For the January cover of O magazine, Oprah took a walk on the wild side.
By Clarissa Cruz
Ruven Afanador
The list of luminaries who have shared the cover of O with Oprah is pretty short: Michelle Obama. Ellen DeGeneres. Rosie O'Donnell. Dr. Oz. And now ... Beast. The 10-year-old African lion stretched, yawned, and roared for his most high-profile gig yet. (His past credits include a GEICO commercial.) So how did the two cover stars get along? They never met. For safety's sake, Beast wasphotographed the previous day and his caretaker was on site to ensure every aspect of his care was attended to.
Donna Alberico
"I can honestly say I've never done this before," Oprah said as she reclined next to George DeLacy, a member of the set-design team, who gamely posed in a full lion costume. In the end, the 500-pound cat wasn't the only thing the crew had to wrangle. "Make sure the left breast is out of sight," Oprah said after narrowly avoiding a wardrobe malfunction in her low-cut Marc Bouwer gown.
Donna Alberico
The stand-ins for the real lion? A plush version and George DeLacy doing his best King of the Jungle impersonation.
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Whitney Tressel
Afanador and his team shot from inside a protective cage.
Donna Alberico
Ruven Afanador giving Oprah and Gayle King the lowdown on Beast and DeLacy's digital switcheroo.
O, The Oprah Magazine's January issue hits newsstands on December 9th.
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