Ashlee Simpson's Interviews in Schedule for September 3rd.
- September 3, 2009 - It’s On with Alexa Chung
Melrose Place’s newest resident, Ashlee Simpson Wentz, stops by for a chat. Plus, Ryan Brockington tells us ‘What’s Happening’ and Daren Kagasoff talks The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
- September 3, 2009 - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
- September 3, 2009 - Today Show
Don't miss Ashlee on TV!
Ashlee takes up residence at Melrose Place
An updated version of the popular 1990’s television series, Melrose Place follows the lives and relationships of a diverse group of 20-somethings, who all live in an elegant Spanish-style apartment complex in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Returning to television for the first time since she appeared on 7th Heaven, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz plays Violet Foster, the wide-eyed 21-year-old, who has just arrived in town and is horrified to find a bloody body floating in the courtyard pool. Talking to the press, the actress and singer talked about balancing work with motherhood, and why now was the right time for her to return to her acting career.
Q: What’s it like to be back on TV?
Ashlee: I haven’t done television since 7th Heaven, and that was awhile ago. And then, I went on to do music. And, I had Bronx and I wanted to do something that was a little bit more consistent and good for me to handle my schedule with him and, at the same time, do something that was incredibly creative and a good environment to work in. I’m really thrilled with where I’m at because the actors are wonderful, the writers are great, the producers are so sweet and it’s a good place to develop. Everyone on our show is like sponges. It’s so exciting. We’re all happy to be there.
Q: Were you specifically looking for a TV show to do?
Ashlee: Yeah, I was. I have a son now, so I wanted to do something that was more consistent. And, at the same time, with this show, our characters are so exciting and our scripts our jaw-dropping, whenever we get to read what’s going to happen next with our characters. I still get that excitement, and I get to be around amazing people every day. And, at the same time, I get to be home and have my son on a normal schedule.
Q: Do you bring him to the set?
Ashlee: I do, yeah. It works out good. He’s on a good sleeping schedule, and he’s good on set.
Q: What drew you to this role?
Ashlee: I sat down with Todd [Slavkin] and Darren [Star], and they had such a great concept for the show. It was so gritty, and their stories were good, and they’re good writers. So, that was what was exciting for me. Also, my character is a bit creepy and very interesting, and it takes a while to figure her out.
Q: What can you say about your character?
Ashlee: I play a character named Violet Foster, and she’s new to Melrose Place. She’s the newest character that moves in, and she’s looking for love and acceptance. She’s not very cool or well-educated with Hollywood and fashion and anything like that, and she definitely sees it. I think that she has relationships that she would like to be there, that aren’t necessarily there. You’ll see that.
Q: What do you enjoy about playing her?
Ashlee: My character is so much fun to play. She has this really innocent side that she plays, but she’s also definitely a lot smarter than she comes off. She has her way around things, and she’s sneaking around, doing things.
Q: Was Violet the only part that you were considered for?
Ashlee: Violet was the only part that they considered me for. It’s so much fun because there is so much development with her. She’s really interesting. I’m really happy playing Violet. I wouldn’t necessarily want to play the opposite of that. She’s very quirky and definitely has sneaky ways about her life.
Q: Will she be more developed, over the course of the series?
Ashlee: Yeah. I don’t think you’re going to figure Violet out for awhile, which is really nice for me ‘cause I get to play lots of quirky, interesting moments with her, and I get lots of good looks from everyone in the cast. My character is trying to fit in. She’ll make everybody rice krispies treats, and it’s very awkward when she delivers them, so it’s fun to play.
Q: Is she going to get a love interest?
Ashlee: An obsession. I think you’ll see that she gets a little obsessed with anyone who takes a liking to her, and that is also fun to play.
Q: Is she a stalker?
Ashlee: A bit, yeah. But, I definitely think she wants to get her way. She does really interesting things, so it’s fun to do a scene and then, afterwards, get to laugh because Violet is definitely one to be popping up somewhere, lurking and whatnot. That’s fun to play. But, at the same time, she wants to be accepted, so she’s trying to find a way.
Q: In the pilot, it seemed like there would be a murder mystery arc that continued throughout the season. Is that the case?
Ashlee: There is, and we still don’t know who did it. It could be anyone.
Q: Your character has a secret in the pilot. When will viewers learn her secret?
Ashlee: She does have a secret, yeah. It takes a bit, but I think that you’ll see it right away, in the second episode. That will give you enough. Then, slowly she finds her way around.
Q: Because you’ve been through a lot in your career, and you’ve done a lot and been to a lot of places, how do you recapture the total innocence and naivete of Violet?
Ashlee: For me, it’s fun to play the innocent side. But, the really innocent girl is probably not so innocent. She’s got a dark side.
Q: You got into this business when you were really young. Can you relate to Violet moving to this new place, with you coming from Dallas?
Ashlee: I definitely remember moving to L.A., and I didn’t have cool style, or anything like that. I’m definitely learning that. But, I wouldn’t say that I am like Violet.
Q: Is it important to you to have input into your character’s development?
Ashlee: Definitely! I think that it’s important that I help to shape Violet. It’s going to take a while for the audience to figure her out, which has been a lot of fun to play. She does lots of things that leave you hanging. We’re still working on developing her. She does sneaky things that the other characters don’t know about, but the audience will know that she’s doing it.
Q: What will your wardrobe be like?
Ashlee: She’s really young. I wear Converse, personally, but she wears lots of tennis shoes, in the beginning. Personally, I don’t wear bright yellow. She has bright yellow jeans and denim jackets, and hot pink Keds, which I don’t own a pair of, I must say. As she’s developing her style, she will cut a dress. She’s definitely got her own way of making things.
Q: How did you come up with the look for your character?
Ashlee: Violet is a bit innocent, young and new to L.A., so there’s definitely that side of it. She’s bright and trying to be noticed, and she thinks this is the in thing to do. I think that’s a fun thing to play because all the other characters dress so cool. She’s just now getting there. She’s admiring their style and slowly getting there.
Q: What have you changed about your own look for the show?
Ashlee: I’ve had red hair for a long time now, so I just had to take out the brightness of it, which I think I can bring back, eventually. But, she was just moving to Melrose Place from Oregon, so it was fresh for moving out. The other thing is that my clothes are a little bit different on the show. She’s now adapting. She sees all the other girls dressing cool and she’s wanting that, but she comes in wearing reds and yellows.
Q: What does your husband, Pete Wentz, think of this?
Ashlee: He loves it. He’s happy for me. He’s seen the pilot and he loves the pilot. He’s my best friend, so I do tell him the storylines. I don’t tell anyone else the storylines.
Q: What about the rest of your family? Has your sister or your dad seen it?
Ashlee: They’ve all seen the pilot. They all love it. It’s good. I never really watched too much TV until I actually got pregnant, so I’m excited to be a part of that. The show brings you the good drama, it brings you the murder mystery, and there are some funny parts in it. So, I think that it’s definitely a well-rounded show.
Q: Any chance of Jessica coming on the show at all?
Ashlee: No, I don’t think so. She’ll just come to the set.
Q: How is she doing right now?
Ashlee: She’s great. Jessica is the strongest girl ever.
Q: Were you a fan of the original show at all?
Ashlee: It was right before my era, so I didn’t watch it. But, I went back to watch it, once I got the show. I watched Season 2, and I loved it. I liked the crazy, interesting character, who you’ll see, that I maybe have a relationship to.
Q: Are there going to be more of the original cast members coming in?
Ashlee: There is. We have Josie Bissett, and that was really good.
Q: Have there been any embarrassing moments or bloopers on set?
Ashlee: Well, we’ve pretty much all been in our swimsuits, so we got to know each other real fast.
Q: How is it to balance motherhood and work now?
Ashlee: It’s good. For me, it’s nice. I’m home. I’m in L.A. It’s really comfortable with me and my son, so it’s good. And, I like to work. I get to do both, which is great.
Q: What’s the best thing about being a mom?
Ashlee: Everything is the best. Every week, I’m learning something new from him, and every week he’s doing something new. He’s crawling, and he’s got six teeth now.
Q: Has your son spoken yet?
Ashlee: He does. He says, “Mama,” and “Dada.”
Q: Do you play music for him?
Ashlee: He loves music. Lately, he likes classic rock and he likes Broadway music, I have to be honest.
Q: Have you and your son ever gone on tour with Fall Out Boy?
Ashlee: Yeah. We’ve gone around the world. Even when Bronx was two months old, we were going to Japan and Paris, and all around. I think that it’s good for my son to have cultural experiences, even at a young age, and be able to know our lifestyle flow and feel comfortable with it. It’s always important for him to get comfortable, no matter where he is.
Q: Is he showing any flair for music yet?
Ashlee: The only thing I’ve seen him love is classic rock, and the Broadway station.
Q: What about your own music? Have you put that on hold, for the moment?
Ashlee: I have, yeah. Right now, we’re on episode four, about to go into episode five. We’ve been working a lot, and I have put it on hold for a bit. Once the show is going, maybe I’ll start writing in my trailer.
Q: Would you be interested in doing any music on the show?
Ashlee: I’m not going to do music as who I am, as an artist. If there was something musical that my character Violet were to do, as long as it made sense to her, I would do it. But, I wouldn’t do it as me, coming on as who I am.
Q: What’s your work-out routine?
Ashlee: I don’t work out. I did, after I had Bronx, but lately I haven’t been. I just got weights in my trailer. I don’t have time to work out at the house. My son is my work-out.
Q: What do you do with him?
Ashlee: Lots of running and exercising. Now, Bronx is 25 pounds.
Q: What has motherhood made you?
Ashlee: Motherhood has me everything that I am. I don’t know. I think that it’s made me the happiest I’ve ever been, in my life. Just looking into Bronx’s eyes, you’re like, “Wow!”
Q: Did you ever think it would be like that?
Ashlee: I don’t think you actually know, until you have a child, what an amazing experience it is.
Q: Would you support him, if he wants to act?
Ashlee: I would advise him to do everything that is important to him and that what he wants to do. I think that it’s important, as a mom, to be supportive of whatever it is they love to do, be that a basketball player or a lawyer. Who knows. Even if he wants to be an actor, I’m going to support my son, no matter what.
Q: As a TV viewer, what are your favorite shows to watch?
Ashlee: I love True Blood and Dexter. I never really watched that much TV until I was pregnant, and then I really got hooked onto those shows. True Blood is a soapy vampire show, which is awesome. And, Dexter is always gory, and I like that.
Melrose Place premieres on The CW on September 8th
