Leyla Milani

The Woman Behind the Briefcase

By: Amber Whitman and Maryam
February 1, 2008
Share on Facebook

Coming from humble beginnings, Deal or No Deal’s Leyla Milani, now finds herself dedicated to the ever demanding, but oh-so glamorous celebrity lifestyle. Proving
she is not just a pretty face, Leyla speaks to Faryad Magazine and gives our readers
a glimpse into her life, career, and what she is looking for in her ideal mate! Get caught
up in her world of stardom, and see how Leyla Milani’s dreams all seem to be coming true.

Faryad Magazine: I hear you and Howie Mandell are pretty good friends. Do
you guys hang out a lot?
Leyla Milani: Howie and I have strictly a business relationship. We went to the same high school [George S. Vanier] in Toronto, but we weren’t friends back in the day- he
is a lot older than me. I hang out with the girls from the show, but with Howie, not so much. He is a family man. He has three kids and a wife. He doesn’t hang out with us
after the show unless it is a special event or something to do with the show.

FM: I keep on hearing that you are of Iranian/Italian descent. What
percentage are you Italian?
LM: I am not Italian, but people think I am because of my last name. A lot of the information found online about me is incorrect.

FM: Where were you born?
LM: Toronto.

FM: Have you visited Iran since you left? If not,
do you plan to visit?
LM: I have not been to Iran. After Deal or Deal, I’m not
too sure if I would be going there [laughs]. I would love
to see my family living in Iran. I have a huge extended family that I have never seen. But there is always Dubai-
it’s the next best thing. My grandmother is in Dubai and
so is my aunt. I love Dubai!

FM: How long do you see yourself on Deal or No Deal?
LM: I’ll be on the show as long as the audience keeps watching.

FM: How do you like being on the show?
LM: I love Deal or No Deal. It has been one of my best experiences career-wise and personally. In this business, there are a lot of ups and downs, and it is very easy to
get discouraged. But when you work with a group of people who have tons of positive energy, the aura on the set is good as well. I work 17 hour days and love it.

FM: It doesn’t seem like being briefcase 13 has brought you any bad luck…
LM: I was actually born on sizdeh-be-dar [laughs]. I have an uncanny relationship with
this number. Some great and critical things in my life had to do with the number 13. It
was a mere coincidence that this number was chosen for my briefcase on Deal or No Deal. I have a lot of Sicilian friends, and through them I’ve learned that the number 13
is actually good luck!

FM: �Are there any future projects that you are looking forward to?
LM: One of my films, The Boys and Girls Club Guide to Getting Down, just came on DVD. My other film, Wrestle Maniac will be out early next year.

FM: What's your favourite Persian food?
LM: It’s a tie between the eggplant dishes and fesenjoon.

FM: Do you know how to cook?
LM: I do not [laughs]. But I make great reservations- and I’m not kidding about that!

FM: Did your parents move with you to LA? Or did you come alone?
LM: I was raised by my mother. My father wasn’t a big part of my life. I moved out here with my mom and my little sister. My mom is a registered nurse, and she got a good job offer out here in California. I just finished high school at the time and I had aspirations to go into fashion. One of the best fashion schools is in LA, so it was perfect timing.

FM: Are you single?
LM: Hmm… How do I answer this question without getting into trouble [laughs]? Let’s just say that I’m not married.

FM: Describe your ideal mate.
LM: I would like my future life partner to be courageous, strong, self motivated, driven, and not afraid to take risks or take on new challenges. I also need someone to keep up with me. I’m not the easiest person to
keep up with because I’m restless and always on the go. �

FM: Are you on a strict workout routine? Or are you just blessed?
LM: I was never into crazy diets. Everything needs to be in moderation. For me it’s
about a healthy lifestyle. I don’t restrict myself and totally ignore “carbs.” I eat pretty
much everything in moderation. I do believe in eating right, and taking care of my body.
I eat a lot of organic foods and I run around a lot, so that in itself is a workout for me.
It’s all about balance and being good to your body. When you’re wearing size two
dresses on Deal or No Deal, you need to have motivation, and ensure that you
maintain what you got [laughs]!

FM: Do you get to keep the dresses you wear on the show?
LM: [Laughs] No, we don’t get to keep our dresses. This is a little weird because
they custom make each dress specific to our bodies. I think they donate our wardrobe
to various charities, so that’s good. �

FM: How do you like the LA lifestyle? Is it very different from your life in
Toronto?
LM: They are very different from one another. The vibes are completely different.
Then again, I was a lot younger when I lived in Toronto. LA is more laid-back- nobody
is restricted. Most of the people here do what they want. I will say USA is truly the land
of opportunity. I know that sounds a little clich� but the country has proven that to me.
I have been able to further myself professionally and personally. I call Los Angeles home now- it’s made me who I am today. I am a Toronto gal at heart, but LA is all about work.
A lot of people think LA is a glamorous party city, but I think Toronto has the best party scene.

FM: Where do you see yourself
in five years?
LM: I definitely want to further my acting. I’ve already done a bunch of small appearances on TV shows. Being a briefcase babe is great, but I’m an actress at heart, and would love to expand my acting resume.
I also love fashion. It has taken a
back seat because I’ve been so busy with the show. Fashion is my
deepest passion. I would love to have my own show, and somehow mix my love for acting and fashion.

FM: Do you think of getting married and starting a family at your age of 25?
LM: Totally! I’m a relationship-oriented person. I’ve had three or
four major relationships in my life. Marriage and starting a family are very important to me, but I wont do
it for the sake of saying I did it. I
have to meet the right person. If I meet the right person tomorrow, I will get married. When you know it’s the right person, anything is possible. Ideally, I would like to have three kids. I think because I didn’t grow up around a big family, I crave them. I would love my future husband to have a large family, because I have never experienced that.

FM: How are you on dates?
LM: I’m socially awkward on dates. I have to always make sure that I can be myself. If
the date is too formal, it starts to feel like an interview and I can’t be myself. I’ve been
on a few blind dates and it was horrible- a disaster!

FM: Any pets?
LM: I have a Pomeranian named Mango and a Maltese named Gucci.
Gucci is Canadian, I got him from Pickering!!

FM: Are there any goals that you have for yourself that you must achieve by a certain age?
LM: I can’t say by a certain age. One of the things I love about this industry is the change. Your entire life can change dramatically any day. Because the industry is so fickle, I do have some goals that definitely must be achieved before I can say goodbye
to the business. But, I can’t say by a certain age and a certain time. I will know when I have achieved what I wanted to achieve.

FM: I know you've mentioned that you're not a big partier, but do you ever find yourself at the celebrity parties?
LM: Events are different than a random club. I don’t drink or smoke, so clubs aren’t an ideal scene for me. I do go to red carpet events and fundraisers. I actually do that quite frequently, and find it fun. It’s nice to see celebrities- I get star struck all the time!
But to go out to a club on a Saturday night is not fun. I would rather go out to the
movies, shopping or just simply hang out with friends.

FM: Do you still keep in touch with your friends, pre-celebrity status? How do
they react to all of this?
LM: They don’t look at me as a celebrity. I’m just someone who is recognizable right
now on TV. Some of my friends like my show and some don’t care to watch it. They
don’t look at me as “Hollywood.” Anyone who knows me sees me as down-to-earth
and not conceited at all. I actually have a lot of guy friends- I’m considered one of the guys.

FM: What are your favourite things to do when you're not working?
LM: Going out to dinners, and also I’m a huge movie buff. Recently I’ve become a Myspace addict. Meeting new people and networking- it’s the greatest thing. Myspace
is the best.

FM: Do people approach you and ask you about the current situation/conflict between USA and Iran? Do you follow politics?
LM: Not that I stay away from politics, but I don’t understand it for the life of me. I don’t like talking about it, because I don’t know much about it- especially with Iranian politics. When people find out I’m Iranian, they ask me about the current situation, but many people don’t realize I am even Iranian.

Leyla Milani Biography

In the just released feature film "The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down," she plays "Brittany," "the girl on the go in the 310." In the award-winning horror flick "Wrestlemaniac," she plays "Dallas," the tough Texan who is ultimately the last one standing. In WWE's Raw Diva Search contest, she just missed winning the top spot by a few votes. So, as an in-demand film actress and television personality, how do you top those gigs? Leyla Milani was "appointed" number 13.

It was a random luck of the draw, so now, as Deal or No Deal's "Lucky Thirteen," or "Lucky Leyla" as she's often referred to, Leyla Milani has charmed television viewers and fans from all over the country with her infectious smile and smooth, soothing style.

Leyla is a talented actress, model, host, fashion designer and a well rounded "Jack-of-all-trades." Currently Leyla can be seen on two national television commercials�A WWE Raw Fan-nation spot airing on USA networks and a Budweiser Beer spot as "Monday."

She's appeared on several hit television shows including NBC's "Las Vegas", "Las Comic Standing", CW's "All of Us", Fox's "Stacked", "Desire", CMT's reality show "Popularity Contest," (Her only comment on the show � "Those people sure ate a lot of red meat"), TNT's drama, "Wanted," Larry David's HBO smash, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and Showtime's "Sleeper Cell", just to name a few.

She has hosted FUEL TV'S popular motorsport show, M80, Fox Sport Net's "Celebrity Golf Tournament" as well as the new political variety show, "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" on Fox News. She is the NEW spokes model for "Clientele" skin care line (http://www.clientele.org/), and the premier cover girl for a brand new national glossy publication, Coexistence Magazine which hits news stands everywhere in September 2007.

And, later in the year, Leyla can be seen on Mountaindew.com in a brand new Webisode series entitled, "Cyberpux" where she plays a bad "cyber" cop. But in addition to the smash hit that is DEAL or NO DEAL, most of her newly cultivated legions of fans now recognize Leyla as the WWE's (World Wrestling Entertainment) RAW DIVA SEARCH 2005 finalist and runner-up. Selected from 8,000 applicants, for 8 consecutive weeks, Leyla made her way through the stiff competition to become the #2 Diva. As a result of her repeated appearances on WWE and the millions of viewers watching her worldwide, Leyla's website, http://www.leylamilani.com/ receives thousands of hits daily. When she's not busy working, Leyla enjoys reading motivational quotes, useless facts, playing with "Mango"�her pet Pomeranian and gambling�maybe a little too much; Black Jack and Roulette being her specialty.

Leyla's Lucky 13 aura is a continuation of her optimistic lifestyle and outlook. In fact, Leyla always knew she had good fortune. "Ever since I was one year old, I have been posing for the camera," says the Canadian siren. But back then, hanging out with the guys, playing every sport under the sun and constantly entertaining everybody who would watch or listen was Leyla's life. Local fame came early with Leyla hosting a local cable after-school television show at the age of just 12. With a flurry of local modeling gigs and runway appearances, she was an already in-demand face very early on.

Post High School found the family moving from Toronto to Hollywood� which for Leyla, was exactly where she wanted to be. What better place to chase my dreams," she remembers. "I'm a very creative person, so LA was the perfect location for me to explore the acting, modeling and fashion design aspirations."
Her options completely open, she enrolled in Los Angeles' Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise. Amazingly, by the age of 20, "Leyla Couture Jeans" were already the talk of the industry. Another Leyla inspired line also was a hit with consumers, with the collection eventually finding its way in the mega "Forever 21" stores, nationwide. She adds, "Whether I'm acting, modeling or running my fashion business, ultimately my goal is to blend all of these activities into my life. I have to be busy doing several things or I'm just not happy."