June 2003 By Philip Berk
Forget What a Girl Wants, what any red blooded teenage guy wants is Amanda Bynes.
The young star of Warner Bros. TV series What I like About You and the hit movie What a Girl Wants arrives at her press conference almost as composed and self assured as she appears on screen.
When I tell her she reminds me of the young Barbra Streisand (the eyes particularly) she doesn’t seem impressed.
Obviously she has never seen Barbra’s early movies particularly Funny Girl.
But then she hasn’t had the time.
Just turned seventeen, she’s been working almost non stop since she was nine years old.
How did it all begin? I ask her.
Without any prompting she has a long answer.
“I was always precocious but I never thought I wanted to be an actor. I had a lot of energy and would watch my brother — he’s a bit older in fact he’s thirty — when he was in high school plays. I would go to his rehearsals and I could memorize all the lines. The same with my sister who is three years older than me. She was also in plays and I would start memorizing the other persons’ lines. I would practice her lines with her. I found myself enjoying doing that; so when I was seven I started pursuing it myself. My first role was Molly in Annie. It was community theater. I also did The Music Man, Sound of Music, and then when I was ten I played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, which was different because it was dramatic. I really liked becoming someone else. There’s something exciting about doing theater. For me it’s a rush. I also played the lead in The Secret Garden where I got to sing and be serious at the same time.”
So how did she get into doing stand-up comedy?
“My dad had read about a kids’ comedy camp and basically just asked us, ‘Would you want to do this over the summer?’ I decided to do it; so every Saturday I would go to this camp with my sister. I was ten years old at the time, and we were the only white kids among dozens of underprivileged kids. It was great because up until then we had lived a sort of sheltered suburban life. So this was a chance to meet other people.”
Did they have to audition?
“Originally there were about 200 kids so they had to sort of skim it down. Each week you worked on your routine. Lots of really talented comedians would show up and work with you. Richard Pryor came once and also Arsenio Hall and Jay Mohr. They would all give you tips.”
So one day she was discovered by a talent scout?
“Some scouts from the Nickelodeon Show, All That, they saw me and asked if I would audition for the show. At first I was skeptical, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ I was like ten and I’m too good for TV! I have no idea what I was thinking, but it ended up being a really good thing for me to do because previously whenever I went to audition for serious things I was considered too bubbly, which I was. All That allowed me to play different characters . It was sketch comedy, like Saturday Night Live for kids, and that was good for me”
And after that?
“Well, two years later, when I was thirteen, the creators of All That decided to do a show with me as the star, and that became The Amanda Show. We did that for two years and forty five episodes. It was more like The Carol Burnett Show, where I’d come out in the beginning and welcome the guests and then later play different characters. I played my own #1 fan and Judge Trudy. It was stuff like that. It was geared for kids who were sort of sick of watching stupid shows with gross humor. It was scaled a little bit higher, and that’s mainly where most of my fan base comes from.”
By now she must have had an agent getting her jobs?
“Actually I had an agent when I was seven. At the time I did a lot of commercials, twenty in fact.”
How did Big Fat Liar happen?
“Just as I turned fifteen, I was offered the chance to costar with Frankie Muniz. It was my first movie and it was so exciting for me because it was always my dream to do movies. After that I started doing What I Like About You, also for the WB (network.) It has changed quite a bit since the pilot; now it’s more about relationships and less about sibling rivalry. And then of course last summer I filmed What a Girl Wants.”
What a Girl Wants is an update — you could hardly call it a remake — of The Reluctant Debutante, a forgettable movie of the fifties which costarred Sandra Dee and Rex Harrison.
In this version she and Colin Firth play those roles.
The film is equally forgettable but what makes it watchable is Amanda. You can’t take your eyes off her.
Right now she’s at that awkward stage.
“You mean, no longer sweet sixteen but not yet an adult. It is awkward. But I’m hoping this will be a lucky year for me.”
Is she bothered by being thought of as a role model?
“I don’t think about it much because if you’re on TV, no matter what you do people are going to think of you as a role model. A lot of people are aware of the choices you make. I know kids look up to me. But I do what’s right for me. I make choices that are right for me. I know they’re not bad, and I don’t think parents disapprove. Maybe when I’m older I might be more adventuresome but right now I do what’s right.”
How is she avoiding the temptations of celebrity?
“Because I’m an Aries, I definitely know who I am. I have a good sense of judging people so I choose friends who are not into drugs or smoking or drinking. That’s just not me. Not that I don’t make mistakes or bad choices — everybody does that — but just being in this business and meeting different people teaches you so much. The people I spend most of the time with probably have the most to do with who I am.”
Where does she get her sense of humor from?
“Definitely from my dad. He’s a dentist, but he has a good sense of humor. He’s always making jokes. I get a lot of my wanting to perform from him.”
What about her mother?
”My mom is the shy type, definitely not an actor.”
Wasn’t her brother also an actor?
“He was always interested in theatre. I’m sure he wishes he could have done something in that field, but it just didn’t work out. He’s a chiropractor now.”
Does she have a boyfriend?
“I do but I don’t like to talk about that.”
Can she tell us if he’s an actor?
“Actually he is, but he’s different.”
What does that mean?
“People usually say never date an actor. I commonly don’t like actory types because they usually put you down just to build themselves up, but he loves the craft of acting and he has a father who’s worked in the theatre. I like people like that who are more into acting than attending parties or being seen with famous people.”
Does she still live at home?
“I only just turned seventeen!”
Does she get along well with her mother?
“I have the same relationship that anyone else has with their mother.”
Which means?
“We go to breakfast or we go shopping. The normal stuff. I spend more time with my friends. I work and she works all the time” (as her father’s office manager.)
Does she get to spend as much money as she pleases?
“Far from it. I have a credit card with a $300 limit per month. When I run out, I can ask for a little more. Sometimes when it happens, it can be embarrassing.”
What is her biggest extravagance?
“A skin product called Creme de la Mer which costs $100 a bottle.”
She has beautiful skin, why would she need it?
“The truth is I had really bad skin when I was going through that hormonal thing. On top of which I was under those lights and playing different characters; they packed on this stage make up, and I’d be wearing prosthetics. All those things were clogging my pores; so I went to a dermatologist and after trying everything he prescribed Accutane which cured me. Now I take very good care of my skin. Having acne can so depress you.”
Does she drive?
“Yes I do. I’ve had my license for a year.”
Does she have a car?
“I have a Honda Accord.”
What type music does she listen to?
“I like all sorts, everything from Justin Timberlake to Joni Mitchell.”
Would she like to be a singer?
“Maybe in the theatre but not a recording artist. I like to sing but mainly in the privacy of my own home.”
Which actors inspire her?
“The cast of Friends. I think they’re so talented particularly David Schwimmer. I like funny people, like Billy Crystal and Steve Martin.”
Is she signed for her next movie?
“I’m being kinda picky right now. I’m keeping my eyes open, but it’s hard to find a good story. So I’m looking forward to just hanging out with my friends.”
Does she have hobbies?
“I love art work, and I love painting. I’ve taken drawing classes since I was really little.”
Any collectibles?
“I have a collection of Archie comics.”
Any pets?
“I have a dog. She’s a Golden Lab. Yesterday we found out she has cancer. I also have a Australian shepherd.”
What role of role would she like to do next?
“Definitely something more mature. I’ve always tried to do things that were right for me at the time. For example I couldn’t do Big Fat Liar now because I’m older, but when I was fifteen it was just right for me. I’d like to do something my age. Something that challenges me. That’s the only way you can grow as an actress. You have to try to reinvent yourself. I don’t want to be known as a teenage actress. I want to be thought of as an actor.”
Barbra couldn’t have said it better!