As a veteran model, Devon faced a new set of challenges as an actress.

"It's totally different. When you're modeling, you're interacting with the person behind the camera. But when you're acting, the camera is like a fly on the wall and you pretend it's not there. You do reaction shots where you're supposed to be looking at your best friend but really you're just staring at a white board to get the right eyeline. It's tough," Devon said in an interview with Elle Girl magazine.

For her major film debut, Devon had to learn more than the inner workings of the street-racing subculture -- she had to learn to drive. Prior to filming, Devon had never actually driven a car. She took driving lessons on the set.

"2 Fast 2 Furious" may be Devon's first feature film, but she's been turning heads for years as an international supermodel. With a unique look that stems from her Japanese, British, and German heritage, and standing only 5'5" tall, Devon's broken through an industry that has been dominated by tall Caucasian women.

"There are such standards you have to meet as a model. You have to be this skinny and this tall and, if you don't fit all these criteria, they cross you off the list. Not being these things has made me who I am," says Devon in Elle Girl magazine.

After being discovered at a Rancid rock concert in New York at the age of 13, Devon has graced the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and dominated the catwalks in Milan, Paris, and New York. She's been featured in ad campaigns for Chanel and Baby Phat and runway shows for Jean-Paul Gaultier, Betsey Johnson, and Yohji Yamamoto. In 1998, Devon took over Naomi Campbell's role as the muse for Donatella Versace and has even been cited as the muse for Karl Lagerfield, designer for the House of Chanel.

Devon recently signed a multi-year contract as a spokesmodel for Lancome, becoming the first Asian American to land an international beauty campaign.

"People are embracing unconventional models like Alex Wek and Sophie Dahl. They've diversified the fashion industry and set a precedent for new girls. When someone quirkier and edgier and different slips through the cracks, it's great. I'm here to prove that you can be five-foot-five and look different and you can still model for the best companies and get the best campaigns," Devon told Elle Girl.

Devon was born on August 10, 1982 to mother Pamela Hilberger, an expensive jewelry designer, and father Rocky Aoki, former Japanese Olympic wrestler and now owner of the Benihana Restaurant chain. She considers Kate Moss and Ludacris her good friends and has dated singer Lenny Kravitz.

After everything she's done, it's hard to believe this girl's only 20 years old. She has obviously taken the modeling industry by storm and we'll just have to wait and see if her acting career stirs up the same excitement in this summer’s “2 Fast 2 Furious.”

"I did what I thought suited the role, and hopefully people will think my role was a good part of the film - or at least didn't take away from it," Devon told Stance Magazine.

"2 Fast 2 Furious" opens in theaters everywhere June 6, 2003.

May 30, 2003