Nona Gaye: What's going on

Marvin's daughter makes a name for herself on the big screen.

By Suzanne Ely

After 30 years of living in the shadow of her father, soul legend Marvin Gaye, Nona Gaye bursts into theaters in the next two weeks with not one but two new movies.

Next weekend, she co-stars with Ice Cube in the action sequel "XXX: State of the Union." A week later, moviegoers can see her in a supporting role in the drama Crash, which stars Sandra Bullock and Don Cheadle and is set in Los Angeles.

Gaye admits with refreshing candor that she's caught some breaks because of her name. But being the progeny of a beloved icon has been a very mixed bag for the singer-turned-model-turned-actress.

At 9, Gaye's world shattered when her father was shot dead by her grandfather during a heated argument. Gaye says she turned to drugs, in part "because of what I saw growing up," alluding to both of her parents' drug use, but also "to numb the pain of my father's death."

Stumbling through her teens, Gaye snagged modeling work and released an R&B album, to lukewarm sales. At 17, she "dove in or got sucked in -- I'm not sure which one" to a romance with pop superstar Prince. "I fell into a very deep spell and lingered there for three years," she says, leaning back into a sofa in the lobby of a West Hollywood hotel, her expression partially hidden behind oversized black sunglasses. Upon surfacing from that relationship, Gaye reconnected with her high school sweetheart. Though no longer together, the two had a child, Nolan, now 7.

After her mother, Jan, quit drugs in 1996, Gaye says she did, too. But temptation, she says, lurks around every corner. "This business is filled with poisons. It's almost like people are force-feeding you demons. You have to weave your way through to stay on track." Still, she says while firing up a cigarette (her biggest vice these days, next to sweets), acting "most definitely saved my life."

So, the only thing missing in her life is a good man, right? Gaye giggles excitedly and enthuses, "I'm madly in love!" She declines to identify him, but she hints that he's famous. A wide smile crosses Gaye's face: "He's upstairs waiting for me."

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