Jessica Simpson
Interview By: Dan Portnoy
At 25 the beautiful Jessica Simpson has become a triple threat in the entertainment industry. Starting out as a successful singer, Simpson immediately became a pop culture icon bringing in fans of all ages. She then made the jump into television with her husband Nick Lachey in the marriage reality show, Newlyweds, which ended recently, not due to lack of popularity but rather because, well, they're not Newlyweds anymore. Now it's 2005 and Jessica tries her hand at the movies taking on her first (probably not her last) big screen role as Daisy Duke in this summer's action-comedy, The Dukes of Hazzard.
In The Dukes of Hazzard, Simpson's character Daisy Duke is the heart stopping cousin of Hazzard county troublemakers Bo (Sean William Scott) and Luke Duke (Johnny Knoxville). Along with her cousins and their Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), the Duke clan dodges the authorities having some fun at the same time.
When Simpson heard that they were making a movie from the hit television show, The Dukes of Hazzard, she leapt at the chance to play Daisy. 'I thought it would be the best first movie role for me' I begged, begged, begged for the role [of Daisy]' she laughs remembering. Born and raised in the South, Simpson was a big fan of the show. 'The spirit of the TV show was something I really loved.' And though she was too young to watch it in the height of its popularity, she managed to catch the shows reruns. 'I grew up in Texas so I watched a lot of the reruns'I was young when it came out, so it was all about the reruns.'
In preparing for the role of Daisy, Simpson had to get herself in gear. That meant an intense workout program that she couldn't half ass. 'The hardest part was getting in shape'I was in the gym 6 days a week 2 ' hours a day, I had to hire a trainer or else I would have never gotten in shape, I would have slept in.' Work out or no work out doesn't change the fact that Simpson is a fox. In fact, I bet other people out there may want to follow the same routine as Jessica did, and guess what' Now they can. 'Well I have a workout video coming out, now everyone can do the Daisy Duke workout!' I'm sure those tapes will be ripped off the shelves after fans witness her flawless figure on the big screen.
And she doesn't just act in the film folks; she provides some of the tracks on the soundtrack as well. Including a remake of Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin.' 'It was my idea actually. We had a party for Burt Reynolds in New Orleans, and Nacy Sinatra's version of 'Theses Boots Are Made for Walkin' came on, and I keep a journal in my purse I always jot down ideas, my minds crazy I have so many different ideas all the time, and in my journal I wrote down 'Boots Are Made For Walkin' remake.' Still has the heart of a singer. But moving on from music into her first ever role in a movie it wasn't her singing that stood out, it was her acting.
The Dukes of Hazzard didn't feel like Jessica's first film. She was very at ease in her role and effectively embodied the personality of the character Daisy. Maybe it was because she felt so comfortable on the set, or maybe it was the fun loving cast that made it easier to work. 'I couldn't have asked for a better cast' she goes on, 'It was so much fun, all we did was have fun, it took me out of the trendy-ness of Hollywood.' And Hollywood is something that Simpson has been familiar with since she came on the scene as a singer in 1999.
As a pop icon, she has had to deal with the speculations of the paparazzi. During the filming of Dukes, there was a rumor that Knoxville and Simpson were romantically linked. The fallacies perpetrated by the paparazzi are something that Simpson is no stranger to, so she tries to focus on the positive aspects rather than the myths. 'You just got to let it roll off your shoulders'in some ways you just have to look at it as a compliment and just keep goin', and hope that your character proves all the false wrong.'
So now that she's made her movie debut, what's next for Jessica Simpson' More reality shows' 'No more reality shows, I think that people have seen a lot of our reality and I think more then anything we enjoy doing our specials, the ABC specials. We might do a couple more of those'' I guess that's a negative on the reality shows. Sorry all you loyal fans of the Simpson Lachey private life. I guess you'll just have to get the scoop like most people do, and that's the tabloids.
It looks like film is the direction Simpson may be headed in but what genre' Maybe action or drama' Wait, I know, its horror, right' Wrong. 'As of right now I'm gonna stick to romantic comedies, and comedies. I'm all about people enjoying that hour and a half and walking out with a smile.' The Dukes of Hazzard will certainly put a smile on your face. And after Jessica's performance in this film, I think it's safe to say that we're just witnessing the beginning of her movie career.
