An Interview with Barbara Alyn Woods of "One Tree Hill"
Is she at all like her character Deb Scott on "One Tree Hill"? What's it like working with James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray? What was her favorite role? What's her ringtone? Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Barbara Alyn Woods from "One Tree Hill" and I must say, she may very well be one of the nicest and most honest people in the business.
Q: Your character on "One Tree Hill" is the mother of a teenager (James Lafferty), what would you do differently in real life?
Barbara: "I've never done any drugs in my whole life, I've never even smoked a cigarette -- that's where I'd start -- lay off the drugs.
I'm not a big drinker, so I'd lay off the booze. So, that would be a good start for a mom I would say. And I've never cheated on my husband. She's fun to play, I love Deb Scott, she's a well rounded character. I can't say I'm a lot like her, but I think our desires are the same. I think we want to be career women and good moms -- I hope I'm a bit more successful than she is."
Q: Do you have any good spoilers about what's coming up on the show?
Barbara: "We are so not allowed to say, we take a vow of silence. But, you will be surprised. What I love about my character is there have been a lot of surprises. Every time I look at a new script, I'm surprised. Not only does the executive producer not tell anybody in the press or his friends or his parents, he doesn't tell us anything, so we never know what's to come, it's exciting that way. It's much better not knowing."
Q: What's it like working with James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray?
Barbara: "Oh, they're just wonderful guys. They're so different and lovable in different ways.
They're just great, great guys, I love working with them. James is such a professional; he always comes to work extremely prepared and ready to work. He takes his work quite seriously, but doesn't take himself seriously, he's just a lovely kid. And Chad, I wish I worked with him more. I can see why the girls are so crazy in love with him. He has so much charisma. He oozes charisma. He's a great actor, I learn from him and he's a great guy to hang out with all day."
Q: You've had a lot of diverse roles, what was your favorite role?
Barbara: "I loved doing the show, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" because I played different characters just about every week. I turned into animals, aliens, they shrank us, they enlarged us, I was a bearded lady in a circus, I turned into a cat - it was such a great actress experience for three years. It was a lot of fun, it wasn't a high profile show, and we had such a great time shooting it. I met my husband on the set, so it meant a lot emotionally."
Q: Are there any actors or actresses you model yourself after or use for inspiration?
Barbara: "I have always been a major fan of Mary Tyler Moore. The "Dick Van Dyke" show was my favorite show of all time. I have every episode on tape. She's a comic genius, she's beautiful, she's talented, she sings, she dances, she's so well-rounded, and she's got staying power. Also, Julie Andrews has always been a major inspiration to me. My mom introduced me to "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" when I was very young and I'm doing the same to my girls."
Q: If you could have played any role, what would it be?
Barbara: "I would kill to even guest for a day on "Desperate Housewives." Some of the producers and writers on "Desperate Housewives" are friends of mine from "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." I am so grateful to them for writing this great show for women in their 30's and 40's because I do believe that up until now, women sort of became unattractive and started playing frumpy moms when they were thirty. Thirty was the beginning of the end of their careers. The show has opened doors to so many women my age; I do believe the show has done so much for me already."
Q: Would you be supportive of your kids if they wanted to get into the acting industry?
Barbara: "They're already talking about it. They're already done some little roles here and there and they're professional; they've been on so many sets and they know how they're supposed to be. They do their little filming, they have fake video cameras and they say "action" and "cut" -- it's what mommy and daddy do. I think kids emulate their parents, so they're already talking as if this is what they're going to do. Of course, I'll support anything they want to do, but there's a lot of rejection associated with becoming an actress."
Q: Your character on "One Tree Hill" is the mother of a teenager (James Lafferty), what would you do differently in real life?
Barbara: "I've never done any drugs in my whole life, I've never even smoked a cigarette -- that's where I'd start -- lay off the drugs.
I'm not a big drinker, so I'd lay off the booze. So, that would be a good start for a mom I would say. And I've never cheated on my husband. She's fun to play, I love Deb Scott, she's a well rounded character. I can't say I'm a lot like her, but I think our desires are the same. I think we want to be career women and good moms -- I hope I'm a bit more successful than she is."
Q: Do you have any good spoilers about what's coming up on the show?
Barbara: "We are so not allowed to say, we take a vow of silence. But, you will be surprised. What I love about my character is there have been a lot of surprises. Every time I look at a new script, I'm surprised. Not only does the executive producer not tell anybody in the press or his friends or his parents, he doesn't tell us anything, so we never know what's to come, it's exciting that way. It's much better not knowing."
Q: What's it like working with James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray?
Barbara: "Oh, they're just wonderful guys. They're so different and lovable in different ways.
They're just great, great guys, I love working with them. James is such a professional; he always comes to work extremely prepared and ready to work. He takes his work quite seriously, but doesn't take himself seriously, he's just a lovely kid. And Chad, I wish I worked with him more. I can see why the girls are so crazy in love with him. He has so much charisma. He oozes charisma. He's a great actor, I learn from him and he's a great guy to hang out with all day."
Q: You've had a lot of diverse roles, what was your favorite role?
Barbara: "I loved doing the show, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" because I played different characters just about every week. I turned into animals, aliens, they shrank us, they enlarged us, I was a bearded lady in a circus, I turned into a cat - it was such a great actress experience for three years. It was a lot of fun, it wasn't a high profile show, and we had such a great time shooting it. I met my husband on the set, so it meant a lot emotionally."
Q: Are there any actors or actresses you model yourself after or use for inspiration?
Barbara: "I have always been a major fan of Mary Tyler Moore. The "Dick Van Dyke" show was my favorite show of all time. I have every episode on tape. She's a comic genius, she's beautiful, she's talented, she sings, she dances, she's so well-rounded, and she's got staying power. Also, Julie Andrews has always been a major inspiration to me. My mom introduced me to "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" when I was very young and I'm doing the same to my girls."
Q: If you could have played any role, what would it be?
Barbara: "I would kill to even guest for a day on "Desperate Housewives." Some of the producers and writers on "Desperate Housewives" are friends of mine from "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." I am so grateful to them for writing this great show for women in their 30's and 40's because I do believe that up until now, women sort of became unattractive and started playing frumpy moms when they were thirty. Thirty was the beginning of the end of their careers. The show has opened doors to so many women my age; I do believe the show has done so much for me already."
Q: Would you be supportive of your kids if they wanted to get into the acting industry?
Barbara: "They're already talking about it. They're already done some little roles here and there and they're professional; they've been on so many sets and they know how they're supposed to be. They do their little filming, they have fake video cameras and they say "action" and "cut" -- it's what mommy and daddy do. I think kids emulate their parents, so they're already talking as if this is what they're going to do. Of course, I'll support anything they want to do, but there's a lot of rejection associated with becoming an actress."