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INTERVIEW: Actress Larisa Oleynik
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You either know her from The Secret World of Alex Mack or from 10 Things I Hate About You, but you definitely know her. Actress Larisa Oleynik has been in numerous movies and TV shows, and right now she’s promoting the release of the first season of Alex Mack on DVD and she was nice enough to talk to me about it. And when I say nice enough, I mean it. She’s extremely bouncy, personable, and happy, with a laugh in her voice in every single sentence.
Landen Pelish: Hi Larisa, how’s it going?
LO: Good, thanks.
LP: To kick things off, let me tell you that I grew up during the heyday of Nickelodeon. And one of my favorite shows from that era was The Secret Life of Alex Mack. I feel like it’s been ages since I last watched the show, but I always loved it and I couldn’t be more excited about the DVD release. Any ideas on why it took so long to come out?
LO: I have absolutely no idea. I know, that people have been asking me about it for the last, oh, ten years. So I have no idea why it took so long, but better late than never, I guess.
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LP: I haven’t had a chance to re-watch any of the episodes on DVD yet, although I’m sure they will be a pleasant blast of nostalgia. Have you gone back and given any of these episodes a second glance?
LO: Well, you know, at my mom’s house we have a big old box full of the tapes that they gave us. I don’t know if they were actually the network tapes or whether it was someone from the show who kind of snuck them to us, whether we were supposed to have them or not. I haven’t very recently, but I think there was a period of time after the show had ended and it had been a couple of years, where I went back and watched a couple of them and I was like, “You know what? This was a good show!” It will be really fun to watch the first season now…since I’m 26.
LP: Now, plastered right on the DVD cover is Jessica Alba. I don’t even recall her even being in the show, did she have a big part?
LO: I think they’re just being really smart about it because she’s a big movie star now, you know? I think she was in a couple of episodes – she played a bad girl. She was like my rival and she was dating the cute boy and he’d pay attention to me and she would get all mad at me. I think she was in the first couple of episodes. I don’t know if she’s as excited about the first season DVD release, but I think it was smart to do that with Jessica Alba that way.
LP: What were some, if any, of your favorite old school Nickelodeon shows?
LO: I don’t know if when I was younger I was as big a fan of it, but I think when I was more in my late teens I started watching episodes of Pete and Pete. I was kind of a late bloomer with that show. But, oh gosh, I just think it’s brilliant. Of course Clarissa [Explains It All] was on before Alex Mack and I grew up watching that, so everyone would call me Larisa Explains It All.
LP: In your youth, you actually got the chance to act in a number of great television shows. You were in The Adventures of Pete & Pete, weren’t you?
LO: I was in one episode! I don’t think I had even seen the show at all before I was on it. Before I did Alex Mack they just kind of threw me in everything and it was all really overwhelming. I think I just kind of did what I was told. I was in an episode of All That too, which I had for sure seen beforehand.
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LP: You were also in Boy Meets World and 3rd Rock From The Sun. How were those experiences?
LO: Boy Meets World--I think that I had my first on screen kiss! Talk about growing up in front of the camera. Pretty great! And 3rd Rock I did for two years, I was a series regular for the fifth season, I think. I actually, uh, I don’t know if I should be admitting this but I totally just bought those seasons off of Amazon. I was like, “You know, this is a good investment.” I don’t think I’ve watched any of those yet, either, since I filmed them. We’ll see if I ever get around to it.
LP: You were also in 100 Girls, with some other familiar faces such as Jonathan Tucker and Katherine Heigl. What was it like working with such a talented cast under the direction of Michael Davis?
LO: Katie Heigl – I don’t know if I’m ruining the movie for anyone – but we actually had a little smooch. A very innocent one, very innocent. But, that was the only day on set that we were there together. So I literally met her in the make-up chair and was like, “Hi. I’m going to be kissing you.” So that was fun. But she was really cool about it and in fact was way calmer than I was. I was like freaking out and she was like, “Oh my god, get over it.” And Jonathan Tucker, we had most of our scenes together and he is a really, really cool kid. His career is awesome right now.
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LP: One of your biggest roles was in 10 Things I Hate About You, which is really a movie that appeals to everyone – even I loved it. How did that film compare to some of your other career highlights?
LO: It’s interesting, because I already have a lot of years under my belt in this industry. I’ve been doing it since I was 8. When that movie came out, it was, like, 10 years ago and Alex Mack was 10 years ago and those are the two things that people know me for. It’s weird because I don’t look like that anymore. And every other day a waiter, or someone working at the movie theatre, or just random people walking down the street will be like, “Oh my gosh, are you Alex Mack?” and I’m just like “How did you know that?” Or else it will be 10 Things I Hate About You. I guess I’m glad that I like both of them or else it would get pretty annoying.
LP You took some time off to go to college, was that important for you?
LO: Yeah, it was pretty important to me. I took the whole four years off. I just know myself well enough to know that if I had tried acting in between and taking time off to work that I just wouldn’t have completed it. And it just wouldn’t have been the same; I was just really craving that experience because even though I did have a relatively normal high school experience I just wanted to be around my peers and really feel like I was part of something other than just – because I’ve always gotten along well with people that I work with, but I just wanted to experience that with people with other interests. It was an incredible experience, I loved college, I absolutely loved it. Getting back into the business now is a little trickier because of that but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
LP: It seems to me like you have been doing some nice work in the indie realm of film. What have you been working on since graduating?
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LP: It seems to me like you have been doing some nice work in the indie realm of film. What have you been working on since graduating?
LO: Well, a lot of indie movies and the occasional guest starring role, or whatever. I did one on Pepper Dennis and one on Malcolm In The Middle, both of those were really fun. It’s just that all the independent movies I am getting to do now, I really feel like I’m so lucky because I am able to figure out who I am as an adult actor with these amazing roles that I am getting to do now. These are the things that I wanted to do when I was still popular, but they’re not going to hire the Nickelodeon kid to do the indie movie. So, now I’m trying to find that balance of being able to do these great movies and also having a little bit more exposure. That’s kind of where I am, and I’m just enjoying my career – even though I hope that these things start getting distribution. They’re all really good projects that I’m proud of.
LP: A lot of teen stars seem to go to college and then disappear from acting altogether. Do you plan on sticking around or maybe switch careers?
LO: Yeah. I think I’m pretty much in this for the long haul. There’s peaks and valleys and sometimes littler mountains and that’s just the way it is. I’m planning on being around for awhile. This is what I love to do. I love my job so much, and not everyone can say that and I recognize how lucky that is.
LP: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or any of your upcoming works?
LO: Ummmm… oh gosh, wow. You know, I think I talked a lot already. I’ve got nothing else to wrap it up.
LP: Alright, well cool. Thanks again for taking the time to talk to me.
LO: Oh, sure! Thank you.
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