Linda Cardellini: The "Smart One" turns "Babe"

As smart science nerd Velma Dinkley in the "Scooby Doo" films, pretty Linda Cardellini wears a lot of orange, sports a dark pageboy haircut with bangs and dons thick, black-frame glasses. We almost didn't recognize her at our recent chat in L.A.'s Century City. The actress has long blondish hair, no glasses and was looking very hot in a semi-sheer black blouse, jeans and gold, dangle earrings. You'll see Linda looking more like this in her new role on "E.R." as nurse Samantha Taggart, a hot single mom. Cardellini still gets contact from fans of her critically-acclaimed t.v. series "Freaks and Geeks" which will soon be out on DVD.

In Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the Mystery Inc. gang tackles some scary critters from the original t.v. show and Velma gets the guy! Velma also dolled up in a very tight red catsuit at one point and Linda practices talking like Velma before shooting every scene. We also got serious and learned that, like all of us, both Velma and Linda have to deal with self-doubt.

TeenHollywood: What was it like wearing that red jumpsuit? There is a really funny joke about it when you and Seth Green are in the Mystery Van.

Linda: It was fun. It was very different for Velma because she typically has the orange turtleneck uniform on, but it's great because even though she's trying to appear mysterious, glamorous and a little bit sexy, she doesn't feel any of those things. As an actor, it's really fun to play with. When we did the scene in the van, where I'm in the red leather outfit, we sat there and they would let the camera roll and we would just go back and forth and joke around and improv. I move in the seat and there's a... an unkind sound that comes out. We were joking around with each other and I said, 'Oh, that's my suit, I swear.' That's where that line came from and it's funny because now it's in the trailer. It was improvised.

TeenHollywood: You and Seth Green seem to be having way too much fun on this film. Was it a blast?

Linda: Seth and I had a great time. He's a great guy. He's so open as a person and as an actor. Playing characters like this, it's fun. And if you can't have fun doing it, then there's something wrong if you're taking it too seriously. He and I just had a great time because our characters are so innocent in some ways and so smart and so involved with each other but a little bit awkward. It was really fun to play around with that.

TeenHollywood: We hear you had a Scrabble tournament going on in your trailer on set.

Linda: We did. Seth is a big Scrabble player and he brought this travel Scrabble board and in between setups, we just go and play and there'd be eight or so people in there playing teams, having a great time.

TeenHollywood: Who won?

Linda: It went back and forth. Seth's a pretty good player. Sometimes I think he makes up his own rules.

TeenHollywood: Was it easy to slide back into the role of Velma?

Linda: Oh yeah, but I definitely did some rehearsals. I have a little language tape with certain Velma-isms from the cartoon that I've recorded and I'll practice with that and have sort of a lag time where you repeat the phrase that she's just said. So I used that again and I got back into it and I watched a lot of the cartoons. For me, that's fun. That doesn't seem like homework.

TeenHollywood: Velma has a very distinctive way of speaking.

Linda: Yeah. To learn her voice, I originally had that CD to help me because not only does she say certain odd things like "Jinkies", but there's a certain cadence that I remembered listening to and identifying Velma with when I was a kid that I really wanted to have in the character when I played her. Everybody in the cast will tell you the line because I say it every time I start. It's (in Velma voice) 'Oh Shaggy, we're not trying to make time. We're trying to make contact with the Creeper.' It's the line that gets me back into character. I've used it for years now.

TeenHollywood: Velma is plagued with self-doubt in this film. Where do you look for reassurance when you feel that way?

Linda: That's always I think the hardest thing, because you want to be able to look to yourself but it's hard. If you feel insecure, as everybody feels at times, it's hard to do. You want to hide that when you're in this business. But I look to my friends and my family. If I make a mistake, you have to realize that that's part of life and you need to get through it and get over it.

TeenHollywood: What do they tell you to make you feel better?

Linda: That they love me. And that always helps because somehow that might mean that you're a good person. And then you have to remember that at times, if you make a mistake and you perhaps say something silly, that that's not the sum total of who you are as a human being, that there are different facets to life and there is more to you than just your job or just your image.

TeenHollywood: What should younger audience members take from the message of changing yourself to attract a guy?

Linda: I think the bottom line is you can't change yourself into something that you're not to please somebody else. And that if you try, you're just going to be untrue to yourself and really uncomfortable and you might lose the person who's interested in you because they're probably interested in you for who you really are. Inherently, people want to be liked and you're willing to do things to impress people. And the bottom line is if you're going to feel uncomfortable, then people are going to sense that. It'll scare people away.

TeenHollywood: When you first read the script, did you guess the ending?

Linda: Well, I remember I would talk with James Gunn (writer) while the script was being written and I'd say, 'Don't tell me who did it because I want to be able to read it and see if I can figure it out.' And ultimately, there's so much unmasking that I think it's always hidden who's dunnit. And I didn't know who had done it.

TeenHollywood: There is a great dance sequence in the movie. Was it freeform or all choreographed?

Linda: There's one part where we all danced together and that was choreographed, but then after that, we were able to do whatever we wanted. Which for me was incredibly fun because it's at the end of the movie so Velma's able to really let loose. She sort of feels the music and is filled with joy and I had the best time, but the next day, I woke up and my muscles were so sore.

TeenHollywood: Was it easier to work with special effects this time?

Linda: Yes. And I think it's always hard because it's very technical. The thing that made it easier in the sequel was that we actually knew what Scooby would look like. The first time through, we weren't sure what he would come out to look like because it was a year later before he was actually finished or even close to being finished. So there were different variations but we had no idea how he would behave and how he would look in the space with us and how we would look with him. So I think after seeing the first movie, we had a better idea of how it would be and what we needed to do to make things work.

TeenHollywood: So do you feel Scooby's presence on the set?

Linda: We do because Neil Fanning, who does his voice, will be on set with us. He was there with us on the first "Scooby Doo" doing the voice off screen and we weren't sure that he would actually be the final version of the voice. Now that he is and he does such a great job, he'll improv with you as Scooby Doo off camera. He does such a great job sometimes that it's hard to keep focused when he's off to the side doing such great things as Scooby, so that's always a challenge.

TeenHollywood: You play a totally different kind of character on "E.R." Was it hard to join that already established cast?

Linda: Definitely it was daunting, but you cannot be a stranger for very long there, because you work so intensely and so hard with these people. They're great actors and you just have no choice but to jump in and hit the ground running. Otherwise the patients will die. Even though they're fake, they might die. (laughter).

TeenHollywood: Is it difficult learning the medical dialogue for "E.R."?

Linda: It is. But we're lucky because we have doctors around as advisors, and we can ask them. We can call them any time of the night and ask them how to pronounce things or how you feel when you're doing certain procedures or what the mood is like. And that's really great because not only do you learn how to pronounce it, but you learn how to function while pronouncing it.

TeenHollywood: "Freaks and Geeks" was a very popular t.v show especially for a lot of fans who feel like high school misfits. Now a DVD is coming out. Are you excited about it?

Linda: I'm really excited that it's coming out. We have so many great fans that now I think it'll be nice to see it available to more people. It comes out in April and we did tons of commentary. It has a lot of extras on it. Even fans do a commentary, which I think is really neat because we had amazing fans. They're so devoted. They also have our auditions on there. They have behind the scenes footage. There was always a camera running behind the scenes. It's so funny because you see someone like John Daley who played my little brother Sam on the show. At the time, he was 13 or 14 years old. Now, he's on the commentary and he's got the deepest voice in the cast. He's six feet tall, he's a totally different person.

TeenHollywood: Was it hard to see your audition?

Linda: Yes. I went in there wanting to be cast and so I went in with no makeup and I remember wearing stuff that made me look really frumpy and baggy so that she wasn't body conscious at all because it was this girl who was supposed to look like she was a teenager from the Midwest who really didn't care about how she looked or how she was perceived at this point in her life. The funny thing about it is when you audition, you don't ever expect that that will come to see the light of day for the public. So it's pretty funny that it's coming out, but I'm proud of it. I got the part and I'm really proud of that.

TeenHollywood: So the show had tons of devoted fans?

Linda: Yeah. The show has yet to die. It still is alive for people. The thing I get asked about most is that show. It's funny because it's considered by networks and the business people as a failure in some ways. But it is such a success with people who like it. It's just amazing how something like that can catch on and stay in people's minds.

TeenHollywood: Back to "Scooby". What was your favorite stunt in this movie?

Linda: There was a scene where the pterodactyl ghost comes and attacks the Mystery Machine. We all get pulled out of the Mystery Machine on a carpet and it's dragging down a road. We shot that in Vancouver and we were actually on the road dragging behind the van. I mean, the real hairy stuff, I left to the professionals. I don't want to take their job. But we had some harnesses on. It was really fun because it was the four of us, Matt, Freddie, Sarah and I out there really doing the thing and grabbing each other and holding on. We had a great time. When I was a kid and I wanted to be an actress, I thought one of the best things would be to be able to do the stunts, to be able to do things that you would never be able to do safely in real life and so for me I think that's great.

TeenHollywood: Besides riding down the road on a carpet, what did you do during downtime shooting in Vancouver? Did you hang out together?

Linda: Yeah, we did, which is really nice. I mean, you don't always find that. Matt would have us over to his place or we'd play games or there are really some beautiful things to do in Vancouver. When I wasn't by myself and able to hang out with the cast, my family would come and visit. They had never been there, so we'd take them and do things like that. There was this Indian restaurant that I really loved, and it was called Vij's and it was amazing food.

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