Gabrielle Anwar talks about her beau Shareef Malnik's Make-A-Wish Ball, her documentary-in-the-making, and why she won't "cling to my youth."
Gabrielle Anwar.
Fans of USA Network's Burn Notice know Gabrielle Anwar as ex-IRA weapons expert Fiona Glenanne. But here, we know the actress as proud Miami resident, mother of three, green goddess, and, for the past three years, celebrity auctioneer of the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, which is put on by her partner, The Forge owner and Ball Chairman Shareef Malnik, with the help of InterContinental Miami General Manager Robert Hill and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida President/CEO Norman Wedderburn. This Saturday, November 1, the gala celebrates its 20th anniversary with a Wizard of Oz theme, a special performance by Diana Ross, a guest list that's 900 strong—and we can't forget the annual after-party at the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Nightclub.
We caught up with Anwar before the Ball to talk about her fourth gig as auction emcee, life in Miami, and why she's going behind the camera for her first documentary.
There are so many causes out there now that are supported by people in Hollywood. What draws you to Make-A-Wish?
GABRIELLE ANWAR: Shareef draws me to Make-A-Wish. It is his resolution that incites me to participate in any way I can. I was, and continue to be, involved in other nonprofit organizations when Shareef introduced me to the joy of wishes.
This is your fourth year as emcee. How are you feeling as we get closer and closer to the event?
GA: I feel hopeful that we will proliferate funds, fun, and further philanthropy.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s gala?
GA: The part where I remove my heels at the end of the night, and we try to calculate the amount of wishes we made possible.
Do you have a role in the behind-the-scenes of the event? Or do you leave that to the pros?
GA: I am very bossy. But Shareef is quite the diplomat, so he transposes my agenda, taking the edge off—except when it came to sawing me in half last year.
On Burn Notice you had your first long-term TV role. Do you miss playing Fiona?
GA: I don’t miss Fiona—she was exhausting. I’m too old for a bikini and an automatic weapon in the same instant.
Tell us about your documentary, Sexology. How did you get involved in the project?
GA: My involvement stemmed from a deep sense of dissatisfaction and a perpetual seeking of true gratification. As hedonistic as that sounds, I discovered that I am a better woman, mother, partner, daughter, sister, artist, friend when I am connected to the infinite source of potent female power that is sadly an untapped resource within most women. The documentary follows my journey as I am introduced to the complex voyage into sexual bliss.
Miami has been your home base for a while now. Do you feel like you belong here?
GA: I belong where my children, man, and furry creatures are. They are the heart of home.
There's a lot of pressure in both Hollywood and Miami to look good. What’s your secret to staying physically and mentally healthy?
GA: I am easing my way behind the camera as I have no desire to be judged for what I have and have not done in order to cling to my youth. I am embracing this newly discovered self that exists beneath my head. If there’s a fountain of youth then I think it might spring from our capacity and willingness to feel the pleasure we were designed to feel.
You have a free day in Miami with no plans and you can't stay home. Where would we find you?
GA: If I truly can't stay home—if there were a sewage leak in the loo, for example—then I would likely grab my three wee ones and head to the nearest natural environment. North is a bit tricky—there is some good shopping, but not enough dirt. South is deliriously tropical and yet a little too far to splash in the really turquoise waters. West is appealingly unpopulated, but too swampy and the mosquitos are too voracious. East is great if I were 20 years my junior and the wees weren't in tow. So you might find me off the dock, feet dangling into the bay, peering into an azure sky, cloud gazing, day dreaming of us all riding bareback through an enchanted forest with the wind in our hair.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ROBERT ASCROFT/USA NETWORK/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES