YM, March 1999. Loving Her Inner Nerd by Jeanne Wolf.

««««««««««««·~·~·»»»»»»»»»»»»

Josie, Drew's Never Been Kissed character, is a reporter who relives high school geekdom on assignment. Drew and co-stars David Arquette and LeeLee Sobieski dish about the film:

YM: Why play a nerd?
Drew: I thought it would be really fun to do a movie about the awkward moments in life that we don't like to talk about and don't really show that much in films. I try to embrace those moments when I wasn't cool and made a fool of myself.
Leelee: My character, Aldys, is queen of the nerds, but she's actually very cool. She wears what she wants to wear even if everybody thinks it's the weirdest, ugliest thing, or the colors clash and it doesn't match. People say 'nerd' condescendingly, but when you're older you start to realize that it's the nerds who grow up to be the cool ones.

YM: How did you dorkify yourself to be Josie?
Drew: Acne, bad clothes, bad hairdos - I definitely went through the works. But I've got plenty of my own zits to work with. I can't believe they're finally of use to me!

YM: What's a typical Drew Say Anything moment?
Drew: When I'm really overzealous and excited in front of someone who's all about cool and I feel like such a dork. Or I'm feeling sassy and flirting with my boyfriend across the room and then I just trip and go down on all fours. And I'm like, "Okay, the cover is blown! Everyone knows that I'm completely lame and uncoordinated."

YM: And you actually find those cring times funny?
Drew: As sensitive as you are to those moments, there's humor in them. I really appreciate a film that's about vulnerability.

YM: Did you guys have a lot of fun working with each other?
Drew: We were like a barrel of monkeys, constantly laughing and hanging out. David and I have known each other for 11 years. He's gorgeous and effervescent and giving of himself. And he's fun. Girls want to be with guys who have a sense of humor - it makes them far more attractive to us.
David: I feel like Drew's my sister or something. She's an incredibly sweet, warm-hearted person. Drew's like that with almost everybody.
Drew: And Leelee is someone who just jumps out at you because she's so charismatic and unique. She's my Schmooziecats - that's what we call each other. I believe that I'll know her for the rest of my life.
Leelee: There's no other actress I look up to as much as Drew. I'm so amazed by her, because she's had a hard life and she's still become the sweetest person in the world. If you give her a compliment, she makes you feel like you've told her the most special thing in her entire life. Then she'll come right back and give you ten compliments.

YM: How would you deal with going to high school all over again?
David: High school is hard. Kids go through different problems, although they don't ever have to get really out of control and choose a destructive path. You just have to stick together and get through it.
Drew: It's such a tumultuous time, with all the soul-searching and figuring out what kind of person you want to be and where you want to go in life.

YM: Was that true for you at that age?
Drew: I know what the intimidation level of high school is. You're on a constant hamster wheel, running, running, running, trying so hard to fit in. It's all about how you deal with what you're given, feeling okay with being the odd man out before you're finally successful.

YM: So where does Josie fit in?
Drew: She's at a leaping-off place, where you know you're probably ten years away from getting somewhere in life. She's learning that no matter who you are, your looks aren't going to get you through an evening, let alone a friendship or a relationship. It's always what's in your heart that makes people wnat to learn more about you. To love yourself is the key.

YM: Never Been Kissed is your 35th movie, Drew. Why did you want to produce this time?
Drew: Producing is so much fun, but it's really hard, because you want to make sure everything's right. I was involved in every aspect of making the film: casting, production design, costumes. My brain felt like a speeding train.

YM: What are your favorite kind of flicks to make?
Drew: I try to make movies that I would want to go see rather than ones I would just want to do as an actor. I want people to have movies full of romance and hope and empowerment, something they can escape into and feel good about. I love happy endings.