Amanda Bynes' ElleGirl Article:
She's All That Nine out of ten doctors agree: Amanda Bynes is the teen queen to beat.
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.
What else is there to say? She's the (wo)man.
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