'Tween' Star Bynes Moves on to Romantic Comedy - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brett Ferino · 04-08-2003, 07:21 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At the age of 12, Amanda Bynes was hosting her own TV variety sketch show. Last year, she got her own TV sitcom and now, at 17, she is starring in her first big screen romantic comedy "What a Girl Wants."

Her comic timing has been compared to Lucille Ball (news) and her oddball character creations recall the late Gilda Radner But what Amanda Bynes really wants is not fame or fortune but the right not to be pigeon-holed.

"I want to find what seems right for me. I want to do good work, whether it's in TV or film. I don't want to do a movie just because it's going to be a box-office hit. I don't have a career mapped out. Just one day at a time. We'll see," Bynes told Reuters in an interview.

Poised between girlhood and womanhood, the leggy, wide-eyed actress who exudes fun and self-confidence has become one of the most popular idols of the fast-growing "tween" market of girls between 9 and 14.

She's been a household name for years among fans of Nickelodeon, where she started in the youth-skewed comedy show "All That" at age 10, and graduated to her own "The Amanda Show" two years later.

But unlike "tween" twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen or 15-year-old Hilary Duff (news) of Disney Channel's hit series "Lizzie McGuire," you won't find an Amanda look-alike doll in the toy store or a Bynes fashion line in the mall.

Like many an off-stage adult comic actor, Bynes is deadly serious both about the business of being funny and the struggle to stay ordinary -- or as ordinary as you can be for someone who has enjoyed accolades since being discovered at the age of 10 in a Los Angeles children's comedy workshop.

"Anyone who has kids is aware of Amanda Bynes," said "What a Girl Wants" producer Bill Gerber. "She's very bright and has incredible comedic timing. She was only 15 when we first met with her about this project and it's rare to find someone of that age with such maturity."

COMING OF AGE

"What a Girl Wants," which opened last week, is Bynes' second big movie outing after co-starring last year with Frankie Muniz in "Big Fat Liar."

She plays an American teen-ager who runs away to London to find her long-lost father -- who turns out to be a stiff-upper-lipped English lord played by Colin Firth -- and, in the best "tween" tradition, to find herself.

The coming-of-age movie, with its combination of slapstick, comic cultural misunderstandings and a hint of teen romance, is a perfect showcase for Bynes' talents.

But unlike her screen character Daphne, Bynes appears already to have figured out who she is and what she wants.

"I feel very lucky that I have been able to do everything I want to do. I feel very blessed that it has all gone well. I think I'll be OK. I'm going to work hard to do my best. What can you say other than I will try to do my best.

"Being famous is the part that I don't really like so much. I like my privacy and I like not to be recognized, especially when there are a lot of people around. Sometimes I'll wear a hat if it's really busy," she said.

Where Daphne is searching for her father and a sense of family, Bynes is living at home outside Los Angeles with her dentist father, mother and two older siblings.

While filming, either for the movie or for her weekly TV sitcom "What I Like About You," Bynes has an on-set tutor. But she likes to spend one week in four back at regular high school with her friends, where she says she has a "totally normal life."

Bynes plans to go to college, possibly to study psychology "but definitely not something in acting. I want to learn something else. A lot of people say you can go later on but I think there is something important about going with your generation."

04-08-2003, 07:21 AM	#1
Brett Ferino Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 18, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,782	'Tween' Star Bynes Moves on to Romantic Comedy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At the age of 12, Amanda Bynes was hosting her own TV variety sketch show. Last year, she got her own TV sitcom and now, at 17, she is starring in her first big screen romantic comedy "What a Girl Wants." Her comic timing has been compared to Lucille Ball (news) and her oddball character creations recall the late Gilda Radner But what Amanda Bynes really wants is not fame or fortune but the right not to be pigeon-holed. "I want to find what seems right for me. I want to do good work, whether it's in TV or film. I don't want to do a movie just because it's going to be a box-office hit. I don't have a career mapped out. Just one day at a time. We'll see," Bynes told Reuters in an interview. Poised between girlhood and womanhood, the leggy, wide-eyed actress who exudes fun and self-confidence has become one of the most popular idols of the fast-growing "tween" market of girls between 9 and 14. She's been a household name for years among fans of Nickelodeon, where she started in the youth-skewed comedy show "All That" at age 10, and graduated to her own "The Amanda Show" two years later. But unlike "tween" twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen or 15-year-old Hilary Duff (news) of Disney Channel's hit series "Lizzie McGuire," you won't find an Amanda look-alike doll in the toy store or a Bynes fashion line in the mall. Like many an off-stage adult comic actor, Bynes is deadly serious both about the business of being funny and the struggle to stay ordinary -- or as ordinary as you can be for someone who has enjoyed accolades since being discovered at the age of 10 in a Los Angeles children's comedy workshop. "Anyone who has kids is aware of Amanda Bynes," said "What a Girl Wants" producer Bill Gerber. "She's very bright and has incredible comedic timing. She was only 15 when we first met with her about this project and it's rare to find someone of that age with such maturity." COMING OF AGE "What a Girl Wants," which opened last week, is Bynes' second big movie outing after co-starring last year with Frankie Muniz in "Big Fat Liar." She plays an American teen-ager who runs away to London to find her long-lost father -- who turns out to be a stiff-upper-lipped English lord played by Colin Firth -- and, in the best "tween" tradition, to find herself. The coming-of-age movie, with its combination of slapstick, comic cultural misunderstandings and a hint of teen romance, is a perfect showcase for Bynes' talents. But unlike her screen character Daphne, Bynes appears already to have figured out who she is and what she wants. "I feel very lucky that I have been able to do everything I want to do. I feel very blessed that it has all gone well. I think I'll be OK. I'm going to work hard to do my best. What can you say other than I will try to do my best. "Being famous is the part that I don't really like so much. I like my privacy and I like not to be recognized, especially when there are a lot of people around. Sometimes I'll wear a hat if it's really busy," she said. Where Daphne is searching for her father and a sense of family, Bynes is living at home outside Los Angeles with her dentist father, mother and two older siblings. While filming, either for the movie or for her weekly TV sitcom "What I Like About You," Bynes has an on-set tutor. But she likes to spend one week in four back at regular high school with her friends, where she says she has a "totally normal life." Bynes plans to go to college, possibly to study psychology "but definitely not something in acting. I want to learn something else. A lot of people say you can go later on but I think there is something important about going with your generation."