U student acts in ice skating film

As Twitter trending topics and incessant “Today” show coverage would suggest, Americans are fascinated by figure skating. Maybe it’s the glittery costumes and romance of it, but it could be the sweeping tragedy and triumph of their life stories: Oksana Baiul’s orphan childhood, the Kerrigan/Harding catfight controversy, the all-American positivity of Scott Hamilton. Studios rake in the millions releasing skate-centric movies like “The Cutting Edge” and “Ice Castles,” stories that let audiences identify with the personal struggles of skaters while showing off their aesthetic grace.

University sophomore Molly Oberstar has recently played a key role in one of these cinematic skater tales. The 20-year-old Duluth native has been skating her entire life, from competing in national championships to traveling to Croatia. Her doe eyes and lithe, elegant figure attracted the eye of the folks behind a remake of the 1978 massive skate hit, “Ice Castles,” wherein a young skater tragically loses her sight but triumphs over the handicap to become a champion.

“Someone saw me skating and suggested me,” Oberstar said. “They had actresses who could act, but the girls didn’t know how to skate at all. At the last minute they decided to find skaters that could act.”

Oberstar, who has recently decided to take a break from figure skating competitively, landed the part of Carrie Turner, the antagonist to lead character Alexis Winston. The remake, which went straight to DVD and is available at your local Redbox, is composed mostly of unknown names and professional skaters, with an appearance by Michelle Kwan.

The storyline has been modernized a bit for a 2010 audience. Its soft-rock radio love theme, “Looking Through the Eyes of Love,” has been updated for today too, so you can bet it’ll get played at countless more piano recitals.

“The skating is one thing that is way better in this movie,” Oberstar said. “They actually had people doing legitimate programs that you’d compete with.”

What was the filmmaking experience like? “It’s really fun, but it’s not easy. Some days I’d be [on the Nova Scotia] set from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m,” Oberstar said. “It makes total sense, but I’d never thought that scenes were filmed out of order.”

Oberstar’s supporting role took about a month to film during Easter of last year. “I enjoyed it a lot; I’m not sure if it’s something that I’m good at,” she said of continuing her acting career. “If someone were to pursue me for another part, I’d do it.”

While she sounds humble, her boyfriend, St. Olaf student Ben Leis, gives her a lot of credit.

“Being a skater who has competed at the level she has requires an incredible work ethic,” he pointed out.

Currently, Oberstar has hung up her skates to take classes at the University. She’s a retail merchandising major with hopes of becoming a stylist. “It got to a point when I decided I wanted to move on and finish my school,” she said. “Most people want to be Olympic figure skaters but you realize at a certain point that it’s not going to happen.”

This isn’t Oberstar’s first brush with fame. Last spring, she was crowned Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Magazine’s Real Model and was featured in the magazine.

“I’m trying to model in the Cities, but it’s just not that great of a market,” she explained.

Oberstar is looking for internship work in New York for the summer and is confident she’ll find something that suits her just as well as a sparkly costume did.