ARTICOLO ORIGINALE TRATTO DA FIT MAGAZINE

Alyssa On Keeping Lean

The new kid on the Melrose Place block is funny, wise beyond her 25 years and has her talented feet grounded firmly in reality.

 

LISA KLUGMAN : How'd you land that shameless, twisted show - Melrose Place ?

ALYSSA : Mr. Spelling has been kind enough to keep me in mind for the past four years, yet there was never enough of a time commitment - it was six episodes here, four episodes there. This was a serious offer to consider. I've always wanted to work with Mr. Spelling. I think he's got his finger on the pulse of pop culture.

LISA KLUGMAN : You didn't know anyone on the show before you started. Did you feel like the new kid at school?

ALYSSA : Oh, totally... didn't know where to sit at lunch ... but everyone made me feel comfortable right away. There are only two people left from the original cast, Thomas Calabro and Andrew Shue, so really, we're all new.

LISA KLUGMAN : And your character, Jennifer, is Calabro's character's sister, which is too bad. He's the hottest guy on the show, and you have to play his sister.

ALYSSA : Yeah, but knowing Melrose Place we'll find out I was adopted and I'll be in bed with him the next day. My character is pretty bitchy, but then again, all the women are bitchy on Melrose. I think what sets Jennifer apart is that she's got a lot of heart - she'd be the first person there if someone where in trouble. But there's no mental editing process going on - she says what's on her mind.

LISA KLUGMAN : Why did you start training with a personal trainer?

ALYSSA : Basically, I've gone to a personal trainer for many years now - all through my adolescence. When I was on Who's the Boss, I didn't have regular gym class, so my parents thought it was important that I learn the value of exercise.

LISA KLUGMAN : But you never really needed a drastic body makeover or anything .....

ALYSSA : Rent Double Dragon. I was 15 pounds heavier, and that is a lot for someone who's just 5'2". I looked stocky. I lost the weight, was working out, but I hit a plateau, until I started working with Gunnar [Peterson, my trainer]. I think it's his method - he fatigues the muscles until you're burned out. I'll do 40 minutes of cardio and then I'll circuit-train. He believes in constantly shocking the system. You can't get too used to any type of exercise because you won't see the results.

LISA KLUGMAN : And you've got to keep up with those workuots now that you're on Melrose with waifs like Heather Locklear.

ALYSSA : Heather is so tiny - standing next to her I feel like the Jolly Green Giant or something. But I love her to pieces. She's just like me - she'll eat anything. She's got a great outlook. I believe in moderation. Eat whatever you want, as long as it's in small portions. I feel like if I don't allow myself to have a burger, then later, when I'm having a salad, I'm going to make up for that burger I didn't eat by having extra dressing or something.

LISA KLUGMAN : What else is going on with you besides Melrose ?

ALYSSA : I have a movie coming out called Hugo Pool, with Sean Penn, Robert Downey Jr. and Cathy Moriarty. I play a young woman who's a pool cleaner in Beverly Hills and Bel Air - the movie's about her and all her clients. And in October I have a movie on the Disney Channel called Gold Rush with Bruce Campbell. It's a sweet, family movie.

LISA KLUGMAN : Wow - Hugo Pool sounds great - what a killer cast. Sounds like you could be getting more famous in the hear future. Are you scared of being a prisoner of fame?

ALYSSA : I don't know if that would ever happen to me, because I think I'm accessible to people. If I'm hanging out with my friends, people my age come up to say hi, and I love that. They see that I'm just like them, that I'm just trying to have a good time, just like they are. I have been inviting my friends over more often, though, instead of going out, because I don't like it when people whisper and point at me and then my friends feel they have to take care of me. I don't want to get to the point where I can't go buy my own toilet paper. But it's just a part of the business - I'm not complaining, because I love every part of the business.