2nr: It's more of a college of experience. Just don't start interchanging the terms "campus" and "compound." What about the "L.A." attitude wouldn't fly at your college/hometown?AS: Basically, 99 percent of L.A. wouldn't get by over there.
2nr: So prancing around in Daisy Dukes...AS: No. I mean...you could do it but somebody would say something to you. One guy got in trouble for wearing baggy jeans.
2nr: Tell me about your first experiences in the Big City.AS: I used Mapquest to get out here. When I arrived, it was rush hour and my Mapquest directions ended so I thought, "I'm here," and pulled off. I was at a McDonalds in West Covina when I was told that I wasn't close to where I should be and I should keep driving. You have to understand that I've never been to a major city. I've never seen a freeway like the 10 or the 101. Just seeing the different parts of the city like Koreatown and Chinatown is like going to different countries. So, I needed to find a place that was inexpensive and found a place downtown near Figueroa and Venice. I chose downtown because "downtown" is close to everything. Besides, I didn't know any better-I didn't know about West Hollywood or the Westside. I was told that Los Angeles was very urban so I accepted that the place I picked out was about right. It ended up being a slum! I kept complaining about things. For one, there was no hot water. I met with the manager-whose card was nothing more than a sheet of paper with a cell phone number written on it-and told him that California law says you need to have hot water. He was like, "FINE, I'll fix the water." That night, the fire department and police were knocking on my door, trying to evacuate the building because the building's water heater had exploded in the basement.
2nr: I would have been, "Where are all the white people at!?!"AS: So I got this book that had a list of places like "The Whiskey," where the Doors played at, and that's where I started hanging out. I was out there one time and just started talking to people on the street and I was asked out on a date. He asked where he should pick me up and when I told him, he was like "WHERE?" So he pulls up in front of my building driving this nice BMW. He told me that he was kind of scared driving down this street and told me that I shouldn't live there. My apartment was located behind the L.A. Convention Center in a cul-de-sac lined with barbed wire fences.
2nr: How long did you live there?AS: About two and a half months. I couldn't afford a nice place. I met a couple girls and ended sharing a place with them.
2nr: Where do you live now?AS: I bought a condo in Beverly Hills.
2nr: Now that's a farm to riches story. I guess, coming from a small town, you made the front page of the local Gazette?AS: Yes, after I got picked to do the movie, I finally got on to the front page, and actually there were a lot of different people calling my parents trying to get my information. One guy called from London. That doesn't happen in our town.
2nr: What's left for you do do?AS: I wrote a script before I did the movie.
2nr: A corn-fed girl like you must love a good meal. What's on your menu?AS: I love eating. I love really good food, good restaurants. I love sushi. There's this place on Santa Monica that makes the best sushi-I once ate 5 hand rolls. And this was on top of the food I had for dinner. These are like $13 handrolls!