Sports Hollywood - Ten Questions with Betty Okino

10 Questions with Betty Okino

Okino
The incredibly beautiful, incredibly talented Betty Okino. How could you not give this smile alone a perfect "10?"
Actress and Olympian Elizabeth (Betty) Okino is the essence of everything that SportsHollywood covers.

Born in Africa to a Ugandan father and a Romanian mother, Okino was inspired to begin gymnastics by the success of Mary Lou Retton and the 1984 Olympics.

A successful dancer prior to coming to the sport of gymnastics (Betty and her brother competed as a pair and won many tap-dancing competitions), Betty progressed quickly in gymnastics, beginning at age 9 and turning elite at age 13.

Once turning elite, Betty decided to take the next step toward her Olympic dream and moved to Houston to train with Bela Karolyi. Fluent in Romanian, Betty would often tell the other girls what Bela and Marta were saying about them behind their backs. When the Karolyi's eventually learned that Betty could speak Romanian, they switched and began speaking Hungarian to one another.

At the 1991 World Championships in Indianapolis, Betty unveiled a difficult triple pirouette on the balance beam, a feat that now bears her name, The Okino (quite an honor in the world of gymnastics). A second move, the Okino-UB, a clear hip underswing with 1/2 twist to layout back salto, is another tribute to her talent and creativity.

Okino
Betty's comment on this photo: "Nice crotch shot!"
In 1992, Betty suffered stress fractures to both the L3 and L4 vertebrae two months before the Olympic Trials. The doctors ordered her to stop working out, because one wrong move could break her back.

But two weeks later, Okino began working out again, against doctor's orders. She missed the Olympic Trials, but her strong international track record helped earn her a spot on the team, anyway. Despite the injuries, Betty had a strong showing at the Olympic Games, helping her team medal.

Betty retired from competitive gymnastics following the Olympics and returned home to Elmhurst, Ilinois, to complete high school. She then attended the University of Oklahoma, majoring in broadcast journalism.

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WITH YOUR QUESTIONS

Okino then moved to California to perform in Sea World's World Rhythm on Ice, and acted in a number of television shows. She guest starred in the Warner Brothers teen show Popular, and appeared in a number of episodes of ABC's Push. She then appeared on the '99 Billboard Awards, where she danced with Celine Dion.

Currently, Okino can be seen as the host of the Disney Channel's "Z-Games." She also has appeared in several commercials, including one for Direct TV with Drew Carey, and has role on MTV's show Undressed.

TEN QUESTIONS (PLUS FOUR)

Okino
This makes acting look easy by comparison. (Photo © Matthew Barber)
SportsHollywood: What's your favorite sports movie?

OKINO: It's a toss-up between American Anthem and Rudy.

SportsHollywood: Gymkata: Hollywood entertainment or top secret government special forces unit?

OKINO: Top secret government special forces unit!

SportsHollywood: Did you always want to act, or did you decide to do it after gymnastics?

OKINO: I always wanted to act from when I was a child, but gymnastics took precedence. So I went for that first then merged into acting.

SportsHollywood: Did being fluent in Romanian ever help you at International meets? Could you ever hear the Romanians' strategy?

OKINO: (laughing) They don't have strategies, it's not like a football game.

SportsHollywood: Do you ever expect anything in your life to be able to match your Olympic experience?

OKINO: No, No! It's absolutely wonderful, I'd never ever trade it for anything!

Karolyi

Lugosi
SportsHollywood: Scarier in person: Bela Karolyi or Bela Lugosi?

OKINO: (laughing) Bela Karolyi!

SportsHollywood: What about the root of the word, "gymnastics," meaning naked? You work on a show called Undressed. I'm starting to see a trend. Care to comment?

OKINO: I just learned that today. Would I have participated in the sport if I'd known that? It's an awesome sense of freedom, if you will!

SportsHollywood: Which is better: an Emmy or an Olympic Medal?

OKINO: It's tough to say, right now the greatest thing in the world would be to win an Emmy but winning a medal is very special. The amount of effort and heart and soul that goes into winning a medal makes it a great accomplishment. It's a different kind of determination, a different kind of inner strength to push your body to that extreme to win an Olympic medal. Does that answer your question?

SportsHollywood: Do you think it's wrong for a show with really hot looking people to call itself Undressed when nobody really gets undressed?

OKINO: Yeah, they're totally fooling the people out there. They tune in because they think they're going to see some tits and ass and they don't. It's kind of sad . . . as long as it's not me!

SportsHollywood: Which do you enjoy more: Nailing a gymnastics routine or nailing an acting audition?

OKINO: A gymnastics routine. When you nail it you get a thunderous round of applause.

SportsHollywood: Do you ever use a balance beam in auditions?

OKINO: I have a little portable one that unfolds that I carry with me. I figure if the audition is going down, I may as well go down on the balance beam.

SportsHollywood: Did you get to know Michael Jordan or any of the Dream Team in Barcelona?

OKINO: Yes! We met the whole team. We were standing in the Olympic village when their bus pulled up and there was about 500 people waiting for them. Larry Bird came out, recognized us and invited us on the bus. We all hung out and took pictures for about 20 minutes. Very cool!

SportsHollywood: Who is your favorite athlete?

OKINO: Michael Jordan.

SportsHollywood: What athlete would you like to play onscreen?

OKINO: Michael Jordan.

Interview by Phardoe

Okino Archive

Betty Okino 1990 U.S. National Championships: Silver Medalist (AA), Gold Medalist (Beam) and Event Finalist (5th Bars, 4th Floor) 1991 World Championships: Silver Medalist (Team), Bronze Medalist (Beam) and 4th AA 1991 American Cup: Champion and Gold Medalist (AA, Vault, Bars) 1992 World Championships: Silver Medalist (Bars) and Event Finalist (8th Beam) 1992 Olympics: Bronze Medalist (Team) and Event Finalist (6th Beam)

'Ten Questions' Archive