Been a while since we’ve seen Alicia Silverstone. Before she got her new TV series, Miss Match, her last major film was 1999’s Blast from the Past. She’s done some little seen indie films, like Kenneth Branagh’s musical version of Love’s Labour’s Lost, but this is really the comeback year for the former Aerosmith video babe, with the TV show and a role in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Silverstone plays a tabloid reporter who misquotes Fred and turns the town of Coolsville against the Mystery, Inc. team. It’s a melodramatic, cartoon-y performance which suits the tone of the live-action adaptation just fine. In person, Silverstone was a delight, waxing philosophical about the depth of her role, all the while realizing it was a silly schtick.
Did you base your character on any journalists who’ve misquoted you?
No, not really. I just had fun with when you watch newscasters and they have that certain affected voice that rounds at the end. It’s just so funny. 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 get so excited about, and then create the whole thing around it. So, for me, that was the idea that I was the mayor of the town. 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 fun of, would do this to her and put her in a position where she has to report to the public. She’s just so devastated. That was really fun, because it's such bullsh*t, to ride on that and have her really be dedicated, almost like Heather Jasper Howe enjoys being an actress. That was just so much fun to do, and that helped me figure everything out.
Was it comfortable to be the newcomer on the sequel cast?
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. So, the amount of time that I was with them was so short that it just was what it was. But, they were so cool, and everybody was really great. I'd worked with Matt Lillard before on Love's Labour's Lost, very different movie, so I felt some kind of excitement to get to see him and work with him again, and see where are 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, I didn’t even get to say one [word]- - we didn't get to work with each other at all. We were just around each other. Same with Seth Green. I never interacted with a lot of the actors. We just were all in it together. But, it was a really cool cast of people and they're all really nice. I wasn't on set much, honestly. 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.
Was it fun to have a catfight with Sarah Michelle Gellar?
I'd never met her before. I remember feeling really good about it. I remember feeling mean. But, the funny part was that her 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…” 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." I thought, "That's good. She's good. She’s making it hard."
What was your favorite characteristic of the character you played?
I think just the falseness in her motivation. I really liked that she was convincing the people of Coolsville that she was protecting them and, meanwhile, she was really trying to kill them and hurt them. I just thought that that was fun.
You can read the full interview with Alicia Silverstone HERE, where she talks about Miss Match and her future projects.
Courtesy of About.com |
