I'm Alicia Witt - Actress (Dune, Cybill, Friday Night Lights) and musician - AMA!

good morning everyone!

Good morning, come on in. Don't take your shoes off. Reddit has a cat and you'll just get fur all over your socks.

Reddit has "a" cat?

It's a singularity of cats, so here the singular tense is correct.

i have a cat... and 2 dogs... so there's lots of fur all the way around...

Good evening! (19:27 here)

good evening to you on the other side of the world!

no questions here. Just wanted to let you know that of all the redhaired actresses, you are the hottest!!

http://www.1zoom.net/big2/36/141371-aleni.jpg

what a sweetheart! thank you!!!!

How did meeting David Lynch in your early life influence you? Or did it?

YES! hugely... i really think if i hadn't made Dune at the age of 7, and if david hadn't been my 1st director.. who knows if i ever would have become an actor. he set the bar really high... i ended up working with him 2x more (on twin peaks and the HBO trilogy 'hotel room') and still to this day he is one of the most grounded, most appreciative, most level-headed directors i've ever worked with. he understands actors so extremely well. has a way of explaining what he means that no one else has. i hope i get to work with him again...

Were you the Hayward girl in Twin Peaks who played piano while white-haired Leland went crazy singing Get Happy?

that was me!

So, this is entirely anecdotal and possibly a little, teensy bit creepy.

You were on an episode of "That's Incredible" in the early 80s. You were "incredible" because you were a genius and musical prodigy.

For some odd reason, the TV show was turned into a book. Actually, more of a novel. Each chapter of the book, as I recall, recounted a segment of the TV show, complete with terrible black-and-white photos.

Anyway, for some reason, I got my hands on that book when I was a kid (I'm only a couple years older than you). I didn't see the TV show until a later rerun, so the book was where I first heard of you.

And your segment was in that book. I have a distinct memory of a passage describing you going trick-or-treating but refusing all candy. You only accepted apples and other healthy food. Does that sound right? It's like a 30-year old memory.

So when Dune came out, I saw that you were Alia. It was one of my first grown-up moments, because I was making a connection between three different media (TV, book, movie). Hard to describe, but it felt like kind of a breakthrough.

I can't say I'm a huge fan, but then again, it's not like I've been avidly following your career. But every time I read your name, it brings up this childhood memory. So thanks for that, and thanks for doing this AMA.

there was a 'that's incredible' book? i never had any idea...

you are so right. i can't believe they wrote that in the book! i was raised on a very strict diet with no sugar, no additives, no candy, etc. so that's how i was told to trick or treat.

actually, another bit of trivia is that the entire reason i was in 'dune' is because i was on 'that's incredible'... i wasn't a child actor, didn't have an agent or anything, was living in worcester ma. the casting director for dune was looking for a young child that could read/speak very big words fluently, simply put, and they were having a hard time finding that. my episode repeated right when dune was casting, when i was 7, and she found my parents' # in the local directory and called and asked me to come to new york to audition for david lynch.

so it all connects in that way too.

thank you so much for sharing, nice to see you on here... :)

I loved your work on The Sopranos in "D-Girl". One of my favorite episodes.

thank you so much!!! it was one of my favorite things to work on ever... i based that 'd-girl' on so many people i'd met in my experience in the acting business. and i know none of them would ever think to wonder if it was about them lol!

I went through puberty on that episode.

ha!

What was it like being on the set of Dune? Did it look as great as it appears while watching the movie or was it more of a dull-looking set?

oh it was INSANE!! see my comment above about david lynch... but wow, it was the most expensive film ever made at that time ($75 million budget in 1984!). i really thought that was just what all film sets looked like! it was incredible beyond belief. all the creatures were made by carlo rambaldi, who created E.T., and the wardrobe was just ridiculously lavish and the sets were so beautiful. still to this day the smell of drying paint and plaster takes me back to when i first saw the sets being built on my first trip to mexico for wardrobe fittings, etc, before my actual shooting had begun.

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She was 7 at the time...

that's ok! i still remember very well! he wasn't a very wild rock star tho, was already married to trudie. he was a real sweetheart. he had kids my age so was super awesome to me. i asked why he had only one name and he said, in a very somber tone, 'because my parents were too poor to afford more than one'. later, when he came thru my hometown worcester, MA when i was 10, he got my whole family passes to his show and sat me and my lil brother on stage (with earplugs) because he said it would be too loud for us down in the audience. it was my first rock show!

I really love Four Rooms, and I thought you were great in it! Now my question is: what was like working with Madonna? Most stories you hear are negative ones; would you like to tell us differently? Thanks for doing this!

omg i had the hugest girl crush on her!!!! she was really sweet to me... i was playing her girlfriend in it so from the first time she met me she literally tossed a bunch of gifts at me. totally played into my girl crush :) she gave me t-shirts to choose from to wear in the segment (i picked one that said p---y!!) and gave me a necklace which i wore in the piece and still have today. and she smelled like gardenia. so i promptly went out and bought gardenia perfume. haha!!

Did you get to meet the stars/directors from the other 3 rooms or was it pretty separate? I've always wondered how the four director thing worked in practice

it was pretty much separated into our own little short films... tim roth of course was in all four but aside from that the cast was totally separate! but i met them all at the wrap party. fun story: they had karaoke and i got up and sang 'flashdance' which was one of my fave karaoke songs at the time.. then i heard massive applause and laughter during the song and turned around to see jennifer beals had jumped up behind me and was doing the dance and pouring water!!!! sooooo awesome...

You were supposed to be her girlfriend? I totally thought you were her daughter. Now I have to watch Four Rooms again.

yes, see my comment below about 88 minutes with al pacino... yet another job in which my big kiss moment with someone awesome was cut out of a movie :) (actually in this particular case we never filmed it because sadly we ran out of time. i do have a pic of us kissing however, from rehearsal!)

Is Craig Ferguson as awesome as he seems?

YES!!!!! i love that he doesn't look at the questions and doesn't stick to what the pre-interviewer asked... makes it so much more fun and free. he is hands down the most fun i've ever had on a late night show. 3 x!

Thanks for doing this!

(1) I watched the short film you made, "Belinda's Swan Song", and thought you really touched on something, you said the things that a lot of creative/artsy types wish people would know but can't actually say without sounding impolitic (at best) — the struggles of the working singer, working actor, whatever, who got so much farther than most folk but never quite had a stable foothold.

Can you tell us of a time in your career where you were feeling a little Belinda-ish, like things weren't working out for you? How did you (presumably) break out of that funk?

(2) "Mr. Holland's Opus" is one of my very favorite tearjerkers. I always weep in an incredibly embarrassing fashion when we find out what became of your character. :)

I realize this is a while ago but can you share some memories of the filming, of the process, of what you summoned up to play Gertrude?

(3) What was the deal with your "Two and a Half Men" episode — replacing Missi Pyle for the second of four episodes where her character appeared? (She's awesome and you're awesome, but not exactly the two most similar people on the planet. And it just seemed so weird to me that they'd replace her with you, then you with her.)

My kindhearted side figures it was just a case of Pyle being unavailable for one episode. My cynical side tells me that the producers just wanted to show you in a state of undress and didn't care about shoving actors around. I dunno, I know it's a silly part in the grand scheme of things but the story might make prove educational on the practicalities of the acting biz.

wow what great questions!

thank you so much for watching my short film... i really based it on not only things i had felt, but also friends i have/people i've worked with who are insanely talented... can carry an entire play on their shoulders and sing, yet can't even get a meeting with an agent for work in TV/film. and yeah i have definitely felt moments where i didnt' know if it was worth keeping on (not literally, but i mean acting-wise). i've had some big moments where i thought i was going to get a job that seemed it would have changed my life, and it didn't work out, and especially when you're younger, it feels like you'll never have that chance again. now i look at those moments as huge gifts... without them i would absolutely, positively not be as strong as i am, and it made my work better too.

i guess the answer re: gertrude in 'opus' is sort of similar... if anything i was only 18 when we made it so i was definitely feeling a lot of that uncertainty, that insecurity, about whether i was actually good at this thing i dreamed of doing... so it was easy for me to access that pain in the character. and of course being a classically trained pianist, it was relatively easier to learn to play the clarinet... tho i had to learn not only how to play 'stranger on the shore' perfectly, but also had to learn to squeak on cue :) (i had one month's worth of lessons) i still have the clarinet!

on 'men'... i really don't know what chuck lorre was thinking with that :) no idea! yeah we are pretty different! i hadn't seen the episode she did before me, tho i knew she had played ms pasternack before, and i didn't see the episodes after where she played the character. was she still religious or did she go back to stripping? haha...

Ha! I always assumed someone else dubbed the clarinet afterwards to match your motions but get the exact sounds they wanted. And I love actors-saving-their-props stories!

I suspect Lorre & co. were just making things up as they went along without much thought to it, it just all strikes me as funny and sad at the same time, that they treated Charlie Sheen like a prince for years on end but were happy to shuffle you and Missi Pyle around like props. So long as there are no hard feelings between you and her. ;) She has also branched out into music, perhaps you two can trade pointers, haaa.

Thanks for answerin' my long-ass questions!

missi pyle rules! i had no idea she was doing music as well!!

Why don't you have a reality tv show? Thank you for not having a reality tv show.

youre welcome :)

Can we hear a David Lynch story that's specific to your experiences with him?

he always loved to use 50's phrases to tell you you were on target with something, he'd come over and give you a very deliberate thumbs up with that awesome smile of his and say, 'Aces!' or 'That's the ticket!' still makes me smile to think of it!

What do you remember about shooting with this guy?

haha!! wow i hadn't thought of him in years :) but yes, i remember shooting that scene really well, we were in a gorgeous church in koreatown, close to downtown LA. i remember we discussed whether people would think the line was lifted from a fiona apple song that was on her album that had just come out which was very similar in title.

I love that guy! His name is George Kuchar. He died last year and was an amazing avant-garde filmmaker. His "underground" films were shown with Andy Warhol, and other video artists like Stan Brakhage. Incidentally, he was a huge influence on David Lynch - as well as many others including John Waters.

I highly recommend his work. He has a great sense of humor and, unlike the clip, is not creepy. He made a bunch of films with his brother Mike Kuchar, some of which can be found at ubu.com.

"Hold Me While I'm Naked" is one of his more famous films, and I suggest to anyone interested that they start with that if they aren't familiar with his work.

i had no idea. that just goes to show how young/unaware i was then, i guess... thank you so much for sharing that with me. i do seem to remember at the time talking with him and the director, richard sears, saying that he was a great filmmaker. maybe he had taught richard in film school, does that sound right? (told you i had a bad memory)... i will totally look up 'hold me while i'm naked', thank you so much for this...

What was working on Cybill like? I heard there was a lot of tension on the set - was it that bad? Causes?

it was a long time ago :) you know there were a lot of changes of staff; we had 3 showrunners in 4 years... writers were constantly being let go, replaced, leaving for whatever reasons... so i think that definitely added to a sense of unsteadiness. but i have so many AMAZING memories from that experience! christine baranski in particular was like a big sis/aunt i never had... my 'dad' alan rosenberg taught me how to play backgammon like the fiend i became! and on and on. so many amazing friends, so many good times.

OMG, one of my favourite actresses ever shows up on reddit, and I have nothing to ask her! The only thing I can say is that when I was doing my military service, my fellow soldiers and I used to watch "Cybill" together, every day laughing and having a good time. Thanks for your great work!

that is so sweet of you, and thank you for being our hero...

About Dune:

1) First of all, I'll always think of you as St. Alia-of-the-Knife, just because I've seen Dune so many, many times. I can still quote many of your lines from that movie verbatim.

2) On the set of the movie, did they try to shield you from some of the more violent (or otherwise disturbing) content, given how young you were?

thank you!!! yes i do remember feeling very faint and needing to sit down when i first had to pull out the cords that were attached to the baron's 'chest' (which was actually a fake chest) once i killed him towards the end. they were gushing blood out of the back and it definitely made me feel sick. i knew it was fake of course but that didn't matter! and yes there are still parts of the movie i haven't seen... my mom covered my eyes in many parts when i first watched it and i still looked away at those parts as an adult (i hate violence in films... can't really watch it!)

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THANK YOU!! loved working on the sopranos...

well. she kinda said some pretty mean things about pretty much everyone she ever worked with, as i understand :) all i can say on that topic is, a lot of what was said about the all of the people she made mention of who were involved with 'cybill' was simply not true. it was sad (and hurtful to me, both on my behalf and on behalf of my amazing colleagues) to hear about it. but you know what, i have so many amazing memories of the experience in general, and that is what stays with you in the end :)

Which cast was scarier to work with---CYBILL or The SOPRANOS? You truly aced that rôle. I thought your character made Chris crazed enough to kill her.

If I'd been Jason Katims, I'd have given you & Madison Burge a spin off as a Judds type duo. Tom Wopat could be your dad. On the Ten Scale of TV show mothers & daughters, you two were an 11. Which is something, considering FNL all ready had a 10 in Connie Britton & Aimee Teagarden.

HAHAHA!!!!! i can only laugh at that first one :) yeah chris really seemed like he was gonna blow a fuse when i walked away from him in the UTA offices!!!

what a great idea re: madi and me! did you know she's a singer as well? we are both going to be singing in austin on june 2 at the ATX Festival; they're having a special friday night lights evening with musical performances from those of us who are... musical!

Hey Alicia, when I was in 8th grade our English teacher, who had a fencing business was so amazed by you. He did a job at your house in Worcester and could not stop talking about you. You were just around 4 or 5 years old and hadn't appeared on That's Incredible, yet. You apparently were commenting on the angle of the property line and blew his mind. I'm not sure why that stuck with me.

how sweet!! the angle of the property line?? haha!! thank you for sharing that story...

So...who is Red John?

wellllllll...... nah! just teasin! i wish i knew! they don't even tell me when i'm gonna be shooting a new one til a few days before!

Hey Alicia! I just wanted to let you know that my name is Alia and I was named after the character in Dune. What was it like playing the role of an "evil princess?"

HOW FREAKING COOL!!!!! wow!! i love that!!!!!

alia wasn't evil tho :) she slayed the evil baron, so that makes her a good guy, right?

My BFF's name is Allia and she was also named after the character in Dune. ... BFF?

REALLY????? i had no idea there were so many gals named after alia!! that is so freakin cool!!!!

Two questions:

1) Loved seeing you on 'Friday Night Lights'. How were Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler to work with?

2) How was it to perform in 'Piano/Forte' in London? Would you like to work on the London stage again?

I WOULD LOVE TO WORK IN LONDON AGAIN!!! dying to get back on stage!! i can actually share that, as of 2 weeks ago, it looked like i was going back there in only a few weeks (right after my US album release tour ends on june 14). i was asked to do a play with 4 weeks of rehearsal in london, a run in bath, then oxford, then some other theatres, hopefully ending in the west end. but thanks to british equity (their theatre union) that is not going to happen :( i'm so disappointed! but hopefully another time. FNL! i loved loved loved it. however i never got to act with either connie or kyle (met both in the makeup trailer of course!), but kyle did direct the second to last episode in the fifth and final season, which i was in (tho my unnecessary scene on the phone with madison burge got cut out due to overlong running time),so i did get to work with kyle at least in that capacity! i am so excited for connie's new show nashville... hoping i may get to work with her on that :)

FNL was a great show. you made it better. thank you .

you are so sweet to say so, thank you. i feel the same way about FNL (being on it made me better... taught me so so much).. thank you.

Who was she in friday night lights? Loved the show, even after wiki-ing it can't identify the character... who the fuck is cheryl?

Becky's mom.. Riggins lived with her for awhile.

Becky's hot ass mom

FTFY

:)

What prompted you to create the kickstarter campaign for your upcoming album(s)?

welll i have a ton of musician friends who have done it successfully....it seemed like a great way to not only raise money for upcoming albums but also to connect with the people for whom i'm actually putting the music out. and it's been an incredibly emotional experience to be honest... to see that the live album was funded in under 24 hrs really blew my mind, and to be actually able to now hope i might be able to make a serious dent in funding my first full length studio album.. and i'm really looking forward to sending everyone their gifts... filling out all the thank you cards which i bought the other day... it makes the whole thing much more personal.

Holy crap! I'm a big fan!

How was working with Al Pacino in 88 Minutes? That guy is kind of a mystery to me. I have no clue what he'd be like in real life.

you are so sweet!!!!! thank you for being here!!

al had always been one of my absolute, top top top favorite actors and role models... to work with him was a total dream...and i'm happy to say that from the very moment i met him at the first table read (i did 2 before i was given the role) i wasn't even nervous, he was that awesome and present. i adore him. got to know him quite well and hands down love that man. and to get to work with him/learn from him for 2 months so close up was a dream of all dreams. he is so good it really makes your head spin (i know that's obvious but seeing him work close up is really extraordinary).

Thanks for the answer.

Oh! I've got another question. Is it true that you were in talks to play Mary Jane Watson in the first Spiderman? And, if so, why did you pass? Was it a timing problem, just not being interesting, or being apprensive about something?

i never passed... i mean i'd have to be crazy! (thank you for giving me the shot to clear up this pesky and ridiculous internet rumor!) i wanted to do that role so much... i did audition with tobey (along with mena suvari, jaimie king, etc etc) but they did not end up offering the role to any of those girls and continued casting for a good month after i auditioned before kirsten got the role. the rumor got started because i had met sam raimi very early on in the process and i was someone he had liked, so they asked him at a premiere of something else who he was thinking of for MJ and he mentioned my name... way way way before it had even gotten to the audition level!

hi ms. witt, quick question: is there any chance you might play a concert in germany any time soon? :) in berlin, germany, to be exact? ;) cheers, roland

i really would love to, roland! horribly, i've actually never even spent time in germany. and have always wanted to go to berlin. so hoping i get to plan a european tour sooon... thank you for asking!

What are your favorite books? What are you reading now?

some of my faves are 'geek love', 'still life with woodpecker', 'the book thief', 'love in the time of cholera', etc. i haven't had time lately to read any new ones but i love to read. any suggestions ???

Hey Alicia! Saw your show in NY once- you got skills! Ok question- What's your favorite show on TV right now?

THANK YOU! i can't wait to rock new york again on may 31, album release show at rockwood baby!! oh wow, fave show... tossup between mad men and smash!!

Sorry, but you're on Reddit, the correct answer is Game of Thrones.

eeeek! sorry my friends! that's on the very top of my list of shows to catch up on, i promise! i barely watch tv because i just don't have too much time... but i'm dying to see GOT!

Holy fucking shit an Alicia Witt AMA and I got no question!

Just want to say I loved your acting in Law&Order and The Sopranos and Two and a half men and and and... I love you! Keep going as long as possible plz! :D

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Did you ever smoke real pot while doing Bongwater?

no! actually at the time we made that film, i had never smoked pot in my life! (i'd never even had a drink at that point.) late bloomer here :)

Wait, where you 21 when you started filming Bongwater?

i can't remember... i think so? maybe 20? i don't remember. in any event (especially in hollywood!) most people have had a beverage or 2 (or more) before they're 21 :)

I used to love Cybill (I'm from Ireland and they used to show it quite late at night here) and I always imagined it would be a blast to work on, so my question is: Is Christine Baranski as amazing as I imagine her to be?! Sidebar: Urban Legends was epic!!!

YES she is! and thank you so much for the urban legend shoutout!!!! i couldn't get in my car without checking the back seat for years later. still cant :)

I loved your reading of the Laura poem in Twin Peaks as well as your piano playing. You were also great in Hotel Room (the ending reminded me a lot of the ending in Fire Walk with Me).

Not a question, just thought you might enjoy the compliment.

Also, if you're still in contact with David Lynch, please get him to make another movie!!!

thank you my friend!! i am so proud of hotel room... and totally agree with you on the end, with that bright light... wow!! i never thought of that til now. nice!!!!!!

totally agree with you on the DL thing! saw him at one of his art shows a few months ago. we need a new david film!

You and Christine Baranski were the best of Cybil, something that drove Cybil nuts I hear. Have always enjoyed your work and look forward to seeing you in shows.

thank you for your kind words!! i sure loved working with christine... i learned so damn much from her. always got super excited when there was an episode with a lot of interaction between us. thank you for being here!!

To what extent do you use music theory when making your music?

Is it just, "what sounds good" ? or do you actively make decisions in your music based on theory?

oh at this point it's all about what sounds good... or sometimes i will hear something in my head and have to play around til i find it. but all my years of studying theory/classical music make it so much easier to access what i'm looking to find, if that makes sense. that being said, i also really love writing tunes on the guitar, which i really can't play, and writing songs with people who can play the guitar but don't necessarily know the chords that well... people who play by ear. the freedom of that is really refreshing too..

Love all of your work, but have a special place in my heart for your role in Cecil B Demented. Just watched it again the other night.

thank you!!! i came home the other day and my mom, who was visiting, was watching it on tv again too :)

Hi ! I just wanted to know, are you aware that Jeff Winger from Community is in love with you ?

It got me wondering, do you know Joel McHale, or did my favorite show just randomly acknowledged your prettiness ? Anyway, thanks for answering all of these questions :)

i don't know joel but i was so honored when they asked about using my pic in that episode :) thank you so much!!!!!!!

Thank you for doing an AMA. I really don't have any questions, but wanted to say how much I enjoy your single 'anyway'. You have an amazing voice. Keep doing what you are doing!

thank you my friend!!!!! i wrote that song after a really toxic relationship ended, and it's one of my favorites to play at shows.... thank you so much for the kind words, that means the world to me!

Hey there Alicia! I've been a fan for years. Any interesting stories about the set of Four Rooms, Tim Roth, or Madonna? I remember you being on That's Incredible at a very early age, would you change anything about being in the spotlight being so young?

i wouldn't change a thing... if anything, after i did 'dune' i begged my parents to let me come to LA to be an actor and they didn't want to uproot the family at such a young age, so by the time i finally got to move to LA at 14 i was more than chomping at the bit... i knew immediately when i started making 'dune ' that this was something i'd want to do for the rest of my life, and i thought, no time like the present!!

Favorite moment on The Mentalist? Friday Night Lights?

ahhhh... fave moment on the mentalist was describing my love, and how he smelled, and my memories of him, and the elephant he gave me. felt very real and raw to me especially on that particular day of my life when we shot it.

FNL... sooooo hard to choose!! all moments!!! maybe the one where i go to tim riggins in my trailer and basically throw myself at him and then pretend to be drunk as an excuse (she wasn't drunk). god i loved that character! and the whole experience of working on FNL in general.

I just wanted to say that I have had a crush on you since the Cybil days.

thank you so much for that!!!!!

John Waters has always facinated me for being such an excentric, What was he like on set? How did his directing style differ from other directors you've worked with if at all. I'll take my answer off the air.

i LOVED working with him! what struck me the most about him was his extreme eloquence. he could tell a story, an anecdote, like nobody's business. his memory is incredibly fierce. he obviously loves meeting people and loves every moment of the crazy adventure that is his life. directing style wise, he didn't actually give us too much specific direction! he told me right after i met him that he had cast actors who pretty much gave him what he was looking for on the audition (i hadn't met him prior to getting the role; had just auditioned on tape). so he really didn't tweak our performances much at all from what we came with. it felt like a free for all, in the best craziest most fun way!

Did Cameron Crowe explicitly discuss with you how your VANILLA SKY role might be a reference to your role in DUNE?

not at all!! he told me he would do a jig if i said 'yes' to playing the role when he called me to offer it to me tho (i had auditioned for the cameron diaz role originally)... i will never forget that :) he did a jig for me on the set when i showed up too!!! haha.

So Ms. Witt, huge fan, btw. Props to being a pretty awesome Alia, just that right balance of creepy and childlike. Here's the QUESTION, and it's a bit skeezy, I apologize:

In "88 Minutes" was Al Pacino really as grabby with your breasts as it seemed from watching the film? I mean in all honesty, it looked like he spent half the film obsessing with copping a quick feel and the other fact being giddy over the opportunity he was working with a young, impressionable hottie.

hahaha!!!! no... fair enough,it's an AMA after all!

NO al was not grabby with my boobies!! i promise! it's been pointed out to me that it looked that way in the scene where he pushes me to the ground to save me from the blast. but no no no. that being said we did have a major kiss that was cut from the movie, to my great chagrin! our characters were initially supposed to be sleeping together. which i thought made it all much darker and cooler. after we filmed the whole thing and they cut it together, they were worried that audiences would be upset by the age difference so they cut it out and we reshot moments to make it that i just had a crush on him but we weren't together. but initially my very first moment on screen, i was waiting for him in his office and greet him with a giant kiss, before i even open my mouth! (he's a great kisser). so sad you all didn't get to see it!

Playing Mona Lisa has to be my favorite movie ever. It looks like everyone had a blast making it and I absolutely love watching it. This movie is the one I see when I'm upset about life and when I'm happy to be who I am. I'm a daddy's girl just like Claire. Did you enjoy filming it? How do you get your hair to do that "thing"?

oh wow!!! thank you so very much for mentioning this one. it is absolutely one of my favorites i've ever gotten to make... both the role i played and also the entire experience. you were right... we had such a blast. everyone on the set really got along, became friends.. it was shot in magical san francisco and i was going thru so much of what my character claire was going thru in real life at that time... a breakup, just finding my way into the world of dating, partying, etc... i had my first ever drink while making that movie (at age 23, yes i was a late bloomer just like claire!). and it was written for a ballerina but when i was cast, i suggested we turn her into a pianist because it's both the same story, and also, obviously, because i can play the piano. i can't dance to save my life! (which thing do you mean with my hair? i'm glad it did it! haha!)

I.. I.. Alicia, I don't.. I.. I can't... I love you. It's ages.

hahahaha!! i love you back :)

First, I love your music! Acting, too, but when I heard your cover of "You Can Call Me Al", I just pinged! And I love your originals!

Two questions: One, I thought I heard once that while you were on Celebrity Jeopardy a couple of times, you would have loved to be on the "real" Jeopardy, but you're bummed that now you can't. Is that true? (I know you'd totally kick ass on J! ... and I'm a former champ myself, so I love the game.)

Two, do you ever think "Hmmm, I never went to college/university ... maybe someday later, I'll go and get a degree in ________"? And if you do, what would you want to study?

ETA: PS I especially loved seeing you in Mr. Holland's Opus (did you really play clarinet there, and what else do you play besides piano/keyboards?) and Twilight Zone ("The Executions of Grady Finch"). And I wonder what you thought of the campus of the University of British Columbia when you were filming 88 Minutes there; I went there 20 years ago for my MBA, and lived on campus; apart from the rain, I thought it was amazing.

Hope to get into L.A. and see you live sometime! Thanks for the music!

thank you for the shout out on my 'you can call me al'!!! i really appreciate that...

to be honest: i don't think i'd stand a chance on real jeopardy! (i'm not good with trivia; have a great short term memory but not for facts/stories etc!) you may have heard that about wheel of fortune, tho. i'm great at that, and word games in general. i actually was on real wheel when i was 14, on teen week, and was super excited about hopefully raising some money for my recent relocation to LA. but sadly i hit bankrupt 2 (or 3?) x. when i appeared on celeb wheel i won tho! got to donate a ton to charity.

ooh if i were to go to college/uni i would maybe study astronomy! or french. or, i have a friend who has been working on a degree in spiritual psychology (which is amazing). it's one of those things that makes me wish there were 48 hrs each day. i'd love to but i just don't have any time between my acting and music right now... but yes i would love to take at least a course.

Gen 13 - Caitlin Fairchild

You brought my favorite comic book character to life, thanks!

oh wow thank you so much!! that was a blast...

What can you tell us about working on "Fun"? Your performance in that left a big impression on me, because as manic and barely contained as your character was, it came off very natural and almost improvised. How did you prepare for such a role? Thanks for doing this IAMA!

thank you so much for mentioning that role... it was my first lead in a film, it was shot in 7 days and believe it or not, altho parts were indeed improvised, it was so well written that many of the parts that feel like they were, were actually written that way almost word for word. to prepare, the other actress, renee, and i spent time together rehearsing, running our scenes, getting to know each other a bit, because once we actually were shooting there was no time to do anything but just get it down on film and move on to the next. we also did some work practice shooting on handheld just a few scenes ahead of time, to get used to it. some scenes, on the day, we only had one take of. the fact that the film ended up going to sundance, or even being seen at all, was a huge and amazing surprise for all of us involved... even tho renee and i were only 18 at the time, it was still the lowest budget, most informal shoot either of us had ever done.. we had no permits; the background actors were real people; the neighbors in the houses we knocked on doors of were just the people who lived there for real...we got chased out of a strip mall by a gun toting hermit who came bursting out of a store that we thought was closed on a sunday. so it was an adventure to say the least! No time to get out of character.

You were the best detective on Criminal Intent. Did you enjoy it? Is there any chance of you replacing Benson if/when she does leave, and did the previous talks get far?

Your hair is best when messy.

HA!! thank you!! there were never any previous talks to come back to CI tho, that was an internet myth :) i would love to reprise fallacci any time!!

(glad you like my hair messy. that's how it normally is! i can't style it to save my life!)

Have an up vote for more interesting proof than just a tweet!

Also, you've done so much and, to the publics eye, made so much money,

How'd you end up on kickstarter?

it's a misconception to be honest... i'm working like crazy but all these indie films... not big paydays :) they don't leave much left to self-produce/fund an album (or much of anything else)... so it's just the reality of it. i'm not on a label so for the time being, it's all coming out of my own pocket, and it's not cheap... so that's just the truth. kickstarter is amazing not only because it raises money to bring your music into the world but also because it allows you to connect with the people youre making the music for at the same time...it's been incredible.

I just wanted to say that I was about eleven when Cybill first aired, and you instantly became my first celebrity crush, and I watched pretty faithfully after that. I love seeing you randomly pop up in shows, especially on things like The Sopranos.

Also, you gave probably the most awkward lap dance I've ever seen on Two and a Half Men, but it was hilarious.

THANK YOU!!!!! i wanted it to be awkward obviously!! and it's quite a trick to have an argument with someone while doing it!! hahaha!!

Hello! I'm a bit of a fan, and I was wondering if you planned on going back to the Law and Order circuit soon. I enjoyed your stint as Falacci and there were rumors swirling that you might be up for SVU.

Plus, you were lovely in that feather hat a few years back. :)

Thank you!

EDIT: Thank you for responding! It's a shame about SVU, though. :(

:)

that was just a rumor! sadly i was never asked... but i would LOVE to reprise falacci!!

(thanks for the hat memory!! that was so much fun!)

What does Tim Riggins' hair smell like?

i can't remember :)

Do people often confuse you with Lauren Ambrose?

i used to get that when 'six feet under' was on for sure! (see question above for more on that!)

Hey!!! I just want to tell you the the last holiday is one of my all time favourites (I've watched it more times than I can remember!), so thank you in your part in that. I'm a huge fan!! Also loved you in the Mentalist!

Now to the questions!!:

*Your Acting career seems to have had a boost recently, is this due to anything specific?

*What is it like to be noticeably admired by others?

*Queen Latifah is one of my idols, what was it like working with her?

*Is Simon Baker as strange and intelligent as he seems on TV?

Sorry to jump around so much!! Feel free to answer as you will...

thank you for all the questions!!!!

i don't know... i have def been working a lot lately!! (knocking on wood). maybe just maybe it's cuz of the music career... i know i feel a lot more fulfilled now and complete... i'm just very grateful i get to play so many different roles and to keep working... so grateful. i can't wait for you guys to see what i've been up to... i have 4 films coming out this year and just finished 2...

the queen is the best!!! i adore her. she's kind of exactly what you'd imagine/hope. just the best.

Which song have you learned to play on piano that has been most satisfying to you?

ooh well definitely playing/singing my own at shows is the most satisfying... but my favorite classical piece to play is still 'liebestraum' by liszt. so many memories. i taught myself how to play chopin's ballade #1 in G minor after i'd finished taking lessons tho... and that is still one that i love to play because i hadn't learned it for piano competitions like so many of the pieces i learned as a kid/teenager... i learned it just because i'd heard it and was in love with it, so i taught it to myself. so getting to the point where i could play it up to speed and from memory was a big thing for me...and i still love playing that piece.

Playing Mona Lisa is one of my all-time favorite movies. Where does this rank in your personal favorite films and do you have fun stories from set?

it might be my very favorite experience all around! see above for PML story :) thank you so very much for that, it means a lot to me!

One of my favorite movies is Mona Lisa Smile, but most people I know haven't seen it,so that is one of the first movies I recommend to friends. You are outstanding in it! Fantastic ensemble.

My one question: If you had to choose between only being an actress or only a musician, which would you choose and why?

I WONT CHOOSE!

thank you so much for the kind words on 'playing mona lisa'!!! That means a lot to me, and i love that so many of you have commented on that film! i honestly didnt' know so many had seen it.... it's one of my very favorites i've ever done.

Why is it that whenever I read an interview with you or an article about you, there's always the impression that you either don't like Worcester or you don't want people to know you're from there?

hmmm! i don't know! neither are true! i did move out to LA... so it's fair to say i like LA better right..?...but i was definitely born in woosta and have nothing but huge love for everyone there!! i don't feel i grew up there tho, since i came to LA so young and had all my formative experiences here... y'know? maybe that's what you're getting from those interviews? I don't know worcester well at all just cuz i left so young.

Loved Mr. Hollands Opus, I was a student at Grant when it came out. It was such a huge deal. I don't really have a cool question just wanted to say thanks for making an awesome movie even better. Oh yeah one more thing, I know you are from Worcester, spend much time in your youth at Higgins armory? that place is wicked awesome.

ha!! yes i definitely went to higgins armory a few times. wicked awesome eh? sounds like woosta speak there!! my fave worcester quote: 'haht enough fo' ya?' (on one of those 95 degrees and humid days!)