Link:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/entertainment/emov061804d.htm

Moore steps out of pop-star shadows in `Saved!'

Friday, June 18, 2004

By AMY LONGSDORF
For the Courier-Post


A few years ago, Mandy Moore was a pop singer who always seemed to
be in the shadow of Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera and Jessica
Simpson.

Today, she's at the helm of a burgeoning film career that allows her
to mix commercial projects such as January's Chasing Liberty with
more offbeat films such as Saved!, which opened last weekend to
positive reviews and surprisingly solid business.

Does Moore ever ask herself, "How did I get here?"

"Yes, all the time," she says. "I feel incredibly lucky to have been
able to do Saved!, in particular. It was my first indie movie, and
everyone involved with it was there for all the right reasons. It's
my favorite of my films."

A black comedy set at a Christian high school, Saved! stars Jena
Malone as Mary, a teen who hopes to "cure" her boyfriend of his
burgeoning homosexuality by sleeping with him. She succeeds only in
getting pregnant. Soon, she's questioning her faith, a move that
brings disapproval from her best friend, the Bible-thumping Hilary
Faye.

Moore insists the movie, which was produced by R.E.M.'s Michael
Stipe, is not a satire of the Christian Right, but an affectionate
salute to the importance of having a belief system.

"I don't think that this film is controversial at all," she
says. "At the end of the day, it has something really human to say
about faith. It's a comedy. You're supposed to laugh. But I don't
think that we're making fun of any particular group of people. My
character has her heart in a really good place, but she's just a
little overzealous about things."

Earlier this year, Moore, 20, split from tennis superstar Andy
Roddick. The singer, who lives in Los Angeles with her folks, claims
she's happy to be single again. "I'm good, yeah," she says when
asked how she's handling the breakup. "Life is good. I've always
been independent."ADVERTISEMENT - CLICK TO ENLARGE OR VISIT WEBSITE


Next up for Moore is Romance and Cigarettes, a musical co-starring
Kate Winslet, James Gandolfini and John Turturro.

"We're doing songs by Bruce Springsteen and James Brown," reports
the singer. "I get to perform Bow Wow Wow's `I Want Candy.' It's
been so much fun."

And what does Moore make of Monica Lewinksky saying she'd love the
singer to play her in an upcoming HBO movie?

"I'm definitely very flattered," says Moore. "I don't know if I can
see it. I'm a pretty modest girl. I don't think that I'd be going
down that road any time soon. But I'll take it as a compliment
anyway."