From 'Melrose Place' to 'Ally McBeal', This California Girl Tells Us How She Found Love, Reveals Her Sweet Addiction And - Just For Us - Shares A Little Secret

I'll never forget the first time I saw Courtney Thorne-Smith. I was stuck in a hotel room waiting out this terrible rain storm in St. Lucia when I flipped to a movie on HBO called Side Out. Besides being a cheesy vehicle for thirtysomething's shaggy Peter Horton, the movie introduced me to this vulnerable young actress who was radiating a believability in the role that the volleyball-themed movie certainly didn't require. I waited for the credits to roll, and I remembered her name.
     Fast forward to Melrose Place, where as Allison (sic), Thorne-Smith had to endure inexplicable acting from Andrew Shue as well as maintain some self-respect in a show full of over-the-top silliness. She managed quite nicely.
     As Georgia on FOX's runaway smash, Ally McBeal, Thorne-Smith finds herself, once again, playing "normal" in a room full of wackos. Throughout, though, Thorne-Smith has retained a genuineness, a likeability not often found on network television. We feel like we know her - really know her - whether as Allison on Melrose or Georgia on Ally. And we like her - a lot.
     I caught up with the Mill Valley, CA-native on a break from filming Ally McBeal in her mom's house in Denver. And, as you are about to find out, things are just great for the busy actress, thank you very much. And, oh yeah, she's also in love.
     Fitting for America's girl next door, isn't it?

First of all, tell me a secret.
Are you crazy?
I really want this to be an irreverent interview.
All right. This is not easy: I did not make cheerleading in high school. It was the most pathetic thing - I tried out and didn't make it.
Didn't you jump high enough?
Well, I'd fallen off my boyfriend's moped the week before, and I had bruises and scrapes all up my legs. That may have had something to do with it.
Tell me about that infamous kiss with Calista Flockhart on Ally McBeal. What was that about?
The reality of it was so chaste. But apparently it looked very intense. All my girlfriends' boyfriends want to talk to me now.
Did you decide to cut your hair or was that written into your character on Ally?
Well, originally, I was going to cut it when I left Melrose and then when I got [the part on] Ally, David E. Kelley called and said, "Is your hair long? Don't cut it!" So I didn't cut it, and it just got longer and longer, and it became just all about my hair. And then David asked me if I wanted to cut it. I was sitting in the hair chair, and my hairdresser came out with scissors, and I thought, "You know what? No."And all of a sudden I realized, "I have to! Georgia did!" The next day at work, Georgia had short hair.
Was it traumatic? Isn't hair, for most of us, some kind of blanket?
You know, it's much more tied into my femininity than I realized. I really miss it.
You have that great scene with Nell in the bathroom when she takes her hair down. You almost have a heart attack.
Everybody said, "Oh, Courtney, that was such a great moment!" I kept saying, "Well, it was real!" A very easy moment to play. Her hair is so beautiful, and I thought, "isn't that just like David - to make me cut mine off and then hire Portia?"
I heard a rumor that you're engaged.
I am engaged.
Name?
Dr. Andrew Conrad.
How did you meet him?
He went to high school with my brother-in-law.
So you didn't meet him at some creepy Hollywood party?
It was not some creepy Hollywood party. My sister and my brother-in-law were trying to set me up for two months and I just did not want to date. I was done. I turned 30 and I pretty much said, "You know, I'm not going to do this any more. I'm just going to get four more dogs."
How did he first ask you out?
He didn't come to our first date!
What does that mean?
Well, my sister set up this whole dinner party because I wouldn't go on a date, because blind dates are not fair if you're an actor - they're just ridiculous. So she set up this whole dinner party and then he got reined in and couldn't come. So we had a whole dinner party about Andy. His best friend was there, and my brother-in-law, and my sister...
So you got a preview!
Yes, I got a preview. By the end of the dinner, I agreed to give up my phone number.
What kind of doctor is he?
He's a scientist, and I feel like it's too personal for me to explain. But he has done very well, and he does very important work, and it's thrilling.
Great. And he's 75?
No, he's not. He's 35.
Is your Mom happy with Dr. Andy?
Very happy with Dr. Andy.
What kind of car does he drive?
He has lots of fancy-shmancy cars. He wants me to drive one of his cars, but he's so protective of them. I drove one of his cars the other day - he insisted that I drive it. He gets out of his car and gets into my car and says, "What's that?" It's a jacket. "What's that? Is it a towel? Why is there a towel?" My sister and I were driving around in his car one day and she made me page him and leave a message saying, "Andy, where are the bungee cords? Regarding: tree en route!"

I guess he has a sense of humor.
He has to.
I hear you're a huge dog-lover.
Yes, I have two, and Andy has two, so now we have 400 pounds of dog.
Are you truly happy?
I am. I'm truly, truly grateful. Which I think is synonymous with happy.
What's your main complaint?
[Laughs] I wish I could eat candy and have it not make me feel sick. I'd like a calorie-free, really healthy candy that still tastes like Jelly-Bellies, if that's at all possible - and also world peace. I was walking around with a bag of Jelly-Bellies thinking, I know this is going to give me a stomach ache, but I just want them so badly. I used to sit in my room when I was a little kid and I would look out the window at our plum tree and I would literally wish that the tree would make gummy bears that weren't bad for me. My childhood dream!
If you had a choice, who would play you in the film of your life?
It'll probably have to be one of the Olsen twins, 'cause they'll be old enough by that time.
Who's the best actor or actress in Hollywood?
Honestly, I look around at the cast I work with every day and I say, "Oh, my god! It's just a gift." Amazing.
What are some of your beauty secrets?
I run. I exercise. I think exercise is key. I meditate. That has a lot to do with looking centered, which I think has a lot to do with beauty. I'm very happy. I'm sure that helps.
Do you consider yourself beautiful?
Honestly, I'm just not my type. I've always liked kind of sporty, olive-skinned, small, athletic bodies, women who never have to wear makeup because they have dark lashes and dark curly hair, which couldn't be less what I look like. Ashley Judd is just absolutely beautiful to me.
How did you keep a straight face working with Andrew Shue on Melrose Place?
Well, there came a point on Melrose Place where you just had to embrace it, and say this is funny. That's what's so great about Ally - it's smart and it's funny. On Melrose nobody thought we got the joke! They would look at us sadly.
On Melrose, you'd say "I can 't believe you killed my lover! I'm moving upstairs!"
It was so funny. Daphne Zuniga and I would start scenes, and we'd go, "OK, wait: Are we friends? Did I just make you lose your baby? Did you just steal my boyfriend?" We weren't kidding; we'd have to figure it out.
I want you to pick one: Whitney or Mariah?
You see, I have no sense there. I have no choice there.
Oprah or Rosie?
Oh, I like them both so much for different reasons.
George Clooney or Noah Wiley?
I know George, so I'll pick George.
Ken Starr or Bill Clinton?
Oh, Bill Clinton. That's the only truly easy one.
What do people say when they recognize you on the street?
There's always a comment about my hair now. "I like your hair short, or I miss your hair." People are generally very nice - I think it's because I play really nice characters.
What has been your weirdest fan experience?
One time I was on The Tonight Show and I talked about visiting my mom. So I was visiting my mom, and the next day, she got this weird [sound on her phone]. She picked it up and [the operator] said "Collect call from the Denver jail for Courtney!" I also did an interview once in London and this woman came rushing in - she said, "Oh, I love Melrose Place," and we walked for ten minutes. She said, "You're very nice, and I'm kind of disappointed." I said, Why? She said, "I was hoping you were more like Allison, because I have some advice for you!"
Which was?
Personal experience, advice about any of the many things Allison has gone through. I think Allison attracted much more of that than Georgia does. Georgia really has her life together and doesn't need much advice, but Allison - people were very worried about her. Now I get reports that they're calling Allison on Melrose Place, and poor Allison has fallen off the wagon and can't get a job. [both laugh]
Do you eat in front of Calista?
[Laughs] I do eat constantly. I'm kind of a grazer. That's why I have to exercise so damn much.
So, is that a yes?
[Bemused] We all eat often.
What is the most annoying trait in someone, do you think?
Ill-founded superiority. Are we back to Kenneth Starr again? So soon?
What's perfect happiness for you?
Perfect happiness for me is dinner with people I adore. Period. End of story. If I could have my nearest and dearest constantly rotating, and I could be making them dinner - or, even better - ordering take-out - this would be my perfect happiness.
Are you a good cook?
Yes, I am a good cook. Roasted vegetables are my current specialty.
Umm. And healthy.
I discovered a way - and actually my fiancé ruined this for me - you roast these sliced carrots really thin. And roast them for so long that they become like french fries. I was so excited because I thought I was getting away with something, and it wasn't like eating a big, starchy meal. And then he told me that carrots are actually a starch.
Tell me about one piece of clothing that you'd be really upset if you lost it.
I'm wearing it. I just bought a new tan, TSE cable-knit cashmere sweater - it's like walking around in a blanket. And I'm way too attached to it, which means I'll lose it immediately to learn a lesson about attachment.
What's the most rebellious thing you've ever done?
I'm not very rebellious. My upbringing was so off-center that my sister and I rebelled by becoming very straight and narrow.
When's the last time that you lied?
[laughing] I'm sure I've lied in this interview, though I can't think of when. I saw Elizabeth yesterday. There's a point where Elizabeth is talking to Mary, and Mary says, "Will you please keep our country Catholic - and we won't kill you" and [Elizabeth] can't say yes. My aunt leaned over and said, "Now, see, that's time for a little white lie!"
What's your food weakness?
Jelly-bellies, Swedish fish, gummy bears - great sugar-to-the-veins candy. I'm debating giving it up for New Year's.
But that's your biggest pleasure!
If that's my biggest pleasure, we're in a lot of trouble! [both laugh]
What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever read about yourself in print?
It was in In Style - I was so annoyed. There's a big picture of me - I was the big key person. And [the question] was, "What do you hate to eat?," which I was never asked. They took it out of another article or something, and rewrote it so it said - I'm paraphrasing the misquote, "I love popcorn, but I hate how it makes me bloated, bloated, bloated" - and there's a ton of exclamation points. And then the next month there was hate mail about "How can you print something where Courtney says no one can eat popcorn?" I was like, Oh, God. I personally don't eat a lot of starchy carbs late in the day because I'm an athlete. But suddenly I have these anti-eating disorder women after me because I'm sitting there starving and won't allow anyone near me to eat a potato.
What song growing up did you think was so bad, it just makes you blush?
The first album I bought, when I got my first record player - I wanted an eight-track but my sister, thank God, talked me out of it... But she did not talk me out of my first album! Which was the Village People, Live and Sleazy - the first album I ever bought.
Mine was Leo Sayer's You Make Me Feel Like Dancing. How's that for sad? [Both laugh] Are you rich?
I'm able to be as generous as I'd like to be.
Tell me about the bitchiest moment on any series or movie set you've been on.
I've been so lucky, I can't even tell you, I've been so blessed. You know, Jane Krakowski (Elaine on Ally McBeal) said that today. We were standing around laughing hysterically, and she just looked around and said, "This is work?" And it's true, it's really a blessing. The hours are difficult. But if you're going to have to spend that many hours with anyone - I'd like it to be these people.
Is Billy (Gil Bellows) a good kisser?
Oh, yes.
Tell me about that scene in Ally when you guys were in a sculpting class. Was that actor wearing anything?
I wasn't there for that part, but Lisa Nicole [Carson] told me that the guys were wearing socks! Because of Melrose, I've had a lot of scenes in mud-wrestling joints and strip joints and everybody's fairly comfortable with that. The men are comfortable, the strippers are comfortable. But watching a scene - and we're excited to do it - when the guys were naked and the women were dressed: We were so uncomfortable! Because men are not used to being objectified, and the women are not used to being the objectifiers. We're so empathetic!
What's the last book you've read?
I'm reading a book that I love right now, it's by Ellen Gilchrist called Sarah Conley. I'm so thrilled with it, I can't even tell you. I read all the time, and there are so many books I read because people are reading them, so I just want to read them. When I find a book that I love, I'm just dreading the minute it ends. I just looked on my mom's bookcase and saw another book I just read that I really loved - Naked by David Sedaris.
What's on the CD player?
I actually have my mom's Indigo Girls album on the CD player right now.
What was the very last concert you went to?
Rod Stewart.
Now tell me a secret - a good one. What's the one thing that people would be a little surprised about if they knew? Like you collect headless dolls...?
If you really need to write that!
Or, you're actually bald?
[Laughs].
Something fun - throw me a bone!
I don't have anything...
What would Dr. Andrew honestly tell me if I asked him what your flaws are?
That I'm a little too independent. But he also likes it - so that's also his favorite thing about me. It's the best and the worst. It's great because it gives him a lot of freedom. Oh, I eat too much candy.
Do you flirt, though?
No, I'm not a big flirt.
If you're waiting for someone at a bar and a cute bartender comes up to you, you don't give him a smile?
If I'm waiting with a friend? No, I'm probably talking to my friend. I smile, I'm nice to people, but I'm not a big flirt.
Tell me about your worst dating experience.
I was on this date with a guy - he was very odd. He was so odd that I actually brought a girlfriend with me. This was probably nine years ago. We were ready to go, and he says, "No, no, no, come to my house, my parents are there." So we said, "We don't really want to meet your parents," and he said, "Yeah, meet my parents." So we go to his parents' house and his parents aren't there. He proceeds to run around showing me pictures of himself playing the piano - in his parents house. You see the problem here? This big, weird empty house!
What director do you really want to work with?
It's difficult because there are people I'd like to work with for so many different reasons. I'd love to work with Penny Marshall. Because, you know, I grew up watching Laverne and Shirley, and I just think it's so incredible what she's done. I'd love to work with Ron Howard - who just seems wonderful. Mel Brooks - only because he created my family's humor. I think everyone would like to work with him.
What's the moment when you just felt, "Oh, my God, I'm happy, I'm really successful."
Career-wise, when we were all sitting at the Emmys and I was in the row with my cast, and we were talking to each other and laughing, and I looked up and down, and I thought, this is heaven! It was a situation I always dreamed about. And the situation itself, once you're there, it's not what you dreamed. But being with these people makes it.
What's the one thing you want people to know about you? Other than that you 're completely sane, happy, normal, successful, loving-life, loving work, yawn, yawn, yawn! You have no skeletons in the closet? You have no heads hidden in your freezer?
I have tons of skeletons and severed heads!
Well, give me one! Give me one skeleton.
Here's a secret I have that people wouldn't know. I've been in therapy since I was 19. I think that's part of what I want people to know - I didn't just happen to end up with this life. I've worked very hard for this life. And I think that it's not that you get rewarded, but you can create a great life that really works for you.
You can't pretend to be happy, you have to be happy in order to attract people who are like that as well.
Yes, that's a very good point - like attracts like. The more cleaned up and happy you are, the more you attract that into your life. There's no way I could have handled Andy a second before I met him.
It's funny, it seems to be more acceptable to have a silicone body than it is to go to therapy once a week in this society.
I think there's a lot of support for negativity - there's a lot of whining and a lot of "I can't help it that this happened to me or that happened to me." The people who are happy and take care of themselves and their lives, exercise and eat well, and do therapy - or whatever their personal path is - don't talk about it because they're busy living their lives.
That's true. I'm inspired now.
Go to therapy!
I will, and I'll go to the gym - eat carrots - I'm a new man myself. What's your favorite TV show?
I love Frasier. You know what I love and make time for? The Daily Show and Dr. Katz.
What would be the headline of this story if you could write it?
"Everybody needs some good mom time every once in awhile." That's how I feel right now.
Any parting shots?
[Laughs] I'm not bloated, bloated, bloated!