Alicia
Silverstone:
No Longer
“Clueless”
by Lynn B.
 Your
first glimpse of pretty, blonde Alicia Silverstone might have been of
her carrying a load of Rodeo Drive shopping bags in her breakthrough film
Clueless. She donned a cape as Batgirl in the blockbuster Batman
and Robin and was a modern girlfriend to Brendan Fraser’s time-warped
dude in the comedy Blast from the Past. Alicia is one actress
who wants to broaden her horizons. She left mainstream films briefly to
star in a musical version of Love’s Labour’s Lost
opposite Kenneth Branagh and went on for a Broadway debut as Elaine Robinson
in the comedy “The Graduate” which broke box-office records.
Alicia
has guest-starred in classic rockers Aerosmith music videos and has been
nominated for a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Kate Fox, a divorce
lawyer who plays cupid for clients in her t.v. series Miss Match.
Alicia’s company First Kiss Productions produces the popular animated
series “Braceface” on the ABC Family Network.
The
busy actress was happy to play the fun role of unsavory t.v. reporter
Heather Jasper-Howe in the new Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
film. She found a kinship with Sarah Michelle Gellar in that both actresses
were huge “American Idol” fans. Alicia also dished to us about
her worst teenage blind date. She looked like the “Girl with the
Pearl Earring” when we chatted in L.A.’s Century City. Her
hair was swept up and she was wearing large pearl earrings, red blouse
and prim black skirt, giving her that on-camera newsperson look.
AGW:
Did you base your newswoman character on anyone in particular?
Alicia:
No, not really. Newscasters have that certain affected voice that rounds
at the end. I had fun playing with that. Sometimes, there will be one
thing that I'll pick up in the script, or that I'll just make up and then
create the whole thing around it. I just decided that my character, Heather
Jasper-Howe, was truly just trying to protect the citizens of Coolsville
and, with all her heart, she is so devastated that Mystery Inc., who she
was such a fan of, would put her in a position where she has to report
(negatively on them) to the public.
AGW: How was it joining a sequel cast who already knew each other well?
Alicia:
Well, I was lucky, in that I didn't work every day, so I got lots of time
off to do other things and wander around. But, they were so cool, and
everybody was really great. I'd worked with Matt Lillard before on Love's
Labour's Lost, which was a very different movie, so I felt some kind
of excitement to get to see him and work with him again, and see where
our lives had taken us. We've both grown up so much since that time, and
things have changed so much for us, that it was neat to experience that
with him. But, we didn't get to work with each other at all. We were just
around each other. It was one of those great jobs where you don't have
to work a lot and you still get to be a part of a great thing. I would
just wander around Vancouver and go on dates with myself, and enjoy having
dinner in a really neat, nice restaurant by myself and watch people and
work on my character. I really had a great time there.
AGW: How fun was it to film the cat fight scene between you and Sarah
Michelle Gellar?
Alicia:
We had one rehearsal, for an hour or something, one day, where we played
with it and kind of worked out what we would do a little bit. I'd never
met her before. I remember feeling really good about it. But, the funny
part was that she and I were obsessed with the “American Idol”
thing that was going on at the time. Every time we were together, that's
what we would talk about. And so, I'd be really mean to her, and then
in between takes, we'd be like, ‘So, anyway, what do you think about
[what happened on ‘American Idol']?’ It was also hard because
I actually felt really bad [being mean to her], even though she knows
that I don't mean it. She looked so sweet and adorable when she was looking
up at me, and I was just shooting her venom and being so mean. I remember
having a thought of, ‘Oh, she's so cute. She's so sweet.’
[Laughs] I thought, ‘That's good. She's making it hard’.
AGW:
Is this the kind of movie you would have gone to see as a kid?
Alicia:
I don't even remember seeing movies as a kid. [Laughs] When I was a kid,
I watched ‘The Three Stooges' and the tape of The Wizard of
Oz, over and over and over again. I don't think I went to see movies
that much, until I got older, like 13. I went to see plays at the theater
a lot with my parents. But, I think it's a fun movie. I got really scared
watching this, but kids are more used to that kind of stuff. They watch
that stuff all the time, so they're probably a little less scaredy-cat
than me. But, that opening title sequence was so exciting. It was neat.
AGW:
Is “Miss Match” coming back?
Alicia:
Well, I won't find out until May, when they tell all the shows what happens
to them. We'll see. I just finished shooting about two weeks ago.
AGW: What have you enjoyed about having a television series?
Alicia:
It's so exciting for so many different reasons. One of the most exciting
parts is getting that script every few days. I can't wait to read it to
know what's going to happen to me next. With movies, you know exactly
what's going to happen to you, from beginning to end. On this, it's like,
‘Where am I going to go? What am I going to do? What's going to
happen?’ I really love working with NBC and all the actors were
so great. And, I just loved my character. I've been having so much fun.
It's just great all around.
AGW: Do you have any plans if the series doesn't get picked up?
Alicia:
Well, I'm on my hiatus now, so I'm probably going to start a movie. I
have to pick one in the next week and then I'll probably start on a film
in three or four weeks. I'll probably pick the one that I'm most afraid
of. That's usually what I do. And then, I guess, if it doesn't get picked
up, I'll just do more films, or produce something, whatever is exciting
at the time.
AGW: Your “Miss Match” character is always setting somebody
up on a date. Can you remember your worst date?
Alicia:
I think I was 15, and I had a crush on this guy in summer school. He was
so cute. He came to pick me up to go see a movie and he was completely
different from the guy that I was in summer school with. The guy that
I was in summer school with was really cute, intelligent, and just seemed
really great. But, now, he was acting like he was in the ‘hood.
He was acting all gangster-ish. And, he thought that being rude to me
would be a really good tactic. At the time, I had lived in this apartment
building where the door would swing back, so you'd have to hold the door
open for the person behind you. I would do that for anybody, especially
your date. And so, he opened it and it slammed back in my face. And then,
we got in the car and were driving to see the movie, and he says, ‘You
should give me your money for the movie now because you probably don't
look old enough for the movie.’ And, I was like, ‘You're not
going to pay for my movie, and you're going to insult me and say that
I don't look as old and sophisticated as you do? Eww.’ I didn't
like him.
AGW: Was that before you were recognizable to the public?
Alicia:
Yeah, I was 15. It was before I even did my first film. But, he was young
and probably just trying to show off. He was probably just scared, or
something. But, we didn't go on another date.
AGW: Are you going back to Broadway anytime soon?
Alicia:
I hope so. I really hope so, soon.
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