Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Josh Lucas' involvement in this season's hot documentary, "Trumbo," took the "Glory Road" and "Sweet Home Alabama" actor back to his own dramatic, sometimes traumatic, boyhood.

"I remember being, like, 6 years old and my father was part of a large protest in South Carolina, and among those people who'd been arrested. They had 20-30 people in a holding pen, and I was there outside the pen — angry, confused, not sure why it was happening," recounts Josh, whose political activist parents participated in many anti-nuclear protests when he was a child, one result of which was that he moved 30 times before age 13. He continues, "I threw a pine cone, and it happened to hit a police officer. He turned around and glared at me and I was terrified. To this day, I get scared of police — even getting a parking ticket."

He adds, "When you're a kid, you just want to be normal. It was hard at the time, but later I felt such pride in my parents' acting on their beliefs — the same way I'm sure Dalton Trumbo's children feel."

"Trumbo," opening Friday (6/27) in limited release, is the film adaptation of Christopher Trumbo's celebrated play about his late father, Dalton Trumbo — constructed out of letters left by the fiery, witty, Oscar-winning author and screenwriter. He became one of the so-called "Hollywood 10" called to testify before the 1950s House Un-American Activities Committee — and wound up being blacklisted and serving a year in prison for contempt of Congress. Along the way, "Trumbo" recounts such attention-grabbing pieces of history as a proposal for turning the World War II-era Japanese internment camps into prison camps for radicals.

Its cast includes David Strathairn, who "played Edward R. Murrow in 'Good Night and Good Luck,'" reminds Lucas, plus Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Brian Dennehy, Joan Allen, Liam Neeson, Michael Douglas and Donald Sutherland.

MEANWHILE: The seemingly ever-busier Lucas has a string of films coming up, including the recently wrapped "Peacock" suspense flick with Ellen Page and Susan Sarandon; the Ridley and Tony Scott- produced "Tell-Tale" dramatic chiller, in which he stars, and "Management," with Jennifer Aniston. "I've seen it and it's very funny," he says of the latter, a September release. "I have a small part in that one — it's literally a porn star giving advice to Steve Zahn, who is trying to woo Jennifer Aniston's character.

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE ...: Supermodel Beverly Johnson tells us her only daughter, Anansa, has followed her into the modeling world — but not without mom's warnings. "My daughter, who has already gotten her M.B.A., decided she wanted to be a plus size model. She signed with Wilhelmina. I was like, 'Huh?' I discouraged her from modeling every day of her life," admits Johnson, who just got back into the spotlight hosting the TV Land reality series "She's Got the Look."

"First of all, one of the most difficult and competitive careers, besides being an astronaut, is being an actor, and after that, just based on odds, is a model," notes Johnson. "Being a mother, I want to protect her from anything that's bad. Modeling made me who I am today and it was an incredible career, and it is an incredible career, and I went all over the world and have made a lot of money, but I still want to protect her from all of the things that go along with the dark side of modeling." However, despite the hardships of the business, Johnson claims she would never want to squash her daughter's passions. "I wouldn't discourage someone who really has the desire to model because it means everything to them. I'm happy to pass the torch," she tells us. "I think it's great for my daughter to come out and represent plus size women. It's something she's always wanted to do … I have a lot of respect for her."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: Former "ER" star Erik Palladino is busy filming TV and movie projects of all different calibers because he says the business is too fickle to be overly picky. "I consider myself a blue collar actor. I just keep grinding it out," says Palladino, who has five movies on the way. "I go where the money is. After being in this game for 20 years, if they pay me to do something, I'm there. It's an easy gig being an actor. The tough part is getting the job. Every time I have a job I'm so very content. Fortunately I've had the opportunity to be in things that I think are good and fun. Occasionally not, but I've got to pay bills." CAREER CHANGE: With his wizened "ER" heading into its 15th and final roundup, and "The West Wing" a memory, super producer John Wells is getting ready to make the switch to police action with his forthcoming "LAPD" NBC series. Among the key characters is a young inexperienced cop who proves himself to his cynical (yet still dedicated) veteran partner. Sure, it sounds familiar, but it's all in how it's done, right?

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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