On a blustery Wednesday not too long ago, the four main stars of the upcoming teen flick, "She's the Man," a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night," met up with some other reporters and myself to, ostensibly, discuss the film.
The unexpectedly uncouth Amanda Bynes, formerly of Nickelodeon's "All That" and "The Amanda Show," is the star of the film in which she plays a girl who, when her high school's girls' soccer team is cut, is forced to pose as her brother at his new school, join the boys' soccer team, and prove to her ex-boyfriend that girls can play ball (or whatever the appropriate soccer idiom is). Relative unknowns Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey and Robert Hoffman costar in the film and joined Bynes for the interview.
Then there were the interviewers themselves who, aside from me, included three high school reporters (one of whom made clear his romantic designs on Bynes) and a representative from Boston College who doesn't even write for the BC paper; he just felt like meeting Amanda Bynes. The former arrived late and with a chaperone who appeared one part English teacher, two parts flustered camp counselor.
Between the anxious high school students, the imposter reporter and the incoherent actors, the interview was, at the very least, interesting.
Question: All right, ensemble cast, what was it like working together?
Robert Hoffman: I hated every minute of it.
Laura Ramsey: No, we loved it. We all got along really, really well. We did, like, fun activities. We had a really great director who was really dedicated to the actors, and, in order to have great chemistry onscreen you have to have good friendships off screen. So we did things like going to theme parks, and watching "Tootsie" and "Twelfth Night" and having discussions and playing games, so that really made us all connect so [that] we thoroughly enjoyed working with each other, and it was a great time.
RH: One of the cool things is - stop me if you were just saying this 'cause I wasn't listening - the cool thing was that DreamWorks, the movie studio, they, like, wanted us to have good chemistry so they, like, paid for us to go to amusement parks and ride rides together...
Q: What was it like learning [to play] soccer?
Channing Tatum: Yeah, totally. We had about three weeks, or something? We went to camp. We didn't even touch the ball for three, four days: just drills. They killed us, but, in the same way, they inspired us. The guys they hired were unbelievable soccer players from Canada.
RH: It's really weird; Canadian people are really nice...
Q: This is kind of a follow up to that question. How do you think the transgender community is going to react to this movie?
Amanda Bynes: I never really thought about it. I think they'll like it...
CT: Have you ever seen "Twelfth Night" or read it?
Q: No.
CT: Well, it has nothing to do with her wanting to be a boy, or wanting to be sexually attracted to a boy or anything like that.
AB: It's just about getting on the soccer team...
Q: What message do you think this movie sends to little girls?
RH: Unicorns are real.
LR: I think it sends a message of, like, achievement, you know? Like if you really want something, you should really go for it...
AB: Fight for what you believe in; be yourself.
CT: The message is really just [to] laugh.
AB: Yeah, like, [to] not take everything so seriously. Like, to try to, to try to -
Q: Amanda, if this question is too personal, don't feel the need to answer, but what do you look for in a guy?
RH: Just say him. [points at high schooler who clearly has a crush on Amanda]
AB: This guy right here! [points at the high schooler] The same thing that every girl looks for, which is the guy with a sense of humor, somebody that you have fun with and somebody that, like, you know...You can't be with somebody that, like, doesn't work. If it works, it works; you just sort of know, and, um, I dunno...
Q: What is it about comedy that you like?
AB: It's so much more fun than not...doing comedy...And, like, it's always fun to make people laugh, you know, and try to get better and whatever. But for me, just doing comedies are so much more fun to do everyday. When you do dramas, you're more depressed all the time. Everybody likes to do comedies, because life is serious anyway, so it's fun to go out of your life and do a movie that takes you out of your life and a movie that makes you laugh, you know?
Q: What's [co-star of "Arrested Development" fame] David Cross like to work with?
LR: He's amazing.
AB: He's hilarious.
RH: He's a psychopath; he's so dry, but so funny...
Q: Do you have much time to look at world events? Or anything that's going on in the world, like what's going on with Israel and Hamas right now?
AB: Yeah.
Q: Do you have any comment on that? [long pause]
CT: What was the question?
Q: Do you think Israel should cut off funding to Hamas?
AB: I don't think it's our place. I mean, we all have our opinions but we're not politicians, and I don't think - Our job is to make people laugh....
Q: But do you feel you have a responsibility as a public spokesperson to -
AB: But I'm not a public spokesperson to the world; I'm a public spokesperson for myself.
Q: So then how do you feel about George Clooney and other actors who are outspoken about political issues?
AB: That's their choice, and, you know, he's also an adult, and he might have more life experience to draw from to make decisions about those things...
Q: I heard you wanted to be remembered as the next Lucille Ball.
AB: No. I never said that. [laughter] I didn't - I mean, I am a big fan of hers but I -
Q: No, I mean, that you idolize her in a way - Sorry...What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
AB: I would like to be, um...a good person and, like, to work hard, and I'd like to be someone that, um, is a positive role model but, you know, like, somebody that, like, you know, I don't know, had...you know, um, hopefully someone that made you laugh...or brighten up your day [pause] I don't know! Sorry, best I have.
