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Student Model Breaks Into Film
 For senior Quin Bowman, the worst part of modeling is "they always call you at the very last minute." The best part is being the girlfriend of an NFL football player. Well, at least for 20 seconds.
Bowman, a model since 1996, had her first big acting break in the summer 2000 football comedy The Replacements, starring Keanu Reeves. Two intense days as a paid extra and an on-screen appearance during a bar scene were enough to inspire her to seek a career as a part-time actress.
"I played the girlfriend of a football player, and I was four feet away from Keanu Reeves for two days," she said. Although she only managed to elicit a few "Hi's" from the reserved Reeves, the excitement of the set was reward enough for Bowman. "I even had his make-up artist."
The Replacements was filmed in Baltimore in late summer of 1999.
A star goalie for the Shorewomen's soccer team and a biology major, Bowman admits that it's tough to juggle modeling and acting with her highest priorities-school, sports and the family farm. She begged off three calls from the film's casting agent before deciding to work as an extra. But appearing in a major motion picture was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, she thought, a dream she just could not put on hold. With a little leeway from women's soccer coach Eleanor Shriver, she was able to meet her commitments to the team and still be in Baltimore for the filming.
Bowman launched her modeling career on a whim in 1996. Responding to a television ad, she attended a conference in Washington, DC, where national modeling agencies culled candidates for work from hundreds of wannabes. "You simply were given a number and asked to walk before panels from the various agencies," said Bowman. Luckily, her number came up.
She chose to work for a Baltimore agency because of the proximity to home and school. From advertising photo shoots to stints as a spokesmodel, the last-minute nature of most of the work was wearing on Bowman, who decided to look into the possibility of acting. After she took acting classes in Baltimore, her contacts ultimately led to her role in The Replacements.
Now she is starring in an independent film called Potomac Dawn. The film is being made by Mullholland Films of Gaithersburg, MD. Bowman plays an environmentalist whose causes are beginning to clash with her love interest, an oil tycoon. As the film's promo says, "What happens when oil and water do mix?" We'll soon find out. The film is slated for release this spring.
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