Blanchard Ryan

For most actresses, the idea of spending many hours in the middle of the ocean surrounded by live sharks, stinging jellyfish and snapping barracudas is not an experience to be relished. But for Blanchard Ryan, it proved to be a golden opportunity. Along with co-star Daniel Travis, Ryan spent day after day wading in the ocean for her first theatrically released film, "Open Water" (2004), a thriller about a scuba diving couple stranded in the ocean by their tour boat. Despite braving the elements and revealing her most intimate features to a mass audience, the grueling shoot paid off for Ryan, who went from unknown to hot commodity virtually overnight.