Bop Magazine~July 1998~
Whitney Houston started doing it a long time ago. Jewel's doing it as you readthis.And Brandy's getting ready to do it real soon.So,isn't about time No Doubt's blond bombshell took her act to the big screen,too?
As No Doubt front-woman Gwen Stefani sarcastically belts out the stinging lyrics to "Just A Girl,"the first single off fo No Doubt's 1995 Tragic Kingdom CD,we as listeners know that she is far more than just a girl singing songs:Gwen has an energy and stage presence that only a few of the most gifted talents possess.This is part of the reason why Gwen's tended to be singled out as the main force behind No Doubt,often to the chagrin of her bandmates,bassist Tony Kanal 27,drummer Adrian Young 27,and guitarist Tom Dumont,29. But it's also why the fact that Gwen,28,now wants to begin an acting career seems so totally right.
"You know how it is in Hollywood!"
"We've been touring a long while,so I haven't had any time to start thinking about acting,"Gwen tells BOP's foreign correspondent during some rare down time."I would like to do something,though.I don't know if I would be any good,but I do act every day,in a sense.I act like an idiot all day long,but I don't know if I could actually get down to some real acting."
Althought the modest Gwen likes to joke about her acting ability,the truth is that despite not being formally trained,she has gotten somewhat of a taste of professional acting by working on No Doubt's videos.And apparently,Gwen likes what she's seen."We always do a little bit of performing in our video,and I think that's a lot of fun,"Gwen gushed."So we kind of dabble in acting that way."
Last year,Gwen turned her "dabble" in acting into a "doable" acting career when she signed with one of Hollywood's top talent agencies,UTA,for theatrical representation.To date,Gwen's still not chosen a debut project,but she does have an ideal movie in mind."I'd like to have been in the musical The Sound of Music,"she says of the 1965 classic."It's one of the biggest influences in my life.I love it so much.I think anyone who hasn't seen the movie is totally missing out on a really big part of their life."
Most likely,there won't be a remark of The Sound of Music any time soon.Nevertheless,Gwen's still been working her big-screen connections."[Star Wars creator George Lucas] came to see one of our shows and we met him backstage,"the aspiring screen siren recalls."We asked if we could be Ewoks in the next film ,but he hasn't called us yet.We're going to have to get our agent to chase him up.You know how it is in Hollywood!"
