Amanda Peet Goes The Whole 10 Yards

Pretty brunette Amanda Peet has really mixed it up in her career over the last few years with dramatic roles in Identity with John Cusack, Igby Goes Down with Kieran Culkin and with Ben Affleck in Changing Lanes. But, she was funny in Saving Silverman and She's the One. Amanda will be Ashton Kutcher's next leading lady in an upcoming romantic comedy. In the popular comedy The Whole Nine Yards, Amanda played Jill, a dental technician with a hit woman itch. Well, Jill is back in the film's sequel The Whole Ten Yards. Now, she's married to the Bruce Willis hitman character Jimmy the Tulip and is still trying to be a successful hitwoman on the side.

When we spoke with Amanda recently, she told us that she's sad that "Friends" is ending, is still star struck by some of her famous leading men and feels that she owes Bruce Willis for her career because things took off for her after he chose her to co-star with him in The Whole Nine Yards a few years ago. He also told her that her pants weren't tight enough!

TeenHollywood: So how was it for you coming back after about 4 years?

Amanda: I was quite sentimental about it, actually, because before Bruce picked me, I couldn't really get arrested and I feel like he really changed my life. This movie really changed my life. When they called to say they were doing a sequel, I thought it was a joke. Really? So I was a lot less intimidated this time. The first time I was like 'where do you want me to stand? Should I..' You know what I mean? I was really scared. This time I was much more comfortable and I had more fun.

TeenHollywood: How hard was it for you to step back into the part of Jill?

Amanda: I think the first time, I didn't know what I was doing and I think that was really good. The way I like to work, I'd rather really not know what I'm doing. I'd rather have just a really strong script and a strong director who knows what he or she is doing. I just think it's better for me that way. A lot of times Matthew (Perry) and I'd being doing a scene and he'd be like 'okay, so what are you going to say after that? Should I... whatever'. I'd be like 'I don't know'. He'd want to set things and I like to keep things unplanned. So I did it his way.

TeenHollywood: Was that hard for you? Planning your lines?

Amanda: No. Matthew and I are so close and if I wanted to try something, he'd be fine with that. I think because he's a real comedian. If I do something funny, it's probably by accident. If he does something funny, it's because he knows how to be funny. It's like being pitch perfect. He can tell if something's funny and I don't hear what he hears.

TeenHollywood: You almost hit Bruce's head closing a car trunk lid. Was that a mistake?

Amanda: I was really angry at him that day. I'm kidding. Yeah (I really hit him). They kept rolling. But I'm still scared of him because he's Bruce Willis. He's sooo famous and sooo magnetic. My reactions to him are sometimes really appropriate for the character because I'm like 'oh s***'.

TeenHollywood: What's your favorite Bruce Willis moment from the set?

Amanda: I think my favorite story is actually from the first movie when he didn't like my pants. He chose me to be his love interest in the movie. We were doing a scene and he didn't like my pants. I don't like to wear really tight clothes and I guess he thought they just weren't sexy enough. So I came to the set and he called over the wardrobe person and he was fixing them literally like a seamstress. Pulling them, pushing them and I was kind of like trying to do my lines and he was futzing with my pants. Then that day we had to shoot a scene and they hadn't fixed them yet and it's actually in the movie. I'm looking with the binoculars and a car pulls off and (I say) 'there's a vehicle' and he's like 'okay. Keep an eye on them'. And then he goes 'nice pants'.

TeenHollywood: Was Bruce any more or less intimidating than Jack Nicholson? (Amanda co-starred with Jack and Diane Keaton in the recent Something's Gotta Give)

Amanda: You know, I always have this feeling with Bruce because he picked me. But with both of them, it was pretty scary. I'm starstruck. What can I say. I'd be lying if I was like 'you know, after a while it was really normal'. But, after a while, even when you're normal it's like 'I'm normal with Jack Nicholson'. Even if you're having a casual conversation, it keeps going on in your head. 'Holy s***! What has happened?'

TeenHollywood: You also worked for famous director/actor Woody Allen. He's pretty eccentric, right?

Amanda: Well, I called Diane (Keaton) as soon as I got the movie and I was like 'what do I do to not get fired?' And she was like 'don't be too precious. Don't be like 'so, for my backstory, I feel like I'm really angry because my parents left and divorced when I was younger' and she was like 'just don't do that. Just go and say the lines and don't be too fussy and don't be a diva and don't ask too many questions'. He probably thinks I'm this very self-sufficient kind of actress but little does he know...

TeenHollywood: How has your private life changed since becoming more famous?

Amanda: I have more money. I shop. My life hasn't changed that much except I sometimes get a really peaceful feeling that I'm not working at City Crab anymore and that I'm not doing a Tampax commercial, not that there's anything wrong with doing a commercial but there's a period in most actors' lives where you think 'it could just be like this for a long time or forever or who knows'? There was a time in New York where I'd do four auditions a day going back and forth on the subway for Clairol hair and a small role in an indie movie I'd audition for. Sometimes, when I go back I have like a wave of relief and other times I'm like 'why aren't I Gwyneth? Why aren't I in House of Sand and Fog? Why do people only think I can do comedy'? I'm sure everybody feels that way.

TeenHollywood: Do you ever think there's a role out there that can completely change my career?

Amanda: Yeah. I'm sure there is. There already has been for me. The Whole Nine Yards was like that. I didn't win an Oscar obviously. For Charlize Theron it was probably Two Days in the Valley (that changed things for her). I'm older now and I know it could happen and it could not happen but at least I'm not taking the subway to five auditions. If I had to do that, maybe that would be okay too but it's nice that I'm working and getting paid and working with interesting people that I used to dream about like Woody Allen and Diane.

TeenHollywood: Did you always think that you'd be better in comedy?

Amanda: No. Not at all. I know I'm a silly person but inside I know I was a sad teenager and I know I have a great capacity for being depressed so I probably thought, 'oh, you know I'll be a sad person who cries all the time'. Then I got The Whole Nine Yards. Isn't that weird?

TeenHollywood: Who else would you like to work with that awes you?

Amanda: Kate Winslet, Samantha Morton, Cate Blanchette, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan, Sophia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Steven Soderbergh, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray...

TeenHollywood: Ooookay. That's quite a list. Have you started shooting the movie with Ashton Kutcher yet?

Amanda: No, we started rehearsing though. I haven't asked Ashton yet if he called Bruce to get a report on me but I'm sure he did. 'She doesn't like to wear tight pants so you've got to get her to sex it up a little for your movie and wear a push-up bra'. (laughter)

TeenHollywood: Are you the love interest?

Amanda: Yeah. It's a huge, long romance over ten years. It's supposed to be kind of like When Harry Met Sally in that way that they meet and they're both so different and then they gradually, over the years start to surrender in their staunch positions a little bit. It's a long love story basically. It's called A Lot Like Love.

TeenHollywood: Having worked with Matthew Perry a couple of times, were you a little extra sad about the end of "Friends"?

Amanda: I was so depressed about it and I just watched the "Will and Grace" episode where they're really upset that it's "Friends" last year. I was laughing really hard because I think my boyfriend wants to slap me too.

TeenHollywood: What's your favorite episode?

Amanda: There's one episode I always tell Matthew about where he falls asleep at work. It's really just a moment. He's supposed to be working and the person comes in and he's like (indicates quickly waking up and writing). I love him and I'm obsessed with Jennifer Aniston too. Not in a scary way but I just think she's really special, a special comic actress. I played her sister, actually in this movie years ago. She has crazy good timing and is really good at playing somebody really vapid and dumb. It's really hard to do that because you always want to show that you're in on the joke and smarter than your character. You can't do that. She's really good at that. Reese Witherspoon's good at it too.

TeenHollywood: What kind of music do you like?

Amanda: You know who I really still just love? Bruce Springsteen.

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