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From FHM Magazine Online
January 2000 Issue

She's had more career high and lows than most. But Alicia Silverstone is coming back strong, singing Shakespeare and looking mighty fine...

It was a series of shots of an eight-year-old Alicia, dressed in a bikini, on the family sheepskin rug that Monty Silverstone took to Hollywood modelling agencies and secured his daughter an agent and contracts with YSL and Levi's. While lucrative, the modelling wasn't something Alicia enjoyed - "I hated the castings because you stand in a line with a herd of girls with weird moms; it was so creepy," - so she used her campaign dollars to get herself an acting coach and landed her first commercial for Domino's Pizza when she was 12. But it was the leading role of virginal valley girl Cher Horowitz in 1995's Clueless - a modern day version of Emma - that had every man talking about knee-length pop socks, four years before Britney Spears strutted her stuff down a school corridor.

Currently single, the 23-year-old has spent the past year filming a musical version of the Shakespeare play Love's Labour's Lost under the direction of - who else - Kenneth Branagh. The film will be released here in the UK in March.
FHM meets Alicia in her favourite vegan café in Los Angeles. She's looking lean and fat-free as she tucks into lashings of mashed potato and lentil pâté, and is eager to discuss her new movie...

Kenneth Branagh always seems to rope his old mates into appearing in all of his films. How did you manage to join this select band?

I didn't know him, but he called me in for an audition. I thought I was just going in to meet him and that would be the end of it, or maybe I'd see him again in another ten years, but he called me three or four weeks later to ask me if I'd like to be in it.

Love's Labour's Lost also stars Richard Briers, famous for the popular Seventies series The Good Life - did he give you any tips on growing your own root vegetables or making wine from turnips?

No. My only experience of him was that every time I walked by him he'd do this running joke of pretending to learn his dance steps while saying, "That bloody bastard Branagh." They were so funny with each other; so clever and what do you guys say? Camp, really camp.

Both your parents are British. Did you have an English accent when you were growing up?

I did until I was about six. But I don't know what accent my mum and dad have: she's from the Isle of Sheppey and he's from London, so it would have been something in between those two.

You've admitted to being a tomboy when you were growing up - did you climb trees and own a catapult?

I wanted to be a tomboy more than I actually was one, although I got along with the boys more and I did climb trees when I was little.

Did you get into fights?

I only ever got into one fight. I was in sixth grade and this girl who was my really good friend wouldn't talk to me all day. I kept asking what was wrong but she didn't want anything to do with me. Then when we were waiting to go into sex education class I got very upset, and accused her of not caring about anybody but herself. She said, "Are you calling me ruthless?" I didn't even know what it meant but said, "I guess," and she stood up and punched me in the face. I was so mad, I shoved her to the ground and stood over her. Then I burst into tears, said something really dramatic like, "You're not worth it," and ran into the bathroom. Blimey.

Did you have many boyfriends at school?

I didn't really have any boyfriends at school. I had loads of friends who were boys, but not as in a girlfriend and boyfriend thing. When I got into high school my best friend was a boy, but it's hard to keep that going. Even though you think you're just friends, ultimately you always find there was some kind of thing going on like they fancied you. And you're like, "Oh you did? Damn, that changes everything."

You recorded a TV commercial campaigning against dissection in biology classes. In the ad you kiss a frog - did the little amphibian stick his tongue in?

The truth is that it wasn't a real frog because as animal activists we don't believe in using animals to exploit them in any way. So I used a rubber frog. The great thing was that I was able to fantasise about how I would really want to do it.

Er... OK. Picture the scene - you're in the jungle in Africa when you're attacked by a wild beast: What's the ethical way to shoo it away?

When I was in Africa recently, an elephant charged us and they had a gun ready for if it came at us. I was like, "This is terrible, this is terrible," but thankfully we avoided it. The elephant didn't want to hurt us, he was scared. But the worst thing you can do is run, so we had to stand our ground and make a lot of noise until the elephant went, "All right, I could hurt you but, oh shucks, maybe not today."

After you made Clueless did boyfriends ask you to put on the pop socks and parade around the bedroom?

No. No-one ever did.

An opportunity missed there. What's the worst thing a bloke has said to you to try and chat you up?

The worst thing is when they clearly know who I am, and yet they act as if they don't know and are like, "Oh, what was your name?" That is so obnoxious. They are so stupid I don't even want to deal with them. I hate any kind of flirting - it's so offensive it creeps me out. I think, "Why don't you just talk to me?"

Would you date an Englishman?

Of course.

Well, that's a good start. Apart from being English, what other qualities do you like your men to have?

A man that has confidence - but not "hey baby" confidence, the kind that means he's not ashamed of who he is, and is not consumed with having to look good and have people like him. He just knows what he likes and what he wants, and is funny and kind and generous and thoughtful and not selfish. I like my men to be gentlemen. It's nice to be treated well - it's very romantic if a guy stands up when you come in a room. If I was putting on my jacket and I was with a guy and he didn't help me, I'd think that was really bad. I want to feel that I am precious to him. That is something that just makes you feel squishy.

You're perceived as being a bit of a goody-goody: do you ever say "Fuck it, I'm going out and getting completely trashed"?

Oh yeah, I like to get wasted sometimes - I definitely will have a drink. I love red wine and sea breezes and I like a Bloody Mary, too.

There's a famous motor racing circuit in England called Silverstone and its corners have names like "Maggotts", "Becketts" and "Woodcote". Do the curves on your body have special names?

Actually, my belly does, but I'm not going to tell you what it's called. That's too personal.

FHM
Love's Labours Lost will open in the UK in March.
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