Searching for Chris Klein
By Ryan Eloe
Skiff Staff

“Cindy Guagenti’s office can I help you?” I hear that name for the third time this week.
Three weeks ago I didn’t even know there was a person named Cindy Guagenti. That was before I started my quest. It wasn’t a quest for the Holy Grail. Instead, it was the quest to find a person. The person I was trying to find should be easier than searching for Bobby Fisher, but at points, it seemed pretty difficult.

I have poured hours into getting to the bottom of a TCU legend as I took on the search for actor and former TCU student, Chris Klein.

By the time I came to college in the fall of 1999, Klein had appeared with large supporting roles in “Election” opposite Reese Witherspoon, and in the gross-out comedy “American Pie.”

Coming into the dorms my freshman year, I had never heard of Chris Klein, yet I received a brochure about being involved in the Chancellor’s Leadership Program, and I can’t remember the brochure very well, but I do remember a picture of Klein and a quote about the benefits of the program.

It hasn’t made a large impact on my college life, but there have been those moments in the Student Center, or in The Main when people talk about their Chris Klein sightings.
“Once I was driving and saw Chris Klein walking near the science building,” or “I saw Chris Klein at a party a couple of times.”

Everyone seemed to have a sighting story. Yet, the biggest news I heard was the time that Chris Klein brought his celebrity girlfriend, Katie Holmes to a football game and to a Lambda Chi party. The flames of gossip were rekindled.

So, as Chris Klein found high celebrity billing this spring movie season with the movie “Rollerball” and now in the big-budget celebrity filled film “We Were Soldiers,” I attempted to track him down.

Now, we’ve got to be thankful for the Internet and all the information that hides in the dark shadows and corners. It certainly helped me begin my trek. I discovered that the William Morris Agency represents Klein. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that this agency is in the top tier of talent agencies, with the most agents, and racking up comparable profits to the other large company, Creative Artist Agency.

The Beverly Hills Public Relations firm, BWR PR, also supports Klein. Yet, neither the William Morris Agency nor BWR PR seemed to provide many outlets to find the information needed. So, I searched rabidly for e-mail addresses that might aid me in my quest.

Sending out a multitude of e-mails to random employees at this company opened some doors and contacts to be investigated. The greatest leads I received led me to find a medium for getting in touch with Klein’s publicist at BWR, as well as a phone number for the Screen Actors Guild whose purpose was to provide people with various actors’ talent agents.

I hurried to get in touch with Klein’s publicist, a lady by the name of Guagenti. The secretary urged me to send a fax to Guagenti so an interview could be arranged and the request could be processed. It was a great success for my mission. I would have the interview before I knew it.

In the meantime, I got my questions ready to ask and waited for response from Klein’s publicist. I waited, and waited, and waited. I made a phone call, and was told the request was still being processed.

Sure, Guagenti is busy. She had been responsible for taking care of such big public relations events as the entire Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt ordeal, but was my request really so difficult?

Without many results, I tried other outlets. I tried to get a contact phone number from members of Lambda Chi and others around campus who might have inside information. Yet, I embarked on no such luck.

I also went on a search for his family at home in Omaha, Neb. After a great deal of searching, I finally found a viable telephone number and address, but to no avail; the number was disconnected.

I contacted a few people in Nebraska and Illinois who I thought might have a relationship with him, but did not have much success. I even tried to find Nathan Willis, a high school friend of his that a news-magazine mentioned.

Strike one, strike two, strike three. You’re out!

I called back Guagenti again, but they were still processing the request.

Then I remembered, wait, I had that number from the Screen Actors Guild. I called the number and they gave me a business contact. I had no idea where this number would lead me, so I called, told them my situation, and I got a phone number for his agent at William Morris, Joanne Wiles.

I gave Wiles a phone call. I thought she might be the answer. Yet, her only solution for me was short and simple. She said, “Let me give you the phone number for his publicist, her name is Cindy Guagenti.”

I had come full circle. Still, I had no interview. Who knows, I may get a telephone call today from Klein’s publicist; currently, I am told that the information has been passed off to his manager. What does that mean? I am uncertain.

I still hope to interview Klein someday. But, for the time being I will discontinue my quest, as I feel like I’ve done no more than run around in circles like a dog chasing its tail, trying to get in touch with little more than a former TCU student who made it big.

Ryan Eloe is a junior international economics major from Centennial, Colo.
He can be contacted at (r.c.eloe@student.tcu.edu)

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002