She's one smart cookie, which is why 17-year-old Amanda Bynes is an actress who's going places. Movies, sitcoms, sketch-comedy shows...you name it, she's done it. Here, she tells us who she admires and where she'll be heading next.
There aren't that many girl comedians — so who are your female role models career-wise?
My favorite show is I Love Lucy. I just find myself watching that all the time. And Tracey Takes On was always a really good show. I love Jennifer Aniston because now that I'm doing a sitcom [What I Like About You], I can see it's so not easy. Sitcoms are basically joke, joke, joke. And I feel like it's so hard to make it jokey while making it real. I think Jennifer Aniston has got it down; she's incredible at it. I really want to be an actress where I do movies and become different people. Kirsten Dunst has done a good job of picking different roles and doing something that was right for her at that time. If you thought of her doing [certain roles] now, you'd think it doesn't seem like her. But at the point when she did it, it was her. I like that idea of always changing yourself.
Do you find it hard for people to see you as anything other than the funny girl now?
It's always going to be a struggle when you do something that people enjoy, I think they want you to stick to that. Like Meg Ryan was America's sweetheart but that gets boring, especially if you're the person doing it. I went from doing years of Nickelodeon where I was the goofy slapsticky girl, but I wanted so bad to do something just for myself, something serious.
Would you be prepared to do a comedy skit show now, after being on The Amanda Show for so long?
Yeah. If I hosted Saturday Night Live then it would be totally cool because I'd be playing characters in the show, but I wouldn't want to be a cast member every single week. That's not what I want to do anymore. I feel like I've done it and I enjoyed that part of my life, but it's not the kind of life I want to have.
You said you chilled out this summer, why didn't you do another movie?
I'm taking it slow. I want longevity in the end. What a Girl Wants is dying down and then I'm doing the show. My name is still out there, but it's not like I'm everywhere. I feel like the best thing to do is to do things progressively and then when I'm 18 I'll be an adult and I'll be able to do whatever I want moviewise. I feel lucky with the way it's all worked out. The next movie I do will be really good, an ensemble thing. I want to be doing this for a long time, not just right now.
Do you still like TV?
I do. After this I wouldn't really want to do...I mean, keep my options open and never say never...but I think I would prefer to do more movies after this.
Would you ever want to do straight drama?
Yeah, I 'd love to try anything. I think comedy is fun — I love watching comedies — but drama's also really good.
Do you think it would be a battle for you to convince other people that you're capable of drama?
If they don't know me well enough. That's why I feel lucky with everything. People would probably say I've heard that name, but it's not like I feel stereotyped by something. Because I'm not that well-known. I feel like the next thing I do could be dramatic. Who knows? It's hard to find good scripts. It all depends and everything happens for a reason.
When you're home how do you chill out? You don't seem into the Hollywood scene or hanging out with other actors.
I do. I know a fair amount of actors. It just depends on the person. There are actors I genuinely enjoy and others I don't enjoy. It just depends on who you click with. I love watching movies, hanging out with friends, going to dinner, miniature golfing — fun, normal things.
What are your friends like?
They're cool. I'm picky, but I like to surround myself with smart, funny people because it makes you feel good and makes you laugh and is uplifting. Why hang around with weak people?
What do you think your coolest accomplishment is?
I can genuinely say that I'm a normal person. I really feel like I try to be a good person. I'm thoughtful of people's feelings and try to be that way in my life.
