by Catherine McElrath
photographs exclusively for Channels by Ken Sax
Styled by Charlie Altuna for Celestine.
Hair by Syd Curry for Profile.
Makeup by Ulli for Celestine.
Beaded top by Krizia; at Skas Fifth Avenue, Bal Harbour.
Indigo low-rise jeans by Earl Jean; at Tupelo Honey, The Falls and Aventura.

Brittany Murphy holds the receiver out the screen door of her balcony so I can hear the sound of the waves. The beach is right outside the apartment that is her temporary home while she's filming her latest movie, Summer Catch, in a small town on the coast of North Carolina. "Can you hear them?" she asks, in a breathless voice that's a disarming combination of kitten and coquette. Murphy is filming the movie's night scenes, so although it's past dinnertime, she has just woken up and is apologizing for calling a few minutes later than expected.

How could I not forgive? Candid, articulate, and, well, really nice, Murphy, 22, is Hollywood's hottest ingénue, and her open friendliness belies her status as one of the industry's fastest-rising stars. Up until now she's probably best remembered for her breakthrough role as the lovably hapless Tai Frasier in Amy Heckerling's Clueless, but with a string of new films coming out this year, that seems certain to change.

A Hollywood veteran, Murphy left Edison, NJ, for California when she was only 13, and quickly landed roles in commercials and a couple of short-lives TV series before being tapped for Clueless. "For some reason, I always had the desire to perform," she says of her early start. "As long as I can remember, from my earliest memories, I have never wanted to do anything but perform. Not necessarily act, but perform. Luckily, the environment that I grew up in was very nurturing."

As an only child whose parents divorced shortly after she was born, Murphy was raised by her month, Sharon, who is anything but a typical stage parent. ("If anything, I pushed her!" her daughter says.) Shortly after Brittany headed west, Sharon quit her job, packed up her house, and came out to California. As close as sisters, the two still share a home in Los Angeles.

"I miss my family in New Jersey -- my aunts and uncles still live there - very much," she says. "And that's the only place in the world you can get a pork roll and egg sandwich on a hard roll, which I absolutely love, especially when the roll's crispy. Ask for it anywhere else - even in New York - and forget it."

Since her shotgun start, she's amassed a body of work that would be impressive for an actress twice her age; her resume comprises an eclectic selection of roles that highlight her chameleon-like qualities. She played a teenage seductress in Phoenix, working opposite Anjelica Huston and Ray Liotta; a chicken-obsessed bulimic in last year's Girl, Interrupted; a member of the undead with Christopher Walken in Prophecy II; and a beauty pageant contestant in Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards. Upcoming roles include a virgin "anti-heroine heroine" in the upcoming thriller Cherry Falls, a role in Ed Burns' next film, Sidewalks of New York; and Drew Barrymore's co-star in Riding in Cars With Boys. She was also recently tapped for the coveted role of Janis Joplin in the ill-fated star's biopic after the film's producer hear her sing at a friend's wedding.

Murphy also made a critically acclaimed Broadway debut in Arthur Muller's View From a Bridge, and won praise for her small-screen efforts in David and Lisa, a love story about two emotionally disturbed teenagers, and in the Showtime Holocaust drama Common Ground. In her spare time, she's the voice of both trailer park princess Luanna and her little brother Joseph on Fox TV's King of the Hill. In Summer Catch, a love story/drama about small-town baseball players and the girls who love them, Murphy gets to play the town tart.

All this exposure has put her in demand among top magazines searching for the Next Big Thing; she's been photographed for every glossy publication from Vanity Fair to Maxim to Allure. "As far as still photography goes, it took a little while to get used to doing it because it's so different from acting," she says.

"But it's fun as long as all of the components are there - hair, makeup, and of course, the music. I love music, almost anything and everything. Like now, I've got Benny Goodman on."

With her steady workload, she says, there hasn't been much time for personal relationships, except maybe for friendships with the other actors she works with. "I've been working straight since 1997, with maybe two weeks off," Murphy explains. "I'm definitely not complaining - in this industry, that has just been amazing, and I'm so grateful. But I'm not really going out with anyone now. I'll just say that, yes, my heart is open, but no, I'm not dating right now."

As the phone interview progresses, Murphy interrupts occasionally for a number of pressing matters; to wave hello to an acquaintance who really wasn't ("This is so embarrassing. It's not him!"), swat at a mosquito (she missed the first time, got 'em the second), and give me a quick verbal tour of her wardrobe (I asked. After all, this is the Fall fashion issue).

"I love these magic vintage 1920s dresses that I get at this great store in LA called Paper Bag Princess," she says. "Wait - I'm looking around the room. I've got a '50s vintage scarf, a pair of fairy wings… Oh, and I absolutely love Katayone Adeli. Her clothes are designed more petite, and I'm a petite gal. I wear Diesel jeans a lot, Calvin Klein… I've got a great Armani coat. And Rebecca Taylor. I have a sweater of hers.

Current footwear includes a pair of flip-flops from the local Wal-Mart which also happens to be Murphy's favorite place to hang out when she's not on the set (it's a very small town).

After waxing poetic on the joys of super consumerism at the mega-discount store, she clues me in on where you'll find her at 10 p.m. on nights that she;s not on the set., "You wouldn't believe it - every night at 10, all the Wal-Mart employees gather in the parking lot for a Wal-Mart pep rally," she relates breathlessly.

"It's the funniest thing. The manager actually leads them in a Wal-Mart cheer.. Give me a W! 'W!' Give me an 'A,' and so on." Then she tells me her favorite part of this scenario. "The let anyone join in. Which is really nice, don't you think?"

End

All Rights Reserved and copyrighted to Channels Magazine
Channels Magazine Sept 2000 pages 52-55

I recommend you buy the magazine, it is well worth it just to have your own copy of these pictures (scans are NEVER as great as the originals). So please contact Channels Magazine and ask for this back issue at:
(305)573-4441

Questions or comments? Mail me at: seareaver@aol.com

Please note: I am not Brittany Murphy, I just run this fan page.