If you watched television in the '80s, then you knew Josie Davis. Of course, you might have only known her as brainy sister "Sara" on the hit syndicated comedy, Charles In Charge. Today growing legions of fans are becoming reacquainted with Davis in her role as "Laurle Williams" on the Aaron Spelling-produced hit NBC series, Titans. Though Davis is gaining notoriety for her latest part, she is still recognized on the street as Scott Baio's former sitcom sibling.
     "I just went [to] the Charlie's Angels premiere last night, and I was walking in when I hear the fans singing the theme from Charles In Charge," she recounts. "Afterwards, I was telling my boyfriend I thought they were singing the theme song in a taunting way. I heard it like, 'Nyaah, nyaah, nyaah,' like they were making fun of me. They weren't making fun of me, but when you hear it for so many years..." Davis trails off. She concludes, "Hearing people sing that song is kind of annoying!"
     Despite the sometimes unwanted recognition, Davis is quick to defend her experience as a child star. When asked if growing up on TV was difficult, Davis responds with a resounding "No!" She then pauses and says, "It's kind of weird saying this, but it's actually getting more difficult as time goes on. You start going to bigger parties and there're so many egos involved. And I have to admit, last night, after the premiere, being around all these stars, I feel sometimes like I need to flush the feeling of being a celebrity out of my system, like I need and [sic] antioxidant or something. It's like I need to get back to reality. It's a really weird feeling that I don't love about this business!"
     It's a business that Davis has been a part of all her life. She started acting at the age of three and had her first commercial work at four.
     "My whole family are all actors, so that's how it started," Davis explains. "When I was like 10 years old, my Dad took me to some children's acting class. I was there for about a year, but I don't think I even knew what I was doing. I was so young."
     Davis' first steady gig as an actress was with Charles In Charge. After the show ended, she continued to pursue her studies more seriously. In 1998, Davis was accepted into the prestigious Actor's Studio. Davis also intends to work on the other side of the camera. In fact, she's in the process of writing a screenplay.
     "It'll be my first screenplay," Davls enthuses. "But I've always written as a kid, and I've always been good at writing." When asked if she'll reveal what the screenplay is about, Davis remains tight-lipped: "No, I'm still going through it in my head!"
     Davis laments that her screenplay isn't as far along as she'd like because of her long hours working on Titans ("12- to 16-hour days definitely keep me busy"). In her off-hours, she tries to indulge in some of her favorite pastimes.
     "I go to the gym a lot," she explains. "If I ever have spare time, I try to clean my room. It's always my dream to have my room more organized, but I never have time to do it. I come in from a 16-hour day, and I throw down my clothes and then I go back out again. It's been hard. I try to definitely fit in a dinner once a week with friends, but it's really difficult. Once in a while I go shopping."
     But right now it's Titans that occupies the majority of Davis' time, a problem that she is happy to have. Though Titans is the latest in a long line of guilty pleasure offerings from mega-producer Aaron Spelling, Davis is quick to point out that her character is not a one dimensional soap opera character. Laurie vacillates between the dutiful daughter and the tough-as-nails career woman.
     "On Titans, I play the really intelligent, control freak, caring daughter," Davis explains. "I'm more the business woman."
     When asked if she is the typical love-to-hate bitch that frequently populates Spelling's popular night-time soaps or if she's a more virtuous person, Davis responds enigmatically, "Both. Definitely both. Human beings are never just one way. I like that [series writer Charles Pratt Jr.] wrote it that way. It's more three-dimensional. Most characters are usually one way or the other and I like that I'm both. For instance, I can be very caring and kind, but I'm also a human being] and I want things for myself. I end up doing things that are controling," Davis pauses to reconsider. "But I'm also caring!" She adds with a laugh, "I feel like I'm making excuses for what I do!"
     No excuses necessary!