Absolutely. I guess in every film that I'm lucky enough to be a part of, I want there to be something positive for people my age to get out of it. I think [with] "How to Deal," teenagers have a lot to learn from it. I guess, in a sense, I portray characters that can be and are considered role models and I'm kind of flattered. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm looking specifically for that when I'm looking at different film projects. It's just kind of worked out that way so far.
Did you and Trent Ford improv before your scenes?
[Director Clare Kilner's] really great about letting us take our own direction in the sense that she would just kind of leave it up to us. After we started filming she was like, "You guys kind of know what you're doing with the whole improv thing before a scene, so I'm just going to let you have at it." Sometimes we'd be improv'ing for five, six, seven minutes before we actually started the scene, before the cameras were rolling. You get on such a roll and you get so much momentum going that you don't want to stop. Especially with Allison [Janney]. Allison's such an amazing improv'er. You had so much fun because it's just like play-acting in a sense. You're like, "Oh, this is cool. This is what acting's all about. I like it."
What would you do if you had to choose between acting and singing?
Between the two? It's hard to say because I get something so different out of both of them. I don't think you should be ever forced to make a choice. There's plenty of time to do both. I've just been very blessed and lucky so far that people have been accepting of me in both roles. I just hope that it continues that way.
Did you come up with the idea of having your character have black hair?
Actually, it was something that Clare came up with. I was kind of adamant in the beginning of the film, as stupid as it is, but we're girls and we're concerned about the hair and all of that stuff. I kind of always saw Halley with a little bit longer hair. Clare convinced me to cut my hair and I went along with it and I loved it. It was kind of freeing for me, for Mandy, but as soon as I cut it, I was like, "This is who Halley is. It makes so much sense for the character. It makes so much sense in the film." Halley's got a little bit of an edge and I kind of like that she was rebellious in the film and decided to do it.
Are you planning on staying a brunette for a while?
Yes. I've been a brunette for almost two years now. It's so funny that people keep asking that question. People are so interested in hair color. It's kind of funny, because that's what we girls do.
And Britney followed your lead.
I don't know about that. It's just part of being a female. You want to change your hair, cut it, color it, do whatever. It's fun.
Why do so many pop stars want to be actors?
I have no idea. I guess it's for their own reasons. I'm sure I have different reasons behind wanting to make a transition into this career than other people. I don't know. It's something I've always been passionate about. I started off doing musical theater at a young age and knew that if I were lucky enough to somehow get into this industry in any way, that it was something I wanted to try my hand at.
Is it just a coincidence that pop star movies end up being romances?
I guess it's a coincidence. There are so many films out there, especially geared to young people, that are romances. The most important things that are going on in our lives right now [are] these new feelings.
Between acting and singing, do you get any time off?
Yes, everybody has down time. You have to have some personal time, otherwise you're going to go crazy. You have to set aside some time for yourself every day, just to clear your mind and relax. And I'm a lazy person. When I have time off, I am at home watching TV, on the computer, [and] playing with my dogs. I'm a real homebody so I like hanging out.
