Q & A with Amanda

Interfaith Family did a great qurstion and answer with Amanda. Here are some highlights.

Your Sydney White director told me that he thought this film was a good step in your career--"that you are 'bringing your audience along.' Have you thought about the difficult transition from a teen star to an adult actress?

Everything I do is a transition, because I am growing-up. I am doing roles that are suitable for me now. I'm 21 and it is fitting that I am doing a role that puts me in college because if I was in school, now, I would be in college.

Joe Nussbaum tells me that your parents flew to the Sydney White set to celebrate your 21st birthday with you.
They wouldn't miss it for the world. To have their youngest turn 21 was a big deal. I have a 33-year-old brother and a 24-year-old sister.

Tell me about getting ready for being in a movie musical.

I trained really hard with a man named Eric Vitro, who is one of the best singing coaches in America. I got his name from my agent when I heard there were auditions for Hairspray. I used to do musical plays when I was younger but I haven't sung in a musical in 10 years so I hooked up with Eric and sang for about a month before I auditioned. I auditioned twice and got the part.

Is there a moment when you realized what a big star you are, similar to the moment musicians have the first time they hear their record on the radio?

When I was staying at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York a few years ago, they had a small list of favorite movies you could watch in the room. On this small list of "favorites" they listed What a Girl Wants--I called my mom--seeing a movie I had done appear on this list was really weird and cool. Also, people come up to me and quote me and kind of do my accent, as when I played a guy in She's the Man. That means a lot to me--I've sort of imitated Jim Carrey and Jack Black and Mike Myers--and then to have people doing me.

Well, if I may say this, you really do sparkle, yourself. You have an inner light that a lot of performers don't.

Thank you for saying that. My parents said you "don't want to lose your sparkle." So many people are dark and gloomy and horrible to be around. If I felt I was losing my happiness I would go to an island and figure out was going on in my life.

You seem to be part of the group of young performers who are never in the gossip pages. Did your family life have something to do with that?

Definitely. I was raised by strict parents. I wasn't allowed to go to the mall alone until I was around 16. I have really smart grounded parents who weren't nouveau riche. They really earned their money and they know the value of a dollar. They gave morals to me and I wouldn't want to do anything that would embarrass my parents.

Read the full interview here.