Ags2000
09-10-2001, 02:22 PM
You can find this at http://people.aol.com/people/features/wherearetheynow/0,10950,128812,00.html
I don't know if this is the new article, but I found it on the People Magazine website.
D
Lisa Whelchel
TATIANA SIEGEL
In 1988, when the prestigious Eastland School closed its doors for the last time, it was the end of an era for America's favorite prep school teens: Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie from The Facts of Life. But it was a whole new beginning for Lisa Whelchel, who played the privileged and self-infatuated Blair Warner.
Whelchel, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and born-again Christian who says she never really fit in with Hollywood's all-too-pampered, self-destructive teen crowd, left the limelight at the height of her acting and singing career. That career included a stint as a Disney Mouseketeer, guest spots on hit shows such as The Love Boat, nine years on The Facts of Life, several movie roles and a Grammy-nominated inspirational album. At 25, Whelchel went into a self-imposed exile. She married a pastor, settled down in the San Fernando Valley and had three children. Son Tucker is now 10, and daughters Haven and Clancy are 9 and 8, respectively.
Now, more than a decade after her hit TV series ended, '80s culture is back in and that's brought The Facts of Life back to life: It was recently the subject of an E! True Hollywood Story special and is now enjoying a run on Nick at Nite.
Disney jump-started her career
Whelchel, 37, got her Hollywood start, like so many other teen stars, via Disney. She read that auditions were being held for The New Mickey Mouse Club and with the help of her mother, Jenny French, a real estate agent, Whelchel bombarded Disney with letters and landed a West Coast audition. She says she beat out 6,000 other hopefuls for the show's one vacant slot with a routine that included singing and ventriloquism. At the age of 12, she packed her bags for Los Angeles, saying goodbye to her father, Jimmy French, an electrician, and her younger brother, Cody.
Whelchel says that achieving fame at a young age is a lose-lose situation. "Either you're successful and have everything you want," she said during a recent phone interview, in a Southern accent that snooty Blair would have sneered at. "But where do you go from there? Or you're subjected to rejection: 'You're too fat. You're not right for the part.' . . . It's like gambling in Las Vegas. Chances are you are going to go home broke."
Still, Whelchel feels that she left Hollywood relatively unscathed. "I was fortunate because, before The Facts of Life, I found a reason for my life, that God had a purpose for me." Nowadays that purpose can be best realized with the help of a literary agent instead of an acting coach. By signing a three-book deal with a small, family-oriented publishing house, Whelchel has begun to reinvent herself as an author and hopes to continue reaching an audience with a message that touts the merits of clean living.
Her first book, Creative Correction, is a guide for parents that offers alternative ways to discipline children and hits bookstores in October. Her next two books, tentatively titled Beyond Bible Stories and The Adventure of Christmas, are aimed at children. Although she may no longer be a household name, Whelchel still sees herself as a role model -- this time for young mothers who likely grew up watching her as Blair.
"I don't know why it was such a surprise to me, being that she is so talented at so many things. But it was a happy surprise that she was such a good writer," says Whelchel's husband, Steven Cauble, 49.
Keeping in touch with the girls
While parenting and writing have replaced the glamorous Hollywood life, Whelchel (who now goes by the name Cauble) still keeps in touch with many of her Facts of Life co-stars. Last year, the cast members got together for the 30th birthday party for Kim Fields (Tootie). And Whelchel says she speaks to Nancy McKeon (Jo) every few months on the phone. There are also tentative plans for a Facts of Life reunion show, though Welchel says ABC has yet to approve a script.
If plans are made, Welchel says she'll happily attend that reunion. "(Facts is) a nice balance, with its timeless messages, without the taintedness of primetime television today," she says.
And, as it turns out, there are certain Hollywood perks Whelchel misses. For one thing, she wouldn't mind working again with George Clooney, who played handyman George Burnett on the show for two years.
"I would love to be working with him today," says Whelchel with a laugh. "He always had that something special. But he got much more handsome after Facts of Life. And he became a much better actor. I guess he grew up."
As for the current crop of teen celebrities, Whelchel finds them disappointing as role models. "You really do grow up to be a fuddy-duddy. You know, now I see some of these girls and I'm like, 'Do they really have to show their belly button? Pull that shirt down a little!' "
Blair would have understood.
[This message has been edited by Ags2000 (edited 09-10-2001).]
I don't know if this is the new article, but I found it on the People Magazine website.
D
Lisa Whelchel
TATIANA SIEGEL
In 1988, when the prestigious Eastland School closed its doors for the last time, it was the end of an era for America's favorite prep school teens: Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie from The Facts of Life. But it was a whole new beginning for Lisa Whelchel, who played the privileged and self-infatuated Blair Warner.
Whelchel, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and born-again Christian who says she never really fit in with Hollywood's all-too-pampered, self-destructive teen crowd, left the limelight at the height of her acting and singing career. That career included a stint as a Disney Mouseketeer, guest spots on hit shows such as The Love Boat, nine years on The Facts of Life, several movie roles and a Grammy-nominated inspirational album. At 25, Whelchel went into a self-imposed exile. She married a pastor, settled down in the San Fernando Valley and had three children. Son Tucker is now 10, and daughters Haven and Clancy are 9 and 8, respectively.
Now, more than a decade after her hit TV series ended, '80s culture is back in and that's brought The Facts of Life back to life: It was recently the subject of an E! True Hollywood Story special and is now enjoying a run on Nick at Nite.
Disney jump-started her career
Whelchel, 37, got her Hollywood start, like so many other teen stars, via Disney. She read that auditions were being held for The New Mickey Mouse Club and with the help of her mother, Jenny French, a real estate agent, Whelchel bombarded Disney with letters and landed a West Coast audition. She says she beat out 6,000 other hopefuls for the show's one vacant slot with a routine that included singing and ventriloquism. At the age of 12, she packed her bags for Los Angeles, saying goodbye to her father, Jimmy French, an electrician, and her younger brother, Cody.
Whelchel says that achieving fame at a young age is a lose-lose situation. "Either you're successful and have everything you want," she said during a recent phone interview, in a Southern accent that snooty Blair would have sneered at. "But where do you go from there? Or you're subjected to rejection: 'You're too fat. You're not right for the part.' . . . It's like gambling in Las Vegas. Chances are you are going to go home broke."
Still, Whelchel feels that she left Hollywood relatively unscathed. "I was fortunate because, before The Facts of Life, I found a reason for my life, that God had a purpose for me." Nowadays that purpose can be best realized with the help of a literary agent instead of an acting coach. By signing a three-book deal with a small, family-oriented publishing house, Whelchel has begun to reinvent herself as an author and hopes to continue reaching an audience with a message that touts the merits of clean living.
Her first book, Creative Correction, is a guide for parents that offers alternative ways to discipline children and hits bookstores in October. Her next two books, tentatively titled Beyond Bible Stories and The Adventure of Christmas, are aimed at children. Although she may no longer be a household name, Whelchel still sees herself as a role model -- this time for young mothers who likely grew up watching her as Blair.
"I don't know why it was such a surprise to me, being that she is so talented at so many things. But it was a happy surprise that she was such a good writer," says Whelchel's husband, Steven Cauble, 49.
Keeping in touch with the girls
While parenting and writing have replaced the glamorous Hollywood life, Whelchel (who now goes by the name Cauble) still keeps in touch with many of her Facts of Life co-stars. Last year, the cast members got together for the 30th birthday party for Kim Fields (Tootie). And Whelchel says she speaks to Nancy McKeon (Jo) every few months on the phone. There are also tentative plans for a Facts of Life reunion show, though Welchel says ABC has yet to approve a script.
If plans are made, Welchel says she'll happily attend that reunion. "(Facts is) a nice balance, with its timeless messages, without the taintedness of primetime television today," she says.
And, as it turns out, there are certain Hollywood perks Whelchel misses. For one thing, she wouldn't mind working again with George Clooney, who played handyman George Burnett on the show for two years.
"I would love to be working with him today," says Whelchel with a laugh. "He always had that something special. But he got much more handsome after Facts of Life. And he became a much better actor. I guess he grew up."
As for the current crop of teen celebrities, Whelchel finds them disappointing as role models. "You really do grow up to be a fuddy-duddy. You know, now I see some of these girls and I'm like, 'Do they really have to show their belly button? Pull that shirt down a little!' "
Blair would have understood.
[This message has been edited by Ags2000 (edited 09-10-2001).]