http://www.menasuvarifan.com

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Teen Wire - September 13 2001
http://www.teenwire.com/infocus/articles/if_20010913p123.asp
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INTERVIEW WITH MENA SUVARI
Written by Zack Medicoff

Being a Hollywood celebrity has its benefits — money, fame, access, and most of all, prestige. It looks like 24/7 fun, but there's a lot more to it than just showing up at the A-list party clad in your favorite Versace. And for Mena Suvari, the 22-year-old star who recently married 39-year-old cinematographer Robert Brinkmann, it's just another day at the office.

It has taken Mena a lot of hard work and perseverance to get where she is today. Since she started acting around the Los Angeles circuit in 1994, the young woman from Rhode Island has gone from being unknown, landing an occasional sitcom appearance, to one of Hollywood's most sought after young stars. Now, as part of her acting career, which Mena takes quite seriously, she is enjoying the action-packed world of shooting films in faraway places, changing plans at the last moment, and having little personal time.

"I have no idea what's going to happen to me in a month or two. . . . [My] life is so spontaneous," she said. "I still consider myself very lucky, because there are a lot of people for whom it took five years just to get a commercial."

The August release of American Pie 2, in which Mena is featured alongside funny-guy Jason Biggs, added to her luster as one of this year's biggest stars. That's a long way from her first acting job in a Rice-a-Roni® commercial at age 15. Since then, Mena has performed small parts on television, done commercials for Pizza Hut®, portrayed a suicide in The Rage: Carrie 2, acted as a cheerleader in last year's Sugar and Spice, and played a struggling college student in Loser.

Even though she's made it big, Mena isn't afraid to hear criticism and thinks it's important to get feedback in order to evolve as an actress. "Sometimes you could be doing something that you could be doing a little bit better, and somebody could help you out by telling you that one day," she said. "I think that sometimes you can correct something early in life by listening to what somebody else is telling you instead of taking 10 years and learning it on your own."

Mena keeps a very open mind, and she's always willing to try something new. "I try to choose roles that are different. I try to look for variety and diversity in the emotions of the characters, their everyday lives, and the trials they go through. I've never played in a period piece. That would be nice to do, but you know, I'm pretty much open to trying anything."

Although Mena began acting when she was still a teenager, she always kept her feet firmly planted on the ground. Instead of hoping for a big break at an early age, she created a balance between high school and acting, and always made sure she had something to fall back on academically if acting didn't work out. But, of course, it did.