By Anne Ichikawa. Photographed by Viki Forshee. Styled by Laurie Trott.
Life is pretty sweet if you are 19-year-old Amanda Bynes. Not because of her
hilarious
new movie, her six Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, TV shows, films,
money or #99 ranking on the Forbes annual "Celebrity 100." Life is good because
even without all these accomplishments, she'd still be happy.
At the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Co. in Burbank, California, Amanda sweetly signs
the notebooks of two little sisters: "Your name is Julia? That's a pretty name!
My sister's name is Jillian," she says without taking a breath. While she chats
with her fans, her facial expressions change just as fast as she talks. One
might think she's in character, but that's just her.
When the autographs are done, Amanda turns to me and exudes appreciation with
her big green eyes. "Wow, isn't that so nice?" she says incredulously. "It's
really great to get that kind of encouragement." It's as if she doesn't know
she's a star.
Born on April 3 in Thousand Oaks, California, Amanda is the youngest of three
siblings, Jillian, 23, and brother Tommy, 32. Her dad, Rick, is a dentist, and
her mom, Lynn, worked in the family office. Between sips of her frosty
concoction, Amanda offers some advice: "Flossing is actually more important than
brushing. It's one of those things people don't know." Amanda is full of
didactic one-liners. Many of her stories about life and love start with, "My dad
always said..." or "My grandmother tells me..." Her closeness to her family is
why, in an industry of child stars gone bad, she's sidestepped rehab, eating
disorders and general public embarrassment. Her best friend is Jillian, a recent
UCLA graduate. "Sometimes I feel like the younger sister! She is so
self-sufficient and mature. I'm her biggest supporter. I think this new movie
will make her a huge star," says the elder Bynes.
That movie is
She's
the Man, where Amanda plays both a chick and a dude. After her high
school eliminates its girls' soccer team, her character, Viola, disguises
herself as her twin brother Sebastian and attends his new school to score a spot
on the team. "I had special help because I was extra bad [at soccer]. I have a
scar," Amanda says, lifting up her sleeve. "The first day, I slipped in mud!"
Her inspirations for her male alter ego? "My director [Andy Fickman] and Jack
Black. I had the Tenacious D album in my head, because it's the epitome of
disgusting guy thoughts." As Sebastian, Amanda puts aside her vanity and dons
sideburns, short hair, ungroomed eyebrows and even padding to make her look
more...manly.
Amanda goes for it, showcasing the comedic talents that have long garnered
comparisons to comedienne greats Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.
Amanda started comedy camp at L.A.'s famous Comedy Store when she was seven and
again at the Laugh Factory at ten. It was there that producers from
Nickelodeon's sketch comedy show All That spotted Amanda. Her goofy
demeanor and high energy made her a standout, and by the time she was 13 she had
her own show, The Amanda Show.
"That's what's so great about her," says Leslie Grossman, 34, her castmate on
the WB's What I Like About You. "She's this beautiful girl, but she will
spaz out and look weird for a laugh. She's not afraid of that."
Despite their 15-year age difference, Leslie and Amanda are close friends on and
off the set. "You hear about teen actresses and how they're going to be
nightmares, but I couldn't believe how incredibly grounded and intelligent she
was. You won't see her in the tabloids-I mean, she likes to watch Wheel of
Fortune with her grandmother!"
Not that Amanda spends every night with her grandma watching game shows. She has
friends, just not those friends. "I don't feel like I belong to that world," she
says of the Hollywood scene. "The truth is, I'm happy in my little life."
However, even though L.Lo, the Duffster and the Olsens aren't in her Blackberry,
that didn't prevent a rumor that a very thin Amanda was struggling with an
eating disorder a couple of years ago. But to set the record straight-not true.
"I came back from filming Lovewrecked and started feeling really tired
and I couldn't keep weight on. It turns out I had mononucleosis," she explains.
"It's unrealistic to be that thin. The only girls who are have admitted to using
drugs or to having an eating disorder. I'm so against it. People should strive
to be happy with who they are and not be obsessed with how they look. Beauty is
nothing," she adds.
Smart girl, that Amanda Bynes, even when it comes to the Kryptonite of the
female species-boys. "I'm really, really picky," she emphasizes. "It's gotta be
someone who has their you-know-what together. There is nothing less attractive
than a guy who is a jerk and has an ego. And if a guy isn't into me, then I'll
move on. I'm not wasting my time on that!"
As the interview winds down, Amanda talks about her dream of hosting SNL one day
("Justin Timberlake rocked my world when he hosted!"), how she likes McDonald's
ice cream cones ("Life isn't really worth living if you can't enjoy one") and
the difficulty of being a girl ("You get your period once a month, but then
there are two weeks besides that of feeling horrible!"). Could it be that this
teenage millionaire, with her non-Hollywood demeanor and down-to-earth attitude,
is actually, truly, really-gasp-normal? Her sister and Leslie both say a
definitive yes. "She would be anyone's best friend," states Jillian. Hey, she
even paid for this writer's coffee.
