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Press - 2004
Michelle Trachtenberg: Transition to Hottie
Hey, she’s been acting all her life. It doesn’t seem that long ago that
cutie Michelle Trachtenberg was in grade school snooping around as Harriet
the Spy. Then, the actress popped up as “Buffy’s” weird little sis but,
have you seen her lately? Little Michelle has turned into a major hottie
and she’s anxious to show the world that she’s a young woman now at age
18. In the teen sex comedy EuroTrip, it’s true, she’s the only girl who
doesn’t take her clothes off (the film is rated “R” for good reason) but
she is seen in tight, low-cut tank tops and a bikini. In “Trip”, Michelle
is off to Europe with a group of pals who hope to hook a friend up with
his computer penpal.
We sat down to dish with Michelle in the posh Renaissance Hotel in L.A.’s
Hollywood and Highland complex recently (Ryan Seacrest was doing his TRL-style
show right below us). In feminine pink angora hoodie, jeans and white
super-high heels, this popular young woman told us about her EuroTrip
adventures, future projects, rigorous workout schedule and musical tastes
all while munching on some tasty pastries. And, yes, she talks a bit about
“Buffy” and the cancellation of “Angel”. Check it out…
TeenHollywood: What made you want to take on a sexy comedy like EuroTrip?
Michelle: I was coming directly off “Buffy” and the challenging part was
getting people to see that I am eighteen years old and that I am a young
woman and I am maturing. So that was something to specifically focus on
and I did. I had a blast making this movie and it’s really funny.
TeenHollywood: Have you ever had a computer date or cyber-penpal?
Michelle: No, I’ve never had a pen pal, but my friends and I do talk
online all the time. I love instant messenger. It’s great it’s so quick.
We email all the time but I’ve never had an Internet date. I don’t think
I’ll ever partake in that. It’s scary.
TeenHollywood: Have you ever gone on a European road trip?
Michelle: No, not like this one. I’ve been to Europe many times. I love
Paris and London and Germany. It’s just wonderful that the cultures there
are so different from ours. It lets you appreciate so much more what we
have here in America. But also just to diversify yourself and learn more
about different people. I love London. I want to live there eventually.
TeenHollywood: Okay, on to the juicy stuff. Everybody wears very little or
nothing in this movie. Why not you?
Michelle: Actually, my character originally had a flashing scene on the
side of the highway.I had to sit down and talk about it with the boys (the
co-directors of the film). Basically I said I’m not comfortable being
nude. Being nude for an actress is not something that should be done
prematurely and it’s not something that should be done in a frivolous way.
I respect actresses like Halle Berry and Gwyneth Paltrow who’ve chosen
specific roles to show themselves. In a teen comedy I don’t think it’s
necessary to go out and bare your boobs-to be blunt. And I will not have
someone doubling me- because that was also a suggestion (that it’s me).
There was a sexy bikini and we shot a flashing scene of my naked back and
I had material upfront and tape and everything and I was all strapped in.
TeenHollywood: Prague is the new Hollywood. Did you get to see any of it
while shooting there?
Michelle: Yes and no, I did get to see Prague some weekends but it was
mostly just shooting, shooting, shooting. During weeks of rehearsals it
was a little bit easier to see around town. It’s stunning, Prague is
absolutely gorgeous.
TeenHollywood: We hear that you had some serious weather problems.
Michelle: It was ridiculous. It was only me and it was to the point where
we’d be setting up my shot and it would be nice and beautiful and sunny.
They’d call ‘action’ and it would start drizzling and raining, raining,
raining all throughout my close up. You think I’m exaggerating but I’m
not. It would be action-cut, action-cut. Just for me, nobody else. We’d
move on to Scott’s close up and it would be sun shining. It was also
freezing cold during my flashing scene, it was hailing and freezing and
[I] was sweating hot but freezing cold. It was an interesting experience
TeenHollywood: What was it like running around with an all-boy cast?
Michelle: It’s very interesting because even with those three boys I was
the one with the most experience because I had been acting for fifteen
years and I’d done many other films and I was also the youngest. I was
seventeen during filming, I’m eighteen now and Scott’s twenty-two and
Travis is twenty-six and Jacob is twenty –three. There was a fluctuation
of ages but I was certainly the most mature.
TeenHollywood: Did they treat you like one of the boys?
Michelle: They gave me respect as a girl. I think it’s because I wore my
stilettos to rehearsal and said that they were my casual shoes and they
were like ‘whoa’. Come on now, you have to give it up for the shoes! [She
casually hoists her stiletto-clad foot up above our table so I can get a
good look at her killer pumps!].
TeenHollywood: Were you a tomboy at all when you were growing up?
Michelle: During my Harriet the Spy years I went through a huge tomboy
stage and I would only wear horizontal stripes and overalls. I’ll be
scarred from horizontal stripes for the rest of my life. But there was a
time of my life that I rebelled against it by making all of my jeans
tighter and lower.
TeenHollywood: You’re in a music video. Are you a friend of the band?
Michelle: I’m a huge music fan in general and I’ve always looked forward
to doing a video. Trapt is the band and the song’s called “Echo”. They
called me in and said ‘Hey, we have this new video called “Echo” and we
think you would be great for the girl’ and I met the whole band and I just
clicked. It’s kind of funny because all the projects that I’ve been doing
recently have tried to get me into various states of undress. I’m in a
bikini and a little mini skirt and it was 50 F at Malibu beach. The lead
singer and I are in the waves and we’re freezing cold and I totally got
bronchitis. But I don’t want to be a singer. I don’t mind singing for
projects that I’m doing like episodes of “Six Feet Under” where I play a
pop-singer so that’s kind of fun.
TeenHollywood: Who do you like to listen to?
Michelle: I range. I’ll go from like Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, John
Mayer, Britney, Christina to 50 Cent and Maroon 5 and Black Eyed Peas to
AFI and Linkin Park and Trapt. I love 3 Days Grace; all these bands; such
a great variation of music. I also have on my i-pod the soundtrack to
“Moulin Rouge” and “Chicago” and “Cabaret”. I just love music…I’m not a
fan of country though.
TeenHollywood: Do you have any other projects going on now?
Michelle: Yes, I have many projects going on right now. After EuroTrip, I
went to into Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin which is a dark and opinionated
movie. It’s based on a true story about two boys who were sexually
molested when they were younger. I play Joseph Gordon Levitt’s best friend
who’s the only person that he’s ever been able to confide in and I help
his character discover the importance of embracing and understanding what
happened to him when he was younger.
TeenHollywood: Wow, that’s new for you.
Michelle: I’m so honored that he called me. I had coffee with Greg and he
said “I think you would be wonderful for this role” and I understand what
a risk it was for a director to take a chance on an actress who has not
really done as much of that dark, edgy stuff. and I really wanted to break
into it. I am in ice skating training for my next movie. I skate 5 days a
week , 3 hours a day, I have ballet every other day for a couple hours and
on top of that, “Six Feet Under” had me doing choreography practice 4
hours a day.
TeenHollywood: What is the ice skating movie?
Michelle: It’s Disney’s Ice Princess and I am the ice princess and it’s
basically a story about a girl who has always dreamed of being a figure
skater but her family is very intent on getting her into Harvard. So she
devises a plan to use her knowledge of physics and talk to the three main
figure skaters in her town. She’s like ‘okay I’ll teach you how to be a
better figure skater through physics if you let me work with your coach,
if you let me work with you choreographer’. And she trains to become a
wonderful figure skater and there’s a love story involved so it’s a really
sweet story. I’m doing a lot of my own figure skating. Triple axels I’m
obviously not going to be required to make because that takes years of
training.
TeenHollywood: What are your thoughts about the end of “Buffy”?.
Michelle: I’m sure that in some way, shape or form “Buffy” will be
continued or the story, through the fans, because we do
have such devoted fans and that’s always been very sweet. The great thing
about ending “Buffy” was that we chose to go out
and end on a high note. “Buffy” was a wonderful experience in my career
because it introduced me to a whole European fan
base which I love and cherish. It was my favorite show when I was growing
up and actually to be on it was quite surreal
for me. I loved it and I always wanted to be a part of it. To be such a
big part of it was really cool but towards the end
of the show it got very creatively stifling because they didn’t expand my
character to where I thought I could be.
TeenHollywood: Were you surprised that they cancelled “Angel”? Wasn’t it
doing better with James Marsters on it?
Michelle: Yeah, I love James. He’s a sweetheart. I actually was surprised
when I heard about “Angel” but I’m sure there were certain political
aspects involved in that decision. When “Buffy” moved to UPN there were a
lot of hurt people, not in the sense that ‘you burned us on a business
deal’ but just like the WB was “Buffy’s” home for so long that I’m sure
they felt a loss. But from an actress perspective, I understand when
someone doesn’t want to get pegged into that role forever or when it’s
time to end on a high note. You don’t want to go on for how many years. I
credit “Friends”. Ten years is an amazing time and they’ve constantly kept
fresh but there are few people who can do that. So end on a high note and
leave everyone happy.
TeenHollywood: If they ever came out with a “Buffy” movie would you ever
consider it?
Michelle: Never say never, right now I’m much more focused on new aspects
of my career and I’m not really wanting to go back and repeat characters
because I think that just isn’t as exciting as doing new things.
TeenHollywood: Aren’t you also in a film called Odd Girl Out?
Michelle: Odd Girl Out is another independent film that I am doing with
Bijou Phillips about two girls in a private school and one is the
rebellious wild child and one is the perfect bitch. I’m the perfect bitch.
I’m the queen of the private school and it’s a dark little rivalry that we
have. Of course there’s much more emotional problems involved and it’s an
independent movie so it’s actually a cool little fun story.
TeenHollywood: Is there an actor in Hollywood that you would just love to
do movies with?
Michelle: Al Pacino I think is just brilliant, or Dustin Hoffman or Robert
DeNiro that would be my dream team of actors to work with. Crush-wise,
Orlando Bloom, you could throw in a little Colin Farrell in there and
Johnny Depp.
TeenHollywood: You could be in the next “Pirates” movie.
Michelle: [all excited] I wish, are you kidding! I could totally be Keira
Knightly’s long lost sister which people say we look alike but I don’t see
it.
TeenHollywood: You were named one of the top twenty teens who will change
the world. How cool is that?
Michelle: It’s a huge compliment. I’m very much a supporter of charities
that tell kids that it’s not important to do drugs to be successful. I’m
very much against under age drinking and drugs of any sort and drinking
and driving. I have never done any drugs whatsoever in my life and I don’t
plan to. It’s not something that you need.
TeenHollywood: But in the movie you eat those brownies….
Michelle: [grinning] But they have no drugs in them so it’s all fine. Hey,
It’s a movie, it’s the character, [not me].
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