For comments or link exchange,
email me at: roy_villalobos@yahoo.com

Clueless? As if. Hollywood's whiz kid,
like, finally answers her critics
by Bob Strauss

Alicia's World is a magical place, where a young girl, the daughter of English immigrants, becomes an overnight sensation by jumping around in Aerosmith videos. It's a rewarding place--the kind where a teenage actress can hit it big playing a well-meaning rich girl in a kooky update of a novel by Jane Austen--and, by age 20, exec-produce her own movie.

That movie is Excess Baggage, the first film of Alicia Silverstone's $7 million, two-picture deal with Sony, and it's not what you'd expect. She plays Emily, a rather nasty rich girl who fakes her own kidnapping to get some attention from her tycoon daddy.

But then the car in which she's hiding is inconveniently stolen by a guy named Vincent (The Usual Suspects' Benicio Del Toro). Things get funny, things get scary, things get sexy and things get very strange. Who knew Silverstone was out to make something like an art film in the guise of a romantic caper comedy?

Looking slinky yet professional in a tailored navy blue suit, Alicia guards her World jealously. "Every single human being is entitled to their shocking, miserable past," she says teasingly, and goes no further. She also plays clueless on the jealous backbiting that's come her way, and on boyfriends--the passing mention of a trip with someone named Brian the only hint she offers.

But she's very clear about what won't be tolerated in her World--Jim Carrey's tongue, for instance, and people who are mean. In Alicia's World, you see, it doesn't matter how young you are, as long as you're the boss.

Stardom, producing and general goddesshood by the age of 20 seems pretty cool, but I imagine it's also daunting.
The only thing about being young that really affects it is that I'm still naive and disheartened when somebody is mean. Any person. Even if they're just out on the street, it's like, "Why are you mean?" As much as I can be cynical and go, "The whole world's fucked up, and everybody's an asshole," I still think it's terrible when people do that. It's, like, a real dual thing.

So, it hurts when people in the Industry or the media make issues out of your being too young to produce or gossip about your weight? That must be strange after everybody loved you so much in Clueless.
I never felt like everybody loved me in Clueless, and that's probably the key to the whole thing. Wow, I just figured that out! I never went, "Oh, everybody loves me, now I can breathe." And then, everybody hates me? It wasn't like that. I never paid attention to any of the hype or the praise. I'm not even really aware that it ever happened. All I know is Clueless got me some fans and a lot of people bug me now.

I'm still Alicia, who's dealing with her shit and her life and whatever. I never noticed that, and it's the same thing with the negative. People can say it to me, I can hear, "Oh, guess what, they think you're blah, blah, blah." But I've been working hard and haven't had time to pay attention to any of it. Who cares what people say?

Healthy attitude. And healthy appearance. You're as pretty as ever, but have there been times when you've felt unattractive?
It's not hard for me to go there. Actually, it's more comfortable. [Laughs.]

What was it like making Excess Baggage? There were reports of battles on the set.
There were many battles. I don't mean, like, in a violent way. It's just that there always are. You always have to deal with stuff. Whether you're in the office on the telephone or working out ideas on the set, there are always going to be bumps. Figuring out how to get over the bumps, that's what's really fun.

Excess Baggage certainly did not turn out like anything we might have expected from the Clueless cutie.
I didn't want to make a conventional story. The stuff underlying the film--things about having hope, about learning and accepting that you can't change someone, that you don't need somebody else to validate who you are...those are conventional ideas. But all the circumstances around them are pure craziness. I just wanted it to be as real as possible, and then that would be what would make it funny.

One unusual thing--for movies, anyway--is the way you and Benicio take a long time to learn about each other, then get drunk and horny together before you fall in love. It makes the relationship feel earned.
We tried to make Emily and Vincent real people that you and I can relate to. They don't have it that easy and are figuring things out. A lot of movie love stories have romances that are unattainable. It just seems so picture-perfect, but it doesn't ever happen. People don't have sex like that or meet like that.

Tell me about what went through your mind at this year's MTV Movie Awards, when you were ravished by Jim Carrey in front of a live audience.
Well, Jim is hysterical, and I think it's awesome he did what he did, because it was funny. But at the time, it was like, "What are you doing?" Alicia was up onstage, it wasn't like, a character. I was so shy and scared already; I'm so bad at reading from those monitors. I was just feeling strong, thinking I got through it and was about to walk off the stage. Then he comes up and does that, and it's like, You just killed me, dude.

So then, he's giving his speech, and I think everybody's looking at me. That's how ridiculous I was because I was so embarrassed. Backstage, he said he was really sorry. He didn't know I would react that way. I thought, what did you think I was going to do? Stick my tongue down your throat?

Now that we know what doesn't work, tell us your ideal of a perfect man?
My English grandfather, who's 94 and my favorite human being. He's the cutest, sweetest...I love him so much! He has great views about women, he's charming and funny. And he has very soft hands and ears.

Speaking of vision, do you think anyone in charge of Batman & Robin had any?
Well, I think what's fun about Batman is the hype of doing it. But once you've had about a day of that, it's not fun anymore. It was an honor to be asked to play Batgirl. I was really excited, but then everyone just went so Batman-crazy. I don't know how to ride that kind of hype, so I just sort of floated with it without really knowing what was happening. When I was working on it, my heart was always in Excess Baggage. It was like a day job and a night job.

Would you come back for another Batman movie?
I don't think there's going to be another one, is there?

We can pray, but they do well overseas. Anyway, what's up next for you? You've been linked to everything from something called Free Money to an I Dream of Jeannie movie.
Those are not projects that have really entered my world. The only thing I know that will happen eventually is this movie called Breakers, with Anjelica Huston. We'll play mother/daughter con artists who terrorize men. It'll be fun!

When you're not working, what do you do for fun?
I like to make dinner for my friends--macaroni and cheese. And play with my dogs. I have five now.

You make like celebrity doesn't mean much to you. But there must be something about the whole movie-star thing you like.
The nicest thing about any of it is when a mother tells me, "Thank you for what you're doing for my kid." That feels good. It's nice when both parents and their kids approve of what I'm doing.

Any concerns about how parents will react to all your smoking and drinking in Excess Baggage?
When you show a character smoking who's as miserable and tormented as this girl, I don't think you're encouraging it. I feel responsible in the way that I don't want people to think I think it's a good thing.

But I don't think a lot of things are good. I don't think it's good that people are unkind to one another, that people are selfish and greedy, that they're unkind to animals. It gets to a point where I'm like, wait a second, I'm not the President. And I don't even know anything--these are just my beliefs. I'm not responsible for how people respond to my beliefs because they're just my little things. And I can't convert the world.

Copyright © 1999 E! Online. All rights reserved.
From: http://www.eonline.com