People in the News: Tip for aspiring actors: Get into your character, but not too far in

The first film festival in Sun Valley, Idaho, went off without a hitch as fans and Hollywood insiders showed up for screenings and workshops with top actors and directors.

Actor John Larroquette of "Night Court" fame told audience members that good acting comes from finding the essence of a character.

But sometimes absorbing the essence can go too far.

Producer Thom Mount said he had to coax Al Pacino from his trailer when he got so caught up in his role as gangster Tony Montana in the 1983 movie "Scarface" that he became paranoid.

What does Australian swimming sensation and Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe do to unwind after stepping out of the pool?

He slips into something more comfortable.

"Trunks are so small, you feel vulnerable," he said in yesterday's edition of The New York Times.

Thorpe, 18, was in New York for the opening of the Giorgio Armani exhibit.

Wearing leather pants and an open-neck shirt, the 6-foot-5-inch swimmer could have been mistaken for an Armani model. But Thorpe stresses function over form.

"I don't have a great body," he said. "I have an efficient body. I have a natural advantage for my sport."

Jonathan Lipnicki, 10-year-old star of the new movie "Little Vampire," knows what it's like to be in the limelight. And he's not so sure he likes it.

"People used to be really wild. They would follow me around," he said in yesterday's Newsday. "They thought I had a cell phone in my backpack and stuff. And I was in kindergarten."

Lipnicki, who previously appeared in the movies "Jerry Maguire" and "Stuart Little," said he doesn't envy stars with heartthrob status.

"I've heard when girls meet 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, they throw up on them and faint. I wouldn't want to get thrown up on," he said.

More than 100 actors, models and sports figures have found a new vocation of sorts -- designing holiday greeting cards.

Cards designed by actors Christian Slater and Marlee Matlin were shown in yesterday's USA Weekly magazine. Slater's Christmas card displays a tree and gifts, while Matlin's Hanukkah card features the American Sign Language hand symbol for "I love you."

Proceeds from the cards, which go on sale Nov. 12, will go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

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