Fans of the
actress will next hear her as an energetic and colourful robot in Robots. Set
on a world populated entirely by robots, this is the story of a young genius,
Rodney (Ewan McGregor), who wants to make robots capable of making the world a
better place, but he finds his dream challenged by a corporate tyrant and a
master inventor, while also being seduced by a sexy corporate robot, Cappy
(Halle Berry).
Quiet,
serious, and matter-of-fact, Bynes talked to Paul Fischer.
Paul
Fischer : So Chris Wedge [director] said you have the perfect voice for an
animated
Character?
Amanda: He
did? I wonder why?
P.F: Was
it offered to you or did you have to fight for it, was it easy to get?
Amanda: No,
I was very lucky they sent me the script and they wanted me to be Piper so.
P.F: So
lets talk to you about the script. Did you laugh right away when you read it,
what was it?
Amanda: You
know I loved; I loved the story, which is shine no matter what you made of.
It's like it doesn't matter where you came from or what you look like but if
you have goals and if you want to be something or whatever it is you want to
do the only person who can stop you is yourself.
P.F: Now
were you disappointed that you, I mean, every one is in the same boat, do you
get disappointed when you don't get and a chance to work with an amazing
amount of people that are in this movie, I mean, you don't actually work with
Robin Williams you get to work with all these guys ---
Amanda:
Yeah I mean it's definitely odd that I'm in a movie with all these talented
people and yet I haven't met them until today. You know, it it's definitely
different but it's exciting. I mean I'm so lucky to be able to be a part of
this movie.
P.F: How
do you deal with the voice? I mean what do you try to do a little bit
different?
Amanda:
Well it depends on what you're doing. For this they wanted it to sound like me
so I was kind of lucky. I got to have it easy so I just sort of did a younger
version of my voice.
P.F: A
younger version how old are you now?
Amanda: I'm
eighteen.
P.F: A
younger version?
Amanda:
Yeah I just, you know.
P.F: A
higher, higher?
Amanda:
Yeah just sort of a little squeakier and also it is a robot so, you know, it
has to be a little different.
P.F: Did
they send to you pictures of what she was going to look like beforehand?
Amanda:
Yes.
P.F: Did
you get the feeling of the animation also?
Amanda: Yes
they sent me pictures before I signed on to do it of what it was going to look
like; rough ideas, so I definitely thought it looked very cool.
P.F: What
were some of your growing up favourite animated movies and did you like
watching them?
Amanda:
Well I love all the Disney movies, because when I was young there really
weren't any...
P.F: Well
what were some of the classics you loved?
Amanda:
Well I loved Beauty and the Beast that was always one of my favourites and
like The Little Mermaid.
P.F: You
spend a lot of time drawing and painting yeah?
Amanda:
Yes, I love...I love to ...
P.F: What
kind of things do you draw? Do you ever see yourself ever moving into this
sort of design element or something like that or is acting strictly what you
want to do?
Amanda: Do
you know I want to do there's so much that I want to do in my life I don't
know. I mean I love to draw and I love to paint so I don't know if I'll ever
do it professionally but I definitely enjoy doing that right now.
P.F: What
else do you want to do in your life Amanda? You would want to do a lot more in
your life like what?
Amanda: I
mean there's not like one specific thing I want to just do anything that's
good, you know, like I just want to work for a long time so.
P.F:
Beyond acting?
Amanda: Ah
yeah. I might either want to direct one day, I might, want to you know, do a
play on Broadway I hope.
P.F: A
play on Broadway? Are you looking for anything?
Amanda: I
always have one eye opened.
P.F: Is
there a particular play that you want to do?
Amanda: I
would love to do My Fair Lady one day, you never know.
P.F: Well
as much as you want to do how do you find time to juggle it between this, or
doing films and a TV show.
Amanda:
Well I am lucky because on the show there's a hiatus, you know there is always
a good period of time where I could squeeze in a movie. Like this summer I did
a movie called "Love Wrecked" which I think will be coming out in spring, so I
kind of always have little pieces of time ...
P.F:
What's "Lovewrecked"?
Amanda: It
was directed by Randall Kleiser and I'm very excited.
P.F.: Who
else is in it?
P.F: Chris
Carmack from the OC yeah and, Jamie Lynn DiScala whose from the Sopranos. I
play a girl Jenny Taylor whose obsessed with this pop star like a Justin
Timberlake of her time or whatever in this movie and she and he get stuck on
this island together. She's followed him on this yacht and he gets sick and so
he falls over and she jumps after him, so throughout this they get stuck on
this island and become stranded. So he has broken his leg, so she has to get
food for them and so one day she like goes to the trees and she hears la
little kid scream, follows the noise and she sees like somebody being hit with
a beach ball it turns out they're actually on the other side of a resort. She
goes back to tell him and, you know, she's running and he goes "Jenny" and he
hugs her and she say's "wait I have something to tell you" and he goes "I just
want you to know that if I could have been stuck here with anybody I'm so glad
I'm stuck here with you." And so she doesn't let him know. She, she leaves out
like he "what do you have to tell me?" And she's like "nothing", you know,
it's one of those, I mean wouldn't you when you get to be stuck with the
person of your dreams? So she decides she wants to get to know him a little
bit letter so the lie gets a little sicker and sicker and she comes back
wearing like, you know, lipstick and full hair and make-up because she keeps
going back to the little resort market. He's like "are you, are you, you know,
wearing make-up" and she's you know has to come up with berries. it was a
really fun movie to make, and one that I would want to see myself, so it was
really fun.
P.F: Did
you shoot it in Hawaii or where did you shoot it?
Amanda: The
Dominican Republic actually.
P.F: What
are the challenges of being an eighteen year old, young attractive actress in
Hollywood where there's a kind of a group of you competing and for the best
roles around. I mean is it tough that you compete with each other?
Amanda: No
I think I mean some people do compete. I've never been the type I've never
been, you know, the cut throat type. I mean I've always had my mind set that
in this business there are so many movies to make, so there's room for all of
us. I mean if there was only me I'd be exhausted.
P.F: You
seem very aware of your fan base in that, that you are an inspiration to
younger kids of either sex. Do you ever think of yourself as like okay now I'm
eighteen can I grow out of this, can I get away from the Nickelodeon image
and?
Amanda: No
I mean I am so lucky that kids like what I've done and, you know, I'm growing
up but...
P.F: So
you're looking for grown up role I guess...
Amanda: I
don't think anybody's trying to stop me from growing up. No I mean 'm looking
for roles that are right for me at the time I am doing them and everything
I've done has been true to myself and I've never done anything that I haven't
loved and I'm, you know, always true to myself.
P.F: Well
what did you do?
P.F: So
how do you feel about some of the images that younger girls are bombarded with
and Christine Aguilera kind of thing where they mature and it becomes this
real dirty kind of thing how do you feel about that sort of image.
Amanda: I
mean it's just not me but it's, you know, everybody has their own thing, you
know people grow up differently, you know, Christine Aguilera, you know, grew
up, you know, she was sort of on I think she was on three, I mean the, the
Disney shows, so I mean, you know, everybody wants to find their own, you
know, everybody rebels so.
P.F: Yeah
that's what I'm asking you before like if you would, if you would be asked to
light up a cigarette or strip or, you know, like Natalie Portman or some of
these younger actresses are growing up in a, in a film script would you do
that or at this point in your career would you say no?
Amanda:
Well at this point in my career I definitely wouldn't do any of that but
that's it and that's where I am right now. I don't think I would ever do
anything like that because I don't really enjoy watching that myself, so you
know...
P.F: What
do you enjoy watching?
Amanda: I
love movies that have a good story. I love movies that make you feel good
about yourself but I also love movies make you walk away thinking about them.
I like things that have you know something to them.
P.F: And I
take it you're not doing what a lot of the other teenagers actresses are doing
at the moment and recording an album at any time soon?
Amanda: No
definitely not.
P.F: Can
you sing?
Amanda: I,
can and I've actually started doing musical theatre that's what I started
before I did TV so I definitely, you know, enjoy singing ...
P.F: So
nobody's ever come up to you with an album idea?
Amanda:
Well I mean I, it it's definitely something that I don't want to do but, you
know, everybody always wants to make money off of anybody talented and, you
just have to stay true to yourself.
P.F: What
are you doing for your next hiatus? You've got another hiatus coming up?
Amanda:
Well I have two movies that are in the works.
P.F: Can
you talk about any of them?
Amanda: I
can't.
P.F: None
of them?
P.F: What
are they...
Amanda: One
is sort of a mystery type comedy and then the other one is a comedy.
P.F: What
about, what about college and, and other aspirations do you have any desire
to?
Amanda:
Yeah I mean I would love to go to college and I definitely will at some point
in my life but right now I'm, you know, I'm doing a show, I'm you know, doing
press for me to be in school I just couldn't be fully there and I want to
really be there.
P.F: What
would you like to study?
Amanda:
Well I mean I love and fascinated by psychology so that would be something
that I would like to learn more about so anything that would help me in my
life and I am so lucky to be doing what I love, you know, for a living so I
would love to learn something that would just sort of help me have my best,
you know.
P.F: Will
you study outside of California would you like to go to an east coast?
Amanda:
Yeah I might, I mean, I love New York and I have always loved, you know the
energy there so I might go there but you know I'm not ready yet so we'll see.
P.F: You
seem to have a pretty grounded sense of yourself which is one of the things
that I have noticed the couple of times I have met you, where did that come
from do you think?
Amanda: I
think it's sort of something that you're born with I really believe that, you
know, there's a lot you can learn from being with people I mean I learn so
much from my parents I think they have so much to do with who I am, but you
sort of you are kind of who you are from like you can kind of tell from five
years old who you are going to be, if you're going to be shy or you're going
for things.
P.F: But
this industry can change that I mean that can make you it can give you ego it
can...
Amanda: ...
grounded wise definitely my parents they get all credit because they, you
know, every day are just, you know, they're wonderful people and I think I,
you always look to your parents and I think people who have problems later on
in their life always sort of goes back to things that their parents didn't do
or you know what I mean that sort of, you know, that's your core so I'm really
lucky.
P.F: What
else is happening how much longer are you going to be doing the TV show for?
Amanda:
We're in our third season now, I hope to do a fourth season and then I think I
will move on.
P.F: So
the fourth season could be the last one?
Amanda:
Yes.
P.F: Is
that all your contracted for ...
Amanda:...
I can't talk about that.
P.F: Why
did you want to do television in the first place, I mean was it, did it
represent a degree of stability in your career? I mean you were doing fine you
were starting to break out in the movies and.
Amanda:
Well I really wanted to do something that was a little bit older than my other
TV show for, you know, teenage girls and young adults just to sort of, just
because I was growing up I wanted to do something like that and, you know, I,
I love, you know, watching those sorts of shows so I wanted to do it and then
there's no rush in other work any movies at the time so that was a good show I
said why not?
P.F: How
do you relax?
Amanda: I
try to get like massages, facials, I need to have a thing in that nature, you
know relax, meditation type things but I love to go to the movies and, you
know, go out to eat with my friends.
P.F: What
are you going to do this summer coming, you know, thinking ahead this summer
what's do like concerts you want to see, any books you want to read or any
movies you want to go to or something like that?
Amanda: I
don't know I know thinking about it, I know I've got to get a list going
nothing yet.