Melissa Sagemiller: Phi Beta Cool

You've probably seen pretty, blonde Melissa Sagemiller in Get Over It with Kirsten Dunst or in the creepy Soul Survivors. Now she's the president of a sorority; Delta Omicron Gamma (yes, that's DOG), a group of not-so-attractive girls in the new comedy Sorority Boys. When we talked with Melissa in L.A. she looked anything but "dogish" in a leather outfit. She told us about everything from picking her own body double, to her first reaction on seeing the film's three leads in drag and her personal sorority experiences.

Teenhollywood: Were you ever concerned that you were just too pretty to play the leader of the DOG sorority?

Melissa: We talked about that when we were doing make-up tests. We didn't want it to be like She's All That where at the end it's 'oh, my God, she's actually hot.' My character was pretty but she doesn't care. She was attractive but the point was that she had these beliefs and she was gonna stick to them. I think she tried to overcompensate for her looks and go the other way. Barry (Watson) was a totally gorgeous girl. He's hot as a girl! He's pretty so you see why Leah (her character) would be into him.

Teenhollywood: What is your take on her attraction to Barry's Daisy character? Is it because she senses there's a guy under there?

Melissa: I don't think she was a lesbian. I think she was a girl who had had some bad experiences with some guys and was bitter about it and was 'I really connect with you. I'm in college. I'm experimenting. I just want to see where this goes.'

Teenhollywood: What about girls who are gay? Is this a bad message for them?

Melissa: I think, because she found out that Daisy didn't exist, that cut their relationship short. Who knows? Maybe if Daisy were still around, she might pursue that because she connected with that individual. I don't think it undermines people coming out, experimenting or anything. It's just one case.

Teenhollywood: Leah is sort of in the same situation as Jessica Lange's character in Tootsie. Was that an influence?

Melissa: I watched that and Some Like it Hot. Jessica Lange connected with his (Dustin Hoffman's) character no matter what (he/she) was. I think that's a really neat concept. That, no matter what the gender, you could look someone in the eye and connect with them and have romantic feelings with them.

Teenhollywood: What did you think when you saw the guys dressed in drag for the first time?

Melissa: Can't repeat that. No. It was so funny. Primarily, most of the scenes that I shot with them were when they were in drag so it's weird for me to see them normally. To this day, seeing them as guys is sorta weird.

When I first saw them it was 'Barry, you're hot and cute. Adina, you're feisty and sexy but Roberta (laughs) honey, I'm sorry but you're just wrong.' No offense, Roberta. We love you.

Teenhollywood: Do you really wear glasses or contacts?

Melissa: No. I don't. I have those glasses we used in the film. They're real glass lenses but not prescription. I'm blonde and I'd try out for a smart girl (role) and hello, people don't buy it. So I'd wear the glasses and it's 'oh you are smart.' Aren't they sexy? I wear them sometimes. It's fun.

Teenhollywood: Did you use a body double in the shower scenes?

Melissa: Yes. I did. I was shy about that so I was fortunate enough to have a lovely lady come in for me. They gave me four girls and we picked the one that was the most physiologically like me. I think it's obvious when you see the movie. No head shots. I'm glad. It's 'see, that's not me.' I think they respected that I didn't feel comfortable doing that. But, the costume girl went into a bathroom with each girl and took a Polaroid. It was very strange, picking boobs. I had boob approval.

Teenhollywood: Do you like working in the teen film genre?

Melissa: Yeah, I do. I think it's fun. After a while everyone grows out of it but I've done well by it. I think this movie is a little bit older than She's All That. It's rated 'R' for raunchy.

Teenhollywood: What was the atmosphere like on Soul Survivors?

Melissa: That was a totally different atmosphere. It was fun but a really, dark, twisted, psychological drama. I was crying five times a day. It was exhausting. This is like summer camp, fun. That was working 17 hours a day four months straight.

Teenhollywood: Do you relate to your Leah character? (she is a political activist and women's right's supporter)

Melissa: When I was growing up I went to a really liberal school. My mom worked for Jimmy Carter. I was into NOW and the women's rights group at the University of Virginia where I went to school. I had a lot to draw upon. I think her character goes way too far. People get caught up in that feminist thing. I was sort of making fun of that too. You can go overboard with crass, lewd jokes about women and you can go overboard being overly PC about every single thing in your life. You have to laugh at yourself and not take it so seriously.

Teenhollywood: Were you in a sorority in college?

Melissa: I was in a sorority. We were those hippies. The University of Virginia is very traditional. My sorority was Phi Mu which is a fraternity up North so we had fraternity privileges. We were sort of like the freak sorority of the campus and I liked that. I wasn't even going to be in one in college but I rushed and met these girls and liked them. They weren't like the DOG's but they didn't conform to the typical Greek system. I was one of those people, 'I'm not going to be in a sorority. Those are pigs and ditzy girls who wear pearls and do stupid handshakes.' But, I met a group of women that I still keep in touch with and probably always will.

We have enough Good Ole Boys networks coming along. I think women need to stand by each other, unite and network and stop trying to clobber each other to get to the top but form a Good Ole Girls network.

Teenhollywood: Is politics still a part of your life?

Melissa: I come from a very politically-oriented family and they still live in Washington, D.C. When I come home, we have huge family discussions about all sorts of things. My dad's a Republican. My mom is an independent and I'm a Democrat. It's very interesting. It's like Washington Weekly in my dining room.

Teenhollywood: Did the actors learn anything about women? Did they discuss their feelings with you?

Melissa: Yeah. They said 'I don't know how you guys do this every day.' 'How do you pluck your eyebrows every day? How do you wax? Waxing is wrong. It should be outlawed.' It was so funny. I think Michael said 'I'm never gonna dis on a girl about how she looks or not being pretty because it's hard.' I think they learned.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.