For This Alter Ego, Her Other Wears Army Boots

To get inspiration for a role, actress Meg Ryan reaches deep into her sole - all the way down to her shoes.

For such lighter fare as “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” Ryan explains in Elle, she wore “the ultimate sensible flats and white loafers - real virgin shoes.”

But for her role as a military helicopter ambulance pilot in the upcoming “Courage Under Fire,” it was Army combat boots.

“You put on those boots,” Ryan says, “and it was ‘Hello!’ You feel like this solid force because you’ve got these incredibly attached-to-the-ground shoes on.

“They gave me an entry point into a woman who was flawed and nervous and behaved incredibly courageously - a woman who was heroic and fully human at the same time.”

Loose talk

Billy Zane, on the skintight purple bodysuit he lived in while filming “The Phantom” (in People magazine): “It tended to get very sweaty, but you sacrifice for your art. I just hoped that I didn’t get a weird rash.” We understand that he’s still quite the swinger

Ron Ely turns 58 today.

It is a bit of a comedown from the moose

This just in: Janine Turner (“Northern Exposure”) has signed on as June Cleaver in the big-screen remake of “Leave It To Beaver.”

She’s not bad, she was just drawn that way

“Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, who provides the voice of a talking gargoyle in Disney’s animated “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” says it’s a bit too adult for his 4-year-old son. “Esmeralda is awfully provocative,” Alexander told Entertainment Weekly. “She’s up there in the Pocahontas category for babe of the year. She’s a little more voluptuous than Pokey was.”

Demi, on the other hand, was just moonlighting

Demi Moore invited four strippers from New York City’s Scores - Monique, Summer, Chase and Chandler - to the Big Apple premiere of her movie “Striptease,” in appreciation for their help in researching her role. “Demi made it cool to go to the club,” said a Scores spokesman. “Of course, we had her husband (Bruce Willis) way before her.”

Remember the time he had three on a couch?

Veteran funnyman Jerry Lewis has some advice for one of his modern counterparts, Jim Carrey. “I just hope that he stays on the right track and doesn’t cruise Sunset Boulevard with Brad Pitt and those guys,” said an obviously confused Lewis. “Be smart and get a room. I had a great time when I was his age, but I didn’t get caught.”

Tommy will drive, Janie will fly, and ZuZu pedals

Tiny Denison, Iowa - hometown of Donna Reed - will be transformed into the fictional Bedford Falls, N.Y., on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of “It’s A Wonderful Life.” While several cast members will attend, 88-year-old Jimmy Stewart is too frail to travel.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino