West Has What It Takes

BYLINE: Tyler McLeod -- From supermodels to rock stars, successful people love trying to convince us how unpopular they were in school.

"You know that's probably crap," Shane West says.

The handsome young star of the new high school comedy film Whatever It Takes and ABC's freshman drama Once and Again isn't ashamed to admit he was part of The In Crowd.

"An older girl got a crush on me in high school and it just kind of spread like wildfire. 'Oh, that's who he is ...' " West says. "High school can be insane, so I was in the popular clique until the end of 12th grade."

West spent a few years trying to fit in, however, after moving to L.A. from Louisiana in elementary school.

"I got to experience both and I think it's almost better to be in the unpopular clique -- at least you know who your friends are."

That's the lesson Ryan Woodman learns in Whatever It Takes, now playing in theatres.

West's character finds himself quickly climbing the social ladder after landing a date with the unofficial queen of Gilmore High (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), but he isn't sure he likes the view from up there.

"From like sixth to 10th grade, I felt very much like Ryan. I was shy, only had a couple of buddies, was scared of the most popular girls," says West, now 21. "Ryan had more courage than I did, though. He tried to make it happen."

Unfortunately, Ryan gets his shot with Ashley Grant through suspect means and pays his penance in numerous ways -- including a scene in which he regrets taking his dream girl to the carnival.

Popular, powerful and sexy? Yes. Strong-stomached? No.

"Jodi was actually not in the car. They attached a camera to the amusement park ride and I had to turn on the camera," West explains. "And there was this cannon on other side filled with apple-sauce puke. I turn the camera on and with my other hand, fire the puke cannon at myself."

Nobody said landing the lead role in a movie was glamorous. If West wanted to play it safe, he could've stuck to playing the faultless hunk.

"At first I was up for the jock, but they really liked James Franco ... and they saw the possibility of giving me the lead," West says.

"I liked that they gave me the opportunity to play the underdog, to play against type."

While filming Whatever It Takes last summer, ironically, Franco wound up playing an outcast on Freaks and Geeks while West took the role of a high school basketball star on Once and Again -- airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on channel 3 and Mondays at 11 p.m. on channel 11.

West is waiting to see if the series gets picked up for another season. It had the best ratings for a drama debut since ER, but the ratings have since settled. Still, Once and Again does boast a fiercely loyal following.

"It's been bumpy, but I think already this year we've gotten a pretty good fan base. All the fans from thirtysomething and My So-Called Life jumped aboard," West says.

Not to mention fans of West. You can bet his picture is pinned up in more than one junior high school locker.

"The show is not your standard teen show, so I'm not too sure how many teens out there are aware of me," he says. "I know I'm signing more autographs now, though."__Calgary Sun (April 3, 2000)