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INTERVIEW: THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING PHOEBE
More than any of her sisters, Phoebe Halliwell has grown up dramatically over the course of Charmed's seven seasons.
Initially playful and naïve, Prue's death and the arrival of Paige has seen The Charmed One become a tower of strength —
without ever losing her mischievous streak! Charmed Magazine profiles Phoebe's delightful alter ego ALYSSA MILANO. . .
To say Alyssa Milano has led an interesting life would be an understatement. From playing the orphan July in the first national tour of Annie at the tender age of seven to starring as Samantha in the hugely popular 80s sitcom Who's the Boss?, Alyssa has enjoyed a career most actresses can only dream of and one which has seen her become a household name across the world.
These days, of course, she's better known for playing the gorgeous Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed. Quirky, caring and more than a little mischievous, Phoebe (and in turn, Alyssa) has endeared herself to millions of fans across the globe to the point where it's impossible to imagine the show without her.
With season seven continuing to surprise and entertain, Charmed Magazine took some time to check in on what the lovely Alyssa is up to. Turns out, Alyssa is just as concerned with saving Innocents as Phoebe. No wonder she was a natural for the part. Always an advocate, Alyssa continues to tirelessly give her time and talents to many charities. After long days on the set, supernatural powers probably would have come in handy, but Alyssa's managed to get it all done with just supernatural compassion. It is well-known by now that she created the search engine Safesearching.com, as a safe haven providing family friendly sites for Internet users. Her appointment as a National Ambassador for UNICEF, has kept Alyssa especially busy these past few months as she's criss-crossed the country working to better the lives of children everywhere.
But how does a
girl find time to do it all? And what keeps her coming back to Charmed year after
year? "I would just have to say that we've gone through so many changes over
the years," says Alyssa. "In definitely a good way, and we all really love each
other and it's fun to come to work every day. We're the little show that could.
The fact that we've done as well as we have on so many different nights. it feels
great."It's just silly fun," she continues. "You can't take yourself too seriously when you're acting on green screen." Ah, the fun factor! That's the key to staying happy in your job, no matter what you do. But what if your job is to fight evil on a daily basis? Literally! Most of us don't show up at the office and dodge fireballs or get flung across the room. That could get a little cumbersome for the average actress. Luckily, Alyssa's not your average actress. Plus, it's never the same challenge twice.
"Anytime I can play something else within my character — like when a ghost inhabited my body — is always a lot of fun to play. That's the fun thing about this show — you get to be so many things," she laughs. Yeah... even a mermaid!
"It was hard when I had to wear a fin and be a mermaid. I had to go in the ocean and a large tank and I'm afraid of water." But, luckily for us, she's not afraid of demons. We've all seen Alyssa go through changes on our TV screens from a cute tomboy to a beautiful sophisticated woman. Phoebe too, has undergone some evolution since the early days of Charmed. "Phoebe started off the series as extremely young and innocent in a quirky free-spirited way," recalls Alyssa. "She got into trouble quite a bit using love spells and things like that and wasn't really interested in anything but the witchcraft, which, at first, gave her a purpose. Shifting away from being the baby sister to the middle sister is something she's still learning. And it's a little bit taxing for her taking on more responsibilities."
Okay, but along the way, there's always been the support of her sisters, and more than a few hunky men to help her out. Or not. Some of us have that soft spot for "bad boys," and Phoebe was no exception. Has she learned her lesson?
"When Phoebe fell in love with Cole [Julian McMahon], a demon, it changed her life and she learned a very valuable lesson — falling in love with someone she shouldn't have fallen in love with in the first place," says Alyssa.
So, once
burned, twice shy? Not our Phoebe. She's nothing if not
determined and resilient — two very important characteristics
for a Charmed One. But, how do you follow up the gorgeous,
yet evil Cole? You let a little time pass, date a few more
hunks, then wind up with the gorgeous, yet good, Leslie
St. Claire, aka Nick Lachey. And Nick's as nice a guy as
you'll find anywhere. "He was so cute. The first time we
met on set he didn't even say hello," smiles Alyssa. "He
came up and admitted he had a poster of me hanging in his
locker. I was so flattered and turned beet red. He was awesome
to work with and a good actor and an amazing guy." But love is never easy going for The Charmed Ones, and now Leslie's gone too. Could he make a return some day? "I wish he could come back and do more episodes," says Alyssa of the former Newlyweds stars. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. There are a lot of factors that go into keeping a show successful for seven seasons. A lot of things have to come together in just the right way — in a Charmed way, one might say.
"We've been so blessed. It's all due to our fans. They've managed to find us no matter what night or time we're on. I'm so appreciative to them for that." So there you have it! Powers aren't exclusive to just The Charmed Ones. Fans provide a bit of magic as well. But, if Alyssa could have any powers what would she choose?
"If I had powers, I'd wish I had a magic wand and I would fly above the planet, point it back and say peace."
So we're back to the basics. Saving Innocents. After all, isn't that what it's all about?
Charmed feature courtesy of Charmed — The Official Magazine
