-screen-stars, including Rebecca Romijn, Tyra Banks and Elizabeth Hurley. But 24-year-old Rosie is among a new class of models making their mark on celluloid, so let's take a look at a hot handful of her fellow up-and-coming models-turned-actresses:
Brooklyn Decker
Leading the charge is 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl Brooklyn Decker (also known as Mrs. Andy Roddick). The stunning blond was featured in the pages of Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour before making a yellow-bikini-clad splash in this year's "Just Go With It," co-starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The 24-year-old has also made guest appearances on a slew of TV series, including "Chuck," "Ugly Betty" and "Royal Pains." And, coincidentally, she was once a candidate to replace Megan Fox in "Transformers 3." Though she didn't get the part, she certainly isn't hurting for work (or hot co-stars). She'll next appear alongside Alexander Skarsgård in 2012's "Battleship."
Riley Keough
This 22-year-old beauty may be the granddaughter of the King himself, Elvis Presley, but instead of launching into a music career, she opted to take her good looks to the runway, modeling for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior and walking the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Riley also appeared on the cover of Vogue in 2004 alongside her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, and grandmother, Priscilla. She made her Hollywood debut playing Marie Currie in the Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning flick, "The Runaways" and then took on a leading role in "The Good Doctor" with Orlando Bloom. Be on the lookout for Riley in her upcoming werewolf flick "Jack & Diane" because you can't complete your Hollywood indoctrination without a supernatural flick under your belt, right?
Gemma Ward
A 23-year-old Australian, Gemma was discovered by accident in 2002 at the age of 14 when she accompanied her friends to "Search for a Supermodel," an Aussie modeling competition. (She almost turned down the model scout!) Gemma made her runway debut during the 2003 Australian Fashion Week, and went on to claim fame as the youngest model to ever be featured on the cover of American Vogue, appearing alongside Gisele Bundchen and nine other "Models of the Moment." She's strutted her stuff for Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino and made Forbes list of the top-earning models. With her breakout as Queen of the Mermaids opposite Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and the promise of projects to come, we think she could very soon strut her way onto a top-earning actresses list.
Which model-turned-actress is your favorite? Whose career do you think will have the most longevity? Sound off in the comments and on Twitter!
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