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Elizabeth Anne Allen - Interviewed at the Bad Girls convention, 2002

Changing Fashions
  What changes the most about Buffy, each time you return to the show?

It's amazing how the styles of clothing have changed. We were joking recently, because the first year when we were on I wore plaid pants and sweat shirts - and now I'm in these sexy Britney Spears get-ups.

Also, we all had very big, layered hair, Jennifer Anniston cuts, and so that's all changed. But it's a lot of different things, just... some of the characters have grown, [particularly] Willow.

Would being made up as a demon or vampire disturb you?

Not at all, I think it would be fun. There is so much when you dress up as a character. It really helps you feel who you are, and I think that would be such a great opportunity to feel that, to get into that character.

[It's] such freedom with the mask, to go in there and just be. I would love it, it would be fun.

De-ratted
  Why did you come back for this particular stint on Buffy?

This year it just happened to fall together really brilliantly. I was available, they had an open space in their storyline and voila! They asked me and I said, "Heck, yeah". I love it.

Managers and agents talk once a year and sort of touch base with what's going on in our lives, where they are in the storyline and what's going on in my career. It just seemed that, brilliantly, everything seemed to fall together so neatly this year.

I love that I'm back for more episodes. It gives you more time to create your character and grow and show all the ways that you've changed. I'm thrilled with it. I can't wait to see where Amy goes, I'm looking forward to it.

I keep asking Marti and Joss, "Where am going next? Where am I going next?"

Wicca's World
  Did you do much wicca research before taking on the role, and what do you feel about the whole idea of Wicca?

I did a lot of research. I went to the library, I went to a place called The Psychic Eye - there's all sorts of places in Los Angeles.

I studied online a lot about Wicca, and I actually find it's very peaceful, very Mother Earth. I think there's a saying - I don't' remember it precisely - [something like] "Whatever you put out there, expect it back times three".

The general practise is not to do harm to others but to create, to appreciate and honour the Earth, and do good. We take a few liberties with Buffy.

Kids' Stuff?
  Is Wicca a practice you'd advise fans not to dabble in below a certain age?

I wouldn't even presume to go in and tell families what age they feel is appropriate for their children. I think it's an individual thing.

I was encouraged in my teenage years to explore religions and figure out what was most appropriate for me, what I found peace in. I was very much encouraged to do that. But I was also guided. I had people explaining things when I didn't understand... and to me at that age, that was very helpful.

I don't know that if I were younger than that that I would have gotten some of the things, some of the intricacies of everything, but I wouldn't tell families what's right for the individuals. With kids, it's really up to the parents and children.

Animal Magic
  Joss Whedon once joked that he was bringing Amy back as an antelope. How do you feel about that?

As an antelope! He said that? He's a little stinker. He's cute.

Okay, what kind of animal would you like her to come back as? What would be your ideal rat cage, and what accessories would you have in it?

I had done rat research before I went back, and I was very grateful that they gave me a big cage with multi-levels, and a little salt lick.

[I'd like] lots of toys to keep me busy, because I'm very hyper, but the wheel's a good thing, sort of like a treadmill. Keep the hyper energy down.

Feelings
  We hear that you like to write up a history of each character you play, to develop their backstory.

Basically I would say everything is in the script, and then I take what they tell me and I try to think about how it would make me feel to be in that similar situation: to have had my parents separate; to have had my father run off with another woman; to feel my mother doesn't approve of me or that I don't live up to her expectations.

I write about how that would make me - Elizabeth - feel, and I incorporate how those feelings, if that was my circumstance, would make me feel. I [then] bring them to the character.

Crush
  If you could make anyone fall in love with you, as in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, who would it be?

I have a crush on Tom Cruise, a little crush, so yeah. [But it's] witchcraft, [so] you know it wouldn't work.

I think [also] Steven Spielberg. I'd love to have a little witchcraft [to] have him put me in the next film of his. He wouldn't know would he?

Give me an "A"
  Did you know how to cheerlead before your debut in The Witch?

I think where I grew up cheerleading was fun, but it was pretty laid back. We were all fairly lame at it. We didn't have any of these abrupt moves, we just sang little sing-songy tunes, clapped and yelled "Whooo, whooo" occasionally, but it wasn't anything big and drastic and dramatic.

Did you get any training on the set?

Actually we learned with the Laker Girls and the LA clipper girls. They were great. They were checking our moves and they have real dance backgrounds, so they were throwing in stuff. We were like, "What, what?" Still, it helped that I could be pretty bad.

Bad Girl?
  Seeing that we are at the Bad Girls convention, do you see Amy as a a bad girl?

I'm not a bad girl, I'm such a good girl, Amy has never been bad, she's just been... er, temperament-challenged. I get the little nose twitch occasionally, like a rat. I keep doing that.

What do you make of appearing at conventions?

This is the first convention I've ever done. I've never had the privilege. It was great, it was interesting, meeting everybody. I think there's this strange distancing and curiosity about entertainers, and meeting everybody, they realise, "Oh, you're just like us, you're quirky or whatever, you're one of the gang".

It's fun to meet people, have them realise that and watch them go, "Oh, that's cool, that's neat, she's just like us".

Psycholology
  Could you tell us a bit about your background in studying psychology, and how that's helped you as an actress?

It's great. It helps me look at a character as a human being rather than judging their behaviour. I just look at the humanness of their behaviour and it helps me understand why they make the choices they make, how it all comes together and where they're going.

I think it helps a lot. Education is invaluable, so whatever you have in your repertoire I think it's great, it helps.

If you had to stop acting, would you want to pursue psychology, or something else?

I work with a charity right now, and I really enjoy that. I really enjoy putting together functions and raising money for children. That's phenomenal, that's been a lot of fun, I think I would really love to do that.

I had ventured into play therapy, because I think it's really important for kids. They learn through play, and that's really what my passion was in psychology. But I don't know if I'd go back to that more than just play with kids.

What the rat saw
  Do you ever suggest story ideas to Joss, and does he take them onboard?

I think they're very open. They have ideas. They have, I think, pretty much plotted out [everything], but they're really open.

I had actually brought up the fact that how much did Amy see[in Willow's room]? How much does she know, because she's been in that room a lot - she's seen a lot of stuff. And they said, "Well that's a good question, that's a really good question, we hadn't thought of that." And so they are reflecting on it and they take into consideration some of your ideas and some of your questions.

Animated Amy
  Any plans to appear in the animated Buffy series?

I'm just learning about all this, I've learned a lot here at the convention, it's been amazing. I didn't know Anthony [Head] had a series coming up, I didn't know a lot of these things. We'll see. I don't know, there's a lot of agents, managers... all these people talk, so whatever comes out of that we'll see. I don't know.

I haven't done any voice work [before]. It would be fun to explore it. I would do it, I would love it. It would be fun.

Burning Birthday
  With your birthday coming up, what's been your most unusual birthday memory?

[In the] Season Three [episode] Gingerbread, I was being burned on a pyre. It was my birthday, and when they lit me up they yelled "Fire in the hole" and up everybody started to sing "Happy Birthday"! Jokesters.

What else do you have planned for the immediate future?

I don't have anything, I've kind of committed myself to Buffy right now and sort of cleared the path. I don't have anything else right now on the horizon. My time is their time.