Interview with Rachael Leigh Cook from the German magazine Prinz (July 1999) PRINZ: This interview shall not be about you being only 19 years old and already having become a popular actress in Hollywood. RLC: Okay, what is this interview about then? PRINZ: Let´s play a little game: please imagine that you are 79 instead of 19 years old. What do you see as you´re looking back at your life? RLC: Pooh, that´s a difficult game. Well: I see my childhood in Minnesota and the years at school, which at age 17 soon began to bore me that much that I went to Kalifornia to take acting lessons. PRINZ: What were you trying to get away from? Problems with your parents, boys or drugs? RLC: Hey, what do you think I am? I just wanted to become a actress. PRINZ: Were you working as a model like before in Minnesota? RLC: No, I just did that when I was a child, mostly for stupid stuff like pyjamas or umbrellas. At the time I arrived in Hollywood, it was "in" to make movies with and about teenagers. PRINZ: And you immediately got the role in "She´s all that"? RLC: No, not immediately. But the experience in front of the camera I had from the modelling jobs helped me to get some small roles in Low-Budget productions. My friends, also actors, introduced me to some filmmakers. PRINZ: It was surely helping that you are that good looking... RLC: Many thanks. You are a flatterer. PRINZ: What happened after "She´s all that"? Was there still interest in young stars like yourself? RLC: Unfortunately no. I lost everything and landed on the street, after I moderated a talkshow which was running really bad. After that I had to do TV-commercials for anti-aging products. PRINZ: Is this your fantasy breaking loose now? RLC: Sorry, I tend to exaggeration when I´m in a game. Next question, please PRINZ: Have you ever had an actress as an idol? RLC: I always admired Parker Posey. She mostly played interesting and unusual characters in her movies. She's never chosen roles for fame and money. PRINZ: Have you ever done an action-movie? RLC: No, I was always looking for roles which demanded acting talents. Action-movies are just about moving from A to B and dodging bullets. PRINZ: When and where have you retired? RLC: I bought an island, where I´m living with my favourite animals, monkeys, and my husband. I have two children and many grandchildren. I´m calling the pizza-service and relax my feet when they all visit me. Interview: Dirk Mönkemöller Translation: Maik Wrase