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Felicity Fever (Teen People: November 1998)
By: Linda Friedman
Buffy, meet your new neighbor, Felicity. This WB series, airing Tuesday nights after you, is the show people can't stop talking about. (In terms of Hollywood hype and viewer anticipation, it breaks down something like this: Felicity is to Fall '98 what Dawson's Creek was to Fall '97.) But don't worry too much about your turf, Buffy. Felicity isn't out to conquer any creatures of the night - she's just trying to make it through her first year of college.
Despite the buzz over this new series that's about busting out on your own, today on Felicity's Los Angeles set it's business as usual. Well, almost. Offstage in the production office, signs remind the cast and crew to throw away their scripts and any paperwork pertaining to the show in special trash cans so that prying eyes can't glimpse the plot's secrets before they're played out in prime time.
At the center of all this heightened security - and attention - is the show's star, 22-year-old Keri Russell (formerly of TV's Malibu Shores). She plays the title character, a college freshman from California who enrolls at a New York university after impulsively following her high school crush across the country. Sound implausible? Maybe, until you take a look at her crus, Ben (played by Scott Speedman, 23). Of course, Felicity isn't really about a girl following a guy. It's about following your heart and taking risks. "Felicity is making that huge choice to be independent and grow," says Keri. "No matter what age or what type of person you are, anyone can relate to that."
Keri was cast in the lead role after a massive talent search. "We auditioned hundreds of people," says the show's cocreator and executive produce J.J. Abrams (one of Armegeddon's screenwriters), taking a quick break in the relative calm of the studio parking lot. (J.J. created Felicity with Matt Reeves, director of '96's The Pallbearer.) When Keri, a former dancer from Fountain Valley, Calif., first tried out for the role, her angelic looks almost prevented her from winning the part. "My first reaction was, 'She's too pretty,'" says Abrams. "She started to read in the audition, and she managed to be accessible and hysterically funny, and then really vulnerable, and lost and confused - but also strong. She just owned the part." (Keri's talent hasn't gone unnoticed elsewhere in Hollywood. She's landed roles in several upcoming movies, including Mad About Mambo and The Curve.)
Rounding out the cast are 26 year old Scott Foley (formerly Cliff, Jen's admirer on Dawson's Creek), who plays Noel, the dormitory resident advisor who wishes Felicity would turn to him for more than advice; 27 year old Amy Jo Johnson (from Might Morphin Power Rangers) as Julie, Felicity's first college friend; and newcomer Tangi Miller, 28, who joins the show in the third episode as Elena, an overly assertive New Yorker who creates conflict for the other characters. "Some people might consider her a b-i-t-c-h," says Tangi. "But I think she's just direct."
The set is a perfect replica of a college dormitory, from the plastic bowl of popcorn and tabloid newspapers on the coffee table to the signs on the bulletin board advertising New York Mets tickets for sale. In today's big scene, Felicity confronts Noel just outside his room about a rumor that has the two of them dating. (You've probably guessed that relationships - both romantic and platonic - play a key role in this series.) "It's tough for Noel, dealing with Felicity," says Scott Foley. "On the one hand, he's the resident advisor, and she's supposed to be able to come to him with any problem. But he really likes her. She likes him too, but it's that big-brother thing. And any guy will tell you: the big-brother thing is not cool!"
In their downtime, Scott Speedman and Tangi do what all actors must learn to do while other scenes are being shot or set up: wait. Scott plays basketball in the studio parking lot, using a hoop donated by the show's head writer. "I can't sit in those trailers," he says. "I like to watch what's going on or walk around - I walk a ton." The crew always knows how to find him though. They gave him a pager when he moved on a moment's notice from his mom's couch in Toronto to an L.A. apartment after landing his role as Ben - a transition that left him temporarily phoneless. "I auditioned on videotape and I sent it down. A week later they called up and said they wanted me, [based on] the tape," says Scott. "It was on a Wednesday, and I flew down on Thursday, met Keri on Sunday, and we started shooting on Monday."
Fortunately, all of the cast members clicked, and not only on screen. "We hang out extracurricularly," says Keri. "Amy Jo plays guitar and sings [with her pop-folk band, Valhalla] at some local places, and we all go check it out. We've hung out together at my place too. It's been cool."
The five actors had better enjoy their collective anonymity while it lasts. Soon it'll be difficult for them to go to a club together without causing a commotion. Scott Foley got a taste of fame while watching his former Dawson's castmates turn into big names. ("I've actually had friends come up and say, 'You know what? I hated your character on Dawson's'" he says.) "In a way, it's what I've always wanted," says the actor, who waited tables while waiting for his big break. "But it's a double-edged sword. 'Cause you still want to be able to go out and buy a grapefruit without everyone noticing."
"It's definitely scary," says Keri, when asked how she feels about becoming a famous face. Last summer, she was approached by a fan at a clothing store. "Someone came up and said, 'Hey, are you the girl who's on Felicity?'" recalls Keri. "I said, 'The show's not even on yet!' and she said, 'I know. I just read an article about it and there was a picture of you.' I was like, 'Yikes!'"
And so it begins...
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