Reporting by Dale MacDiarmid
Hollywood, of course, demands as much from its young performers as it does from its old-timers. Erika Christensen and Vanessa Lee Chester have risen to that challenge. Test audiences for Universal Studios recent film version of the 1950s sitcom 'Leave It to Beaver' were so enamored of Christensen's performance as Wally Cleaver's girlfriend-and dismayed by her exit from the film-that the filmmakers actually reshot the ending to bring her popular character back. Although the film marked Seattle-born Christensen's big-screen debut, the 15-year-old actress preceded it with several national commercials, stage roles for local theatre companies, and more than 120 appearances as a four-year member of the Kids on Stage song-and-dance troupe. A singer/dancer as well as an actress, Christensen also appeared in Michael Jackson's 'Childhood' video and sang backup vocals on Neil Diamond's 'Christmas Album II.' Despite the demands of her show business career, Christensen is a straight-A student-a solid foundation in her self-described quest to become 'super-smart.'
Chester was also on this past summer's movie screens, landing one of the most coveted roles for a young actress: Jeff Goldblum's daughter, Kelly Curtis, in the 'Jurassic Park' sequel 'The Lost World,' a demanding role that showcased Chester's talent at portraying a wide range of emotions. Already a show business veteran, 13-year-old Chester has been an actress since she was three years old. Before taking on dinosaurs, the New York native's impressively diverse resum comprised voiceovers, dozens of commercials, and guest and recurring roles on such television series as 'Me and the Boys, 'Hanging With Mr. Cooper, 'In Living Color,' and 'Sesame Street. Her other film credits include a role as Janie, the weird scientist in 'Harriet the Spy,' and a critically acclaimed performance as a servant girl in 'The Little Princess,' which earned Chester a nomination for the Hollywood Reporter's YoungStar Award.
Born on opposite coasts, Christensen and Chester have followed slightly different career paths, which brought them to Los Angeles (where they both now live) and, on one recent afternoon, to the Beverly Hills Planet Hollywood to chat.Erika Christensen: I'm not only an actress, I'm also a teenager. So I read about my favorite stars and I figure if they have to do all that press, I'm going to have to do all this press when I get to their level. It's kind of expected.
Vanessa Lee Chester: I don't mind doing press, but it's more fun when they make it fun, if they spend a day with you, or you eat at a restaurant, instead of it being just, 'Blah, blah, blah.' I think it's fun, but press junkets-wow, what a headache. We had a huge press junket for The Lost World, three days of press interviews, and on one day I did 78 interviews alone.
Erika: At the premiere for Leave It to Beaver, I was walking down the red carpet and they were screaming my name, and I'm wondering, What do I do? So I had to think, OK, calm down, one person at a time. Everything is kind of rattling, but afterwards my publicist said I did really good.
Vanessa: When I was at the Kid's Choice Awards, I hadn't had any prepping for interviews, but for The Lost World I had to, because they didn't want me to say too much. It was like 'the Spielberg mystery': You can talk about this, you can't talk about that, and things that I wasn't sure about, I wouldn't mention at all.
Back to School
Vanessa: On-set schooling was so much fun for me when I did Harriet the Spy.
Erika: Oh yeah, because it was kids, lots of kids.
Vanessa: I was like in their club, and there were 15 kids in the schoolroom. It was just like I was in school. It was fun and we had computers. But on The Lost World, it was so boring, because everybody was doing all this fun stuff, and it was like, 'Sorry, Vanessa has to go back to school.'
Erika: I know, as soon as you finish a scene, it's back to school. Home school is so easy to switch to the set. I have a desk at home. I just take my stuff and I stuff it in my bag, and I go to set and put my stuff out, it's so easy. Then when I get to set, the guys ask, 'What are you going to do today?'
Vanessa: I know; they do that. You can pick! Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, or Math.
Something Better
Vanessa: I remember I went on this audition and this guy I knew was at the audition, and they were having him read for the girl part because they didn't have any lines written up for boys. He asked me, 'So how are you reading it?' I was just starting out, and I didn't get it, so I read it at my best. And he said, 'Cool, I'm going to read it just like that.' He read it like that and he got the part. My mom said, 'Well, now you know not to do that.' I was so double-crossed. I can't believe that. Personally, I don't have the time to sink that low for a call.
Erika: Sometimes I get so annoyed when other people brag. And sometimes I know that I'm better than that or I've got something better in the works; I don't say anything, I just say, 'Really? That's great.' I don't know why, but for some reason, when I walk out of an audition and they give me an instant callback, I walk out trying not to smile-I'm walking by the other girls, and I don't want them to know that I did really good. At auditions, if there's anybody I know, I say, 'Hi,' and I leave and go to the car or whatever.
Vanessa: I know somebody who told me, 'Yeah, I got The Lost World role.' I said, 'Wow, I'm very happy for you.' And I already knew I had gotten it!
Erika: There are times when I think I'm going to get this part, I know I am, I'm going to get this. And then I don't, and I'm wondering, What happened? I went back five times!
Vanessa: Oh, well, you know, personally, if I counted everything and got depressed on every little commercial, or print job, or anything I didn't get, I'd be the saddest person in the whole wide world.
Erika: I know. Some people take it personally. You can't, you just can't.
Vanessa: Yeah, it's not the end of the world. The day that you start thinking that you're all that there is in Hollywood is the day that your career ends. Be all that you can be, but don't be stuck up. Have patience, because nothing is going to come by easily. And also, have fun. If you are not having fun, just get out of it now, because you're wasting you're mom's time, and you're wasting the casting director's time.
Erika: It won't be worth it. Work hard, be ethical. And if you're not in it for keeps, then forget it, because it takes dedication. And don't be weird just to get noticed.
Vanessa: Oh, I know-you don't constantly have to be 'on.' When you're in front of the camera, it's OK to show your personality and everything. But you don't have to put it over the top. Just be yourself, relax. Be a kid, please! But it's good to be professional.
Erika: Yeah, because when the cameras start rolling, they mean business. BSW