By Jacquelynn D Powers, Photographs: Mark Liddell

hile she is best known for her parts in American Beautyand American Pie, actress Mena Suvari is striving to make a name for herself with a screen role that doesn't involve pompons or high -- school humor. Not only is she rebounding from the dissolution of her marriage to cinematographer Robert Brinkmann (who was 18 years older), but Suvari, 26, is also maturing both personally and professionally. This month she is featured in Domino, the true story of Domino Harvey, a Ford model -- turned bounty hunter. Although the movie takes liberties with Domino's life (who passed away last summer from an overdose of painkillers), it is still a poignant tale of sex, drugs and fame. The Tony Scott flick (which stars Keira Knightley in the titular role) also has a local connection: Hard Rock owner Peter Morton was Harvey's stepfather back in the '80s. For the project, Suvari mingled with an eclectic cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Dabney Coleman, Lucy Liu, Christopher Walken and Jacqueline Bisset.

Mena is also co -- starring in Rumor Has It, the Rob Reiner -- directed film with Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo and Shirley MacLaine slated for a December 25th release. Additionally, a handful of smaller films such as Edmond, Brooklyn Rulesand Caffeineare giving this prolific starlet credibility in the independent -- filmmaking community. Not that anyone is questioning her acting chops: Suvari has been working steadily on television and the big screen since she was 15 years old. But instead of falling into the teen -- actress curse that befell many of her American Pieco -- stars (paging Shannon Elizabeth and Natasha Lyonne), this former model is looking for stability in her life. Mena recently purchased a $1.7 million home in the same Los Angeles neighborhood as Julia Roberts. More significantly, in the wake of her divorce, she is conquering her fears, appreciating the finer points of life and becoming a cardsharp in Vegas. Described as a hard -- core poker player, this Texas Hold 'Em champ is a frequent face in the Bellagio's poker room. Find out what makes this American sweetheart's hands shake.

VEGAS: Tell me about Domino. It sounds like a very cool movie.

MENA SUVARI: Domino Harvey was a model who became a bounty hunter, which was pretty profound at the time—that a young, beautiful woman would get into a field like that. She led a very interesting life. I play Kimmie, who works for a TV agency. I work with Christopher Walken, who plays my boss, and we come up with the idea to create this show called 'Bounty Squad,' where we follow Domino and her gang around. It's a reality show, like a Cops kind of thing. It's a really wacky idea we have to make Domino a star.

Was Domino involved in the project before she passed away?

I saw her on the set a couple times. She was very close to our director, Tony Scott. Tony wanted to make this movie about her for a long time.

Cinematically, how does the movie look?

It's really wild. It's a Tony Scott film, and he does his own thing. He has vision. He's such an amazing director to work with. He brings so much energy to the set. It's a visual ride. It's so fast -- paced and unexpected, yet it's really engaging.

Your other big release is Rumor Has It, which is a fun riff on The Graduate.

It's very different. It's a dramedy. I play Annie, Jennifer Aniston's sister. We're from Pasadena and Jennifer's character, Sarah, comes home for my wedding. She starts to believe that our family was the basis for the story of The Graduate.

Rob Reiner came on board midway through the making of the movie. How did that change the process?

We started over and it changed a lot. It became much more of a Rob Reiner film. He's a legend. He's so good at doing these kinds of films. And it was a lot of fun. Annie is an all -- over -- the -- place character. She is the relative you can't stand in the family, the person who knows no bounds. She's always in your face. It's exhaustive energy.

I know those relatives.

I was shooting one scene and I actually hated Annie. She's so annoying. But there's this nice arc with her where she has this emotional experience. She comes back down to earth, bonds with her sister and learns more about herself. She comes full circle in the end ...

For the full story, Subscribe to Vegas Magazine now!