I just spent three entire days with Elisha Cuthbert and let me tell you, it was insane. It started off at a small party. Everyone was having a good time until these two guys who I initially thought were cool wrestled Elisha into a van and drove off. And that was just in the first few hours. Follow that with a vicious cougar attack and relentless pursuits by psycho assassins, and my heart was palpitating out of control. All I could do was sit there and watch. After all, I was doing my research on Elisha – and 24 is one damn good TV show.
If you’re 23 years old, talented, gorgeous and living in L.A., life is good. If you spend three years starring on an Emmy award-winning drama, life is really good. Playing the lead in a film is great (The Girl Next Door). Staying up late to star in a Weezer video is awesome. Starring with Chad Michael Murray and Paris Hilton in House of Waxis not only good, it’s hot.
The whole world lies in front of Cuthbert, and we give you a front-row view. What we discovered by chatting with the star by phone is that Elisha’s World is a hectic place filled with film shoots (The Quiet), media interviews, ubiquitous parties and Dolly Parton concerts. Yes. That Dolly.
Surprized? Good. That’s only the beginning. Here’s the rest.

Strut: I heard you were on vacation. Where are you?
Elisha: I’m actually in Memphis. I’m here to see a friend get inducted into a music thing, so it’s kind of a nice little ceremony.

Cool. How did you get started as an actress? I’m Canadian, so I know that you got started at a young age in Canada.
I knew I wanted to be an actor really young. I just sort of met the right people and took advantage of the opportunities that came about. And then at one point, instead of going to college I decided to go to Los Angeles and see If I could make it there, and I haven’t left yet.

I remember you on Popular Mechanics for Kids. Did you have somewhat of a normal childhood despite being on TV?
That was normal to me. I enjoyed what I was doing. I went to school like everyone else, except that I missed a lot of classes and had a lot of tutors on the road. I look back at Popular Mechanics and I’m amazed at some of the things I got to do. It was a great way to learn outside of the classroom.

What’s your favourite memory of the series?
I think going on an aircraft carrier. It was just so special at the time because no one had done it yet, especially a children’s show. It was absolutely fascinating.

How did you make the decision to move to LA at 17?
I just went with my gut feeling and thought that if I care this much about what I’m doing, then maybe there are opportunities elsewhere and I’d be stupid not to give it a try. Obviously I was 17 about to be 18 and my parents thought I was out of my mind. I remember convincing them that if it didn’t work out I’d come back in six months and go back to school. And it worked out. I wound up getting a role on 24.

Did 24 happen right away?
It actually happened right at the end. I gave myself that six-month period and I believe it was on my second-to-last week that I got the show.

Were you almost ready to come home?
Yeah, I had my ticket and everything.

When I watch 24 I can’t help but think that it must really suck to not have any costume changes for an entire season.
Yeah. At the time, Sex and the City was in its prime and I remember thinking, “God, those girls are so lucky! They get to wear all these different outfits and I’m stuck in the same thing for ten months”. A lot of times I would think – because we were on Fox – “I feel like one of the Simpsons! I’m constantly wearing the same outfit.”

The Girl Next Door was your first lead in a Hollywood film. Did you worry that you’d be typecast as a sex symbol?
I recall people saying that I shouldn’t do the movie because it was risky and sort of one of those typical teen films about a girl who was all about T&A. I remember reading the script and thinking that there was a hell of a lot more to the movie than that. I knew that if I got the opportunity to make the film, I would try my hardest to make my character true to the script. Luke Greenfield, the director, sat down with me to discuss the film and he had the same ideas. The male audience will be there no matter what, but there would be no reason for a female audience to go unless we gave my character some sort of heart and made it obvious that she wants to get out of her situation of being a porn star. With the right rewrites, we made that character happen. I love that movie and I’m so proud of it. It might not be the most complicated film in the world, but it was the perfect time for me to go “Hey guys, I’m not just a boring run-of-the-mill actress, and I can make this movie work.”

When do you think you reached sex-symbol status?
I did everything necessary to promote the film at that time – the Maxims and the FHMs were in the right league for that character. I don’t know if I’d necesseraly go back and do them all again, but just doing the cover of FHM helped me. I walked into the meeting with Luke and said, “I know right now you’re seeing one thing, but I can look sexy” [laughs], and I showed him the cover. He was like, “Okay, cool. Let’s make that the look then.”

Does it bother you or can you work with it?
It’s definitely a side of me – deep down.

You were in the Weezer video for the song “Perfect Situation”. Are you a fan of the band?
Yeah, especially after working with them. They’re a great bunch of guys.

How did they approach you to do it?
I know Brian [Bell], the guitarist, was a fan of some of my work, which was really nice. The director, Mark Webb, had this treatment in mind [for the video] that there would be a lead female singer of the band before Weezer became Weezer, and I guess they collectively thought of me, which was really great. They gave me a call and I was into it.

You got to play a crazy rocker who’s really extreme. What kind of antics did you throw into the video?
I remember just sort of thinking I’m not going to get to do this too, too often, so I just went crazy and threw alcohol around. I was acting ridiculous and screaming at everybody and throwing a fit. And I also got to perform a lot of the song, too, which was great. The guys helped me get over my fear.

Did you ever consider music as career possibility?
Never, actually. I thought, what a geat way to play somebody whos’s in the mix of all that.

What kind of music do you like?
I’m sort of all over the map as far as music goes. I like everything from from hip hop to classic rock.

What’s the last concert you saw?
Dolly Parton, actually [laughs].

I love Dolly. Tell me a little bit about your upcoming film The Quiet.
It’s a film about women and their struggles and how they turn out in the end. My character was sexually molested by her father. It’s a really deep, dark artsy film. I thought that the script was well written and I appreciated the movie and wanted to see it get made. [Cuthbert is both star and producer].

What was it like to work with Paris Hilton on House of Wax? Is she the party girl everyone says she is?
She’s definitely the party girl that everyone sees. The one thing I appreciate about Paris is what you see is what you get. Every time I see her in the public eye or see her around, she is the same girl who I actually know. I think that is really amazing. She’s honest to God who she is and she doesn’t do things that she doesn’t want to do. If she says “It’s hot”, it’s because she really says that. It’s sort of an amazinf thing to witness, to see the honesty and the absurdity that she is. But it’s really her and it’s fascinating. I can understand why people are interested in her. She’s a very sweet girl.

You’re staying in Hollywood permanently. Are there things you miss about Montreal?
With friends and family in Montreal, it’s always in the back of my mind. I like going back. I miss the nightlife. It’s such a great city. I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, and I’m sure I’m biased because I grew up there, but I love it.

Do you have any favourite places as far as the nightlife goes.
Where do we go? I guess St-Laurent Blvd. is pretty much where I like to hang out.

Ar you still able to keep in touch with people back home?
Yeah. It’s heard because you get into your routine of being somewhere else and you focus on other things. It’s somewhat selfish to think that if you slow down it’s going to stop. That’s what I’m trying to work on now anyway.

How would you describe your perfect Saturday night?
God, it’s always different, really. I guess food. I like going to dinner and hanging out with friends if I’m not working or too busy.

What would you say is the most Canadian thing about you that sets you apart in LA?
I say Kraft dinner instead of Makaroni and Cheese.

Are you a hockey fan?
Yeah, huge hockey fan. I follow it and I have season tickets to the Kings. It’s just one of those things that’s been a part in my life since I was a kid.

What would you say is the biggest misconception of you?
I don’t have a twin sister. I’ve seen that around. I’m the oldest of three and I’m not a twin.

Where you a foot model?
Yeah, that’s true.

What makes a perfect foot model? It’s kind of weird career.
When I was younger I was the sample size, so it just happened to work out.

Do you have any regrets as far as life and career go?
No, I feel really content with myself and what I’ve done at this point. I know there’s a lot more to be done and that’s what my mind is focused on. But I’m actually really happy

Credit/Source: Strut Magazine
Special thanks to "Dovile loveb"