TUNIGHT On the 80s all over, Patreon exclusive interview with the star of Silverado, better off dead and a nightmare on Helm Street, a bandah, whist, and now your host, Scott Weinberg. Hello everybody and welcome to another bonus episode of 80s all over. This is Scott Weinberg. Unfortunately for the first time, my co-host Drew McQueenie is unable to participate tonight. Nothing urgent, nothing dire. Just got held up at the last minute. And while we missed Drew, I will try to channel his spirit and pose some questions to our guests that I hope you will appreciate. So let's get rolling. We are here and very excited to introduce Miss Amanda Whiss. Hello. Oh, now when, I mean, I didn't rattle off your, I didn't rattle off your credits because for a specific reason. I am so curious about stuff

like this, but when you run into fans of my approximate 40-ish older age, what is the film that most fans show love? Which are the ones they love the most? I would have to say it's sort of a trifecta of, of, of firstimes, Ridgeman, I better off dead and Silverado and, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Beautiful, beautiful. And, and all right, let's, we were, we, I was going to jump right into facetimes because it must feel great to be such an integral and great, a wonderful part of this film, but we have to go back one film and I would love to have you you just think back if you could and give us a little bit of a recollection on a little film called Force Five. Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Okay. What did you, because you had already done tons of television by this point. So what did you learn on Force Five about being a film actor? Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, first of all, it had sounded so interesting because it was directed by the director who directed Inner the Dragon. And I am a huge, my little, my guilty pleasure is martial arts films. I love martial arts films. And I was so excited. And I had taken Taekwondo as a kid. I was very excited to do this movie. And it was, let's see, I've always thought, if I found five people, I'd actually seen that movie and liked it. I would actually watch it. So I've only seen parts of it. I was so young. How would you describe the plot to somebody who if you're somebody said, what is force five about? Okay, force five is about a senator, I believe, whose daughter gets kidnapped and is in a cult. And the cult, and so force five is called in to rescue her and save the day and get rid of the sort of sun young sort of character. And then a whole bunch of mayhem in students and many, many, many martial arts fights. And and the the moonies all wear these white sheets with a bull head on it. And it's very low budget looking. Yeah. And it's hilarious. It's actually hilarious. And it is a fun B movie. It is a fun B movie from Robert Claus. But I think Richard Norton was in that movie as well. I think I'm not sure. I've ended up working with Richard Norton a couple times. He played Ezekiel and you were credited as Mandy. I was because I was. I obviously joined the screen actors, Gilden, I was very young and that was my name. And my dad took me down there and signed me up. I really have no say in it. I was so, it's refreshing. I don't think he even realized my full name was Amanda. I think he just signed me up with what he called me. Thank God he called me Mandy. God knows what he would assign me up as for screen actor skills. Well, it's refreshing to see an actor who built an impressive body of work, looks back on their first feature. Sometimes they're a little bit cringey or embarrassed, but you think you were grateful for Forrest Bob, you dug it. Yeah, I mean, I cringed a little. Of course. Of course. It wasn't like my first movie was like a Spielberg film or something. Right. tensions had been good because I knew who Robert Claus was. And I was like, this has potential. You know, I was I was ever optimistic. And now I know that's not true. If it's not on the page, it's not going to be anywhere. Right. And if you're after that, you did, of course, more TV TV and then just when when you got the script for

a fast time to reach one high did did you immediately realize that it would be something special or did you think hey this seems like a pretty decent teen comedy I'd like to do this. I knew it was special for one thing it's just it was such a good script and the dialogue was so good And the story was, I mean, I, you know, it was literally our age that it was happening.

And it... and the dialogue was so good. And the story was, I mean, I, you know, it was literally our age that it was happening. And this story completely resonated with me. And I knew that it was, I knew that it was a good script and it had the potential to be something really fantastic. And then when I met Amy Heckerling, you know, she's just such an amazing light and force. And I thought, oh, this is gonna be cool. And then as we started filming and my agents at that time, they were like, you know, this is gonna be the next American graffiti. And so a lot of people were telling us that. So I think we were like, wow, this is to be the next American graffiti, which in a way, it turned out to be the next American graffiti. So, yeah. So I think it's sort of ushered in that way. It is, it is, it is, it, it, I'm sorry, I spoke over you, I followed that. I think that fast time to Richmont High is like the midpoint between American graffiti and Dazing Confused as far as really insightful, really well written, well directed, great ensemble. A lot of the actors went on to do a lot more work and even the ones who did are still really good. So, I'm curious to know, you're a young actress just getting into film and you're now faced with this a great script and a woman director and you must have just I mean did that seem like it was like different or novel to you or like wow I can't is that was that new was that the first time you'd work with a woman director? It was the first time I'd work with a woman director but I was still so young that I thought oh this is just I don half men, half women, directing my movies for the rest of my life and all my TV shows. And she's amazing and she was just such a great role model and a huge fan of Amy Heckerling as a person and as an artist and a director. And the sad thing, though, to leap forward is in my entire career in TV, film, and stage, I've worked with exactly six female directors. And I just think that that's tragic and horrible. And partly because there's just no balance, and it just brings a different perspective vibe and feeling to have both sexes equally contributing to the, you know, to the medium. Absolutely. Oh, I couldn't agree more. And, you know, you can't help but wonder if a woman director, especially one who is the sensitive and funny as Amy Heckerling, it's inevitable that her perspective would bring something different to a, quote unquote, teen sex comedy. So, you know, I think the proof is in the pudding right there. Just watch the film. I agree. I agree. And, um, and not that there's, you know, good, that's the great thing is that a good director, male or female, it's just, it's such a joy and a treat to work with. But the whole entire industry would benefit from having a balance. And it is just an interesting, it's an interesting, I'm a big advocate of women in film in all areas of contribution for that exact reason. It's not that somebody's better, it just creates balance and it adds to the painting in a way. You know what I mean? It adds to our overall visual of what we go to the theater to see and it might make us feel something different. So it's good to have that balance. Yeah, we need different perspectives. It doesn't, I mean, you could hand that screenplay to 15 different directors of different race, color, gender, age, financial income, and you would get 15 different movies. And we need a bigger diversity of of I agree. filmmaking representation. Let's talk a bit about Cameron Crowe. Yes. What was he like? Oh my gosh. Oh my god wait no. What is he like? Good God. What a horrible way to pose that question. Well he's filled with us. No. Um you know what he? He's great. He's so smart and funny and quick and interesting. And I mean, have you seen his new show, The Show Rodeys? It's phenomenal. It's phenomenal. He's just. And I got to meet Nancy, his wife that was super exciting to you know she's so beautiful and I mean I it was my first time

never met I could meet Nancy, his wife, that was super exciting. So, you know, she's so beautiful. And I mean, I was my first time ever met like a bona fide huge rock star before. And they're, I just think they're one of the, I just think they're super cool. One of the most interesting, interesting things to me about Fast Times is how all the key characters are both likable but also kind of like flawed. None of them are purely sweet and none of them are purely rotten. Well, few of them are purely rotten. What did you bring to Lisa that was like part of you? You know what I think all characters have an element of being filtered through me. That's what makes them unique when I play them. But I would think like Lisa, I just tried to, I didn't try to make her, I didn't try to do. When you read it, you know, she's not, you know, like the nicest, sweetest girl. She's like, I want this and, you know, you're not doing this and she was just very, you know, she was clear about her little direction in high school and how she saw her relationships. And I just wanted to make it truthful that, you know, teenagers can be snotty. They can be loving just like humans at any age that. So I just tried to like allow her to be like the perfect little hamburger worker girl who's dating the guy, but now realizes, you know what? For my life plan, I need to do A, B, and C. And that doesn't include us the way that is happening right now. And just let that be that that's who she was and people could like it or not like it. So I think it made it kind of fun that she was just this girl who had a plan, like had a very specific life plan about, you know, what she was going to do her senior year. Yeah, she was just organized. She sees what adults are doing and that's kind of like, now let me ask you this, does it feel, do you feel any kind of kinship or connection when you happen to be walking through a food court with your family and you see a young blonde girl behind the counter and she's really doing a good job and you see very professional and festitiousious you're like hmm I know I want to keep it up Lisa. No you know when I have the feeling and this is so funny because my character didn't work at that hot or corn dog on a stick or wherever the girls wear the little bike shorts and the striped hand they do it almost it's almost like a sexual dance while they're mashing the lemons and making the lemonade and all that.

That's when I have the biggest flashback and I have no idea why because I didn't work

it that's, I worked it all American burger.

But anyway, so that's my mall story, yes.

How does it feel, well we could ask this about your next feature as well, but how does it

feel to, like I'm glad that I was young enough to have seen facetimes at Richmont High in the movies. That's how I'm like I'm like I had a little badge of honor that I'm just old enough to have seen it in the theaters and so I can only imagine how an actor must be like wow you know I did some stuff I'm really proud of but to have that feather in your cap must feel great. You know what I feel You know, I feel really fortunate that for whatever reason that those four or five films that early on have turned out to be somewhat iconic and have provided me with this beautiful legacy that I just sort of won the lucky hand at getting. And I mean, I went to drama school and I showed up delivering the goods at the audition and stuff that I sold it a bunch of other people. And I just feel really, really lucky. And I think like out of like fast times, the interesting thing with that cast is that, you know, where I'm a journeyman actor and I always have been, I'm an attractive character actress. And so I've always had a career, you know, in TV and going back and forth. But every single person in that movie that went on to, you know, a huge stardom or as a journeyman actor, except for the two or three people that left acting to go on and be successful in something else. So like there's literally every single person in that film has continued on in a fulfilling successful manner in the career of their choice. And I mean, that's, I just can't comment. It's very uncommon. It's very uncommon. It is wildly uncommon. There are films that of course will launch a handful of careers, but not to the level of like the American graffiti is the apt comparison. And yeah, and you know, just kudos to you. I've loved the films since I was young and Lisa was always to me one of the more interesting characters because she's not archetypal. She seems kind of like a normal girl. The other ones are, the other characters

are a little bit more stylized,

a little bit more archetypal or iconic. And she seems like the girls I knew in high school. You know? Yeah, but they're just, yeah, they're going, they're gonna go to college and they're gonna get married and they're gonna have their kids and they're going to live a really, they're going to raise good citizens and i i i

i think that's

you don't play your like babs from animal house. She's not a snobby snooty, you know, she's in her own business and her boyfriend's business, but she's not mean or nasty. And you know, that's always a nice, you know, because that broad is not interesting. New ones, it's interesting, you know. Well, thank you. I like to try to find new onsen things and also because I do a lot of, you know, I mean, I do a lot of supporting characters or, you know, girlfriend of or wife of and it's fun to find something that, that, you know, you help carry the football. So you're not like trying to steal the play and you're still moving the ball down the field, but, you know but you have an interesting gate while you're running with the ball or whatever it is, but it's still keeping the story moving forward and helping to tell the story. And I think characters like Lisa, you know, you can kill it by trying to do too much or make it stand out. And I always have found that the best way to approach any role is to try to sort of unzip my skin, surround myself in those circumstances, and immerse myself in it, and then just let the honesty happen. Or you'll find the most truth in that without judging it. Like, ooh, that's not nice, or ooh, that's too nice. I just try not to ever judge it. You know, I try to like let it be and, you know,

and I've often played unlikable characters and you just,

oh, yeah, we'll get to that.

We'll get there. And you're good at it too. We'll get to that. Thank you. So then we moved from, and it was an instant hit. Critics loved it, audiences loved it fast times.

Then you went back and did a ton of lot more TV.

If you were watching television in the early 80s,

the 80 one to 85, you saw Amanda Whiz

probably two nights a week.

I'm sure you had got another. I loved it fast times. And then you went back and did a ton of lot more TV. If you were watching television in the early 80s,

...