marks Jessica Simpson's feature film debut, and for her, making it hasn't been without its nerve-wracking moments. Since landing the part of the flirtatious, scantily clad Daisy Duke, Simpson has double-timed it on the treadmill, daily. Then there's the whole acting thing, for which she diligently prepared – despite the fact that many of her lines weren't final until the day of shooting. And most imposing of all was her first day of shooting, arriving on the set in her "Daisy Dukes" and acting in her first scene ever with Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott. Down in Louisiana filming The Dukes of Hazzard, IGN FilmForce's Steve Head and a group of journalists spoke with Simpson about bringing Daisy Duke back into the public eye.
Q: Are you planning to do a duet with Willie Nelson, or is that just a rumor?
JESSICA SIMPSON:
That started out as a rumor. It was something that I wanted to do and I didn't know that he wanted to do it. But he asked me on set the other day to sing with him, so we're trying to find the best song to do and we'll be recording that.
No, I have no clue. I might be singing with him this weekend.
Q: You guys wouldn't be doing the theme song?
SIMPSON:
No, he did that by himself. You don't want me on the theme song. (She laughs)
Q: Did you find jumping into acting with your very first movie very difficult?
SIMPSON:
You know, I thought it was going to be a lot harder, but I think just the atmosphere, the cast, John and Seann and the director, Jay [Chandrasekhar], everybody has really made me feel very comfortable. And they're crazy anyway, so it's OK if I mess up. It's kind of cool to just go into my first movie and to have everyone open to completely just fall on your face. That's just the personality that they have and what makes them so good at what they do.
Q: We were told that you really wanted this part; why is that?
SIMPSON:
Because it was important for me to not go so far away from my persona and what people already knew me as, and you know, eventually I'll go there in acting, but for my first role I just didn't want it to be too far fetched. And I just thought that it was an amazing character. I wasn't alive when the Dukes of Hazzard was on, but I did see all the reruns and I'm from the South and the accent kind of came naturally. And there's just something about this all-American girl thing that I wanted to keep giving people.
Q: Did your experience working on your TV show with cameras around you all the time make the transition to acting in front of the movie camera easier?
SIMPSON:
I don't even notice the camera anymore, so I think that's one of the positive things about having a crew around all the time, it's that they'll be in your face and you won't even know that they're there – which is kind of scary, but it's good in getting used to being an actress.
Q: How did you prepare as an actress, you know, getting ready and starting to learn lines and that kinds of stuff ... What kind of things did you do to get into the movie?
SIMPSON:
I shoot on Thursday and I don't even know what my lines are. (She laughs) So, I'm better at just going in sitting in my hair and makeup trailer and while I'm getting my hair and makeup done just memorizing my lines right there. That way I don't rehearse them too much and it doesn't sound like I'm acting and it's more just about how I say it, instead of saying, 'Oh, I've got to say it this way here' and then it gets all confusing, and that's when I think I start trying too hard and becoming too critical of everything.
Q: You've seen your jeep. Do you have any desire to be behind the wheel of the General Lee?
SIMPSON: Well, Daisy never really was. She pretty much stayed in her jeep, and I think Bo really doesn't let many people drive the General Lee. (She laughs) But I did go to driving school, and I guess I just did it for fun because I really don't do any car tricks or stunts or anything in the movie. But they wanted me to feel comfortable driving. So I went and learned how to do reverse 180s in cop cars and all kinds of stuff. They said I caught on pretty quick.
Q: So you get to drive a cop car.
SIMPSON:
Yes, I'm driving a cop car. (She laughs)
Q: Are you and Enos going to hook-up in this movie?
Me and Enos... I definitely tease on Enos a little bit. That's kind of how I get out of a lot of situations and my cousins out of situations.
Q: Isn't that cruel to Enos?
SIMPSON:
Is it cruel? No, because she really does love him and has a place for him in her heart.
Q: But she doesn't love him love him.
SIMPSON:
I don't know. You never know. Maybe in the sequel. When it was first written they had Enos and Daisy, but I haven't read that in the new script, so...
Q: So that's not coming up in the next couple weeks?
SIMPSON:
I already had my big scenes with Enos. Most of them are in bikinis. (She laughs) Thank God those are over.
Q: You really got yourself into shape for this role; can you talk about what you did to prepare for the bikinis and the Daisy Dukes?
SIMPSON:
Immediately when I found out that I had the part I was like, 'OK, this is it.' It's the best to be able to have something to work towards, otherwise I'll stick to fried food and Taco Bell. (She laughs) But to have a goal is awesome. So I ate my last piece of chocolate cake when I found out, and ever since I've tried to cut sugar out of my diet, except fruit. But pretty much I just eat health and I work out close to two hours every day.
Q: Sticking to that?
SIMPSON:
Yeah, I'm addicted to it now. Now I actually feel better and I have so much more energy and work is so much easier. But I'm also not traveling every day of my life, which I am so used to. And that's one of the main differences in doing this movie.
Q: Did you have a choice as to what jeans you would be wearing?
SIMPSON:
Yeah, oh my god! You can't even imagine how many pants and jeans I tried on for this movie. Most of them were jeans that we just cut off and made them as short as we wanted to, which is more than probably I would wear them. (She laughs)
Q: What brand is the lucky winner?
SIMPSON:
Lucky. And then Levis are in one shot, but the main Daisy Dukes are Lucky.
Q: Have you thought about doing your own line of Daisy Duke-style jeans?
SIMPSON:
Yes! I just signed a big merchandising deal, and my mom and I are doing it together. So we're going to have a line of jeans called Britches. ... I have a perfume line out called Dessert and then cosmetics will come out and, yeah, all kind of things will come. (She laughs) But yeah, I'm hoping to do a line of jeans called Daisy Britches.
Q: I heard that you had some fun shopping while you were here and that you ended up with a lot of luggage to bring back to LA?
SIMPSON:
Yeah, you know, it's so weird for me because I like to be comfortable, but I also like to put together outfits. So, you never know what you're going to feel like that day so you don't know what to bring. And the sad thing is that my closet at home in LA is completely full. You would not know that I have like so much luggage out here. But I do. We're going to have to end up shipping things home. And it's funny what you think is cute when you go to a small town because now it's... well, I'm so used to shopping at a major designer, and what what's so great it were just so excited to go to a Target and get a new hooded sweatshirt. (She laughs)
Q: As a result of the TV show and the media attention, what do you think is the number one misconception about you that people get?
SIMPSON:
I'm definitely ditzy, and people think that about me, and that's OK. But I'm not the Anna Nicole Smith-type. (She laughs) I definitely have my stuff together. I'm just a very determined person who works very, very hard and a lot of that gets lost in the chicken and tuna comments. But that's OK, because it's done really well for me. (She laughs)
Q: I've heard that Cooter (played by David Koechner) is your first on-screen kiss.
SIMPSON:
Cooter is my first on-screen kiss. (She laughs) That was great. I really just kissed him on the cheek, and he might have tried to slip every now and then, but. And that was my first day on the set.
Q: I heard he was covered in grease, too.
SIMPSON:
He was covered in grease. Our makeup artist had to wipe it off every time. It was just a peck. (She laughs)
Q: Is the movie going to in any way involve Newlyweds?
SIMPSON:
They haven't really had clearance because you never know what MTV is going to put together. (She laughs) They could shoot a whole day and make a whole different movie out of it. So, they've come and sat in my trailer with me. And they went and did the whole car training and fight stuff with me, so you'll definitely see a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff.
Q: Do you get to do some fighting in the movie?
SIMPSON:
I do. I have to kick some ass with a pool cue. Thank god it was break-away, but it might as well have not been because I felt so bad because I don't think that people thought that I had it in me, and I ended up leaving welts on this guy's back. (She laughs) So I felt kind of bad, but Daisy kicks ass.
Q: Have you had the chance to talk with Burt Reynolds?
SIMPSON: One of my first days on set with Burt, he was so sweet, he had went out to an antique store and he bought me a ring that was a daisy and blue sapphires; he just made me feel real comfortable. I just had kind of a scene with him already. But I've a couple scenes with Willie Nelson and he's unbelievable. Both of them are great.
Q: What is the best part about Daisy's character?
SIMPSON:
That she gets everybody out of trouble. I think that's what's so fun about it is that people kind of lean on Daisy to make things happen and to use, whether it's her sexuality or her personality, it's really fun. Because you never really looked at Daisy and think she would do this. Especially when you looked at the clothes back then that she was wearing. I mean, it was so skimpy and nowadays you would go, 'Oh, God! I can't believe she wears that walking down the street.' But Daisy Duke can pull it off because she always has a smile when she does it. It's not ever anything that's too seductive.
Q: You're testing the water; where would you like to see things go?
SIMPSON:
I want to do the romantic comedies. You know, the stuff that Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts or Reese Witherspoon would choose, of course. But I also love the movies that movie you and make you cry. So, whether it's a drama, I don't know. I'm up for anything. I don't know if I'd be any good as a co*ked-out drug addict. (She laughs) That's kind of hard to identify with, but maybe one day, you never know. (She laughs)
Q: Apparently there's going to be a Daisy doll.
SIMPSON:
I don't what Warner Brothers has planned, but I know we're doing some stuff with them for sure.
Q: Has Ashley come down here to visit while you're filming?
SIMPSON:
She hasn't come down. She's actually in rehearsals right now for a tour and I'm so happy for her. She's got like a sold out tour all across the states. She's just getting ready for that. She's in voice lessons three hours a day and she's working out just getting ready for the tour. She might come out here with my mom sometime next week.
Q: There's word that Dukes producer Bill Gerber has a movie he's developing with you. He's producing it.
SIMPSON:
Yeah, it's Bill Gerber's, and he is amazing. He has been such a great connection. He was actually the first person I ever met with on The Dukes of Hazzard and it was so long ago, it was like two years ago or something. And he's just put so much behind this project. He's just one of the coolest producers I've ever been around and I wanted to do my next thing with him because he had this really great project that's very Private Benjamin/Goldie Hawn type of thing. It should be really good.
Q: And it has been mentioned that Catherine Bach (the original Daisy Duke) may appear in the film.
SIMPSON:
I've heard some rumors. You know what's really weird, my mother, she had a house for sale and my mom had no clue who it was and my mom ended up going to look at her house. And she told my mom that she heard a rumor that they wanted me for the Dukes of Hazzard and that she hopes I get I get it. I've heard a rumor about it, I hope so, but I don't know.
Q: Does this mean you won't be touring?
SIMPSON:
I'm actually going to be touring, probably this summer. Literally we have like two more weeks left of shooting and then I'm going into the studio with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and I'm working on a new record. And them I'm also doing some stuff on the soundtrack for Dukes, and then I'm going out on tour I think this summer. I'll probably be doing some fairs, and it will be kind of a cross promotion. It's never really been done before with the movie, so I'll have songs where I come out as Daisy Duke. (She laughs) Why not?!
Q: You must be getting used to the wardrobe by now.
SIMPSON:
Oh, I'm so used to it.
Q: Are you going to get to keep Daisy's Jeep Rubicon?
SIMPSON:
I'd rather have one of the General Lees. (She laughs) There's lots of those.
Q: That's Daisy, you know, she can get anything she wants.
SIMPSON:
Exactly! I'll see what I can do.
We've had so much fun just playing pool and doing karaoke and going bowling and stuff that I probably wouldn't do in Los Angeles. All of this has really brought me back to my Southern roots.
Q: What was your karaoke song?
SIMPSON:
Oh, I haven't gone up there yet. (She laughs) But my best friend's really good at "Crazy in Love." (She laughs)
Q: And Willie asked you to perform another song with him.
SIMPSON:
Willie asked me to sing a song for the wrap party, "White Lightning," George Jones.
Q: How's it been working with Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott?
SIMPSON:
Seann and Johnny are great! And I just had to give them a thank you note after my first day on set because I was so nervous. They just were funny the whole time and just crazy. And so encouraging. They would tell me how great I was after every take, even when I blew lines. They really were very encouraging, and that's really what has gotten me through this movie and through my first experience and coming out with confidence.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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