Alicia Silverstone is one of the biggest emblems of the '90s. The actress remains one of the most towering figures of the era, appearing on Aerosmith music videos and starring in "Clueless," one of the most beloved Hollywood movies of all time.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Silverstone discussed her career, including the pressures of starring in a film like "Clueless," which captured the zeitgeist of the era.
Still, the film's success left an imprint on her as a performer. "Before 'Clueless,' I was much more intuitive and playful and had more confidence about what I was doing. And I think after 'Clueless,' for a minute I got a little stressed and made it more intellectual or something. I had about three or four years of this strange feeling," said Silverstone.
"Acting is important to me, but I have taken breaks from it at times, and then come back to it because I loved it so much. I've figured out that you can do all the things."
Why 'Clueless' remains one of Hollywood's most beloved movies
Silverstone is aware of how beloved "Clueless" is and how lucky she was to be a part of it, even when the studios didn't want to get it made.
"Amy had to fight to get this made. All the studios said, 'We're not making a movie with a young girl as the lead. It's going to fail,'" she said, referring to Amy Heckerling, the movie's writer and director. "I really think that it's magic in a bottle."
"You don't get that often, and none of us could have thought that that was going to happen. But I think it was the combination of Mona [May]'s costume design, Amy's brilliant writing and directing, and I think that it's funny and charming. And Jane Austen's Emma isn't too shabby either," she said, referencing the original source material, which is Austen's 1815 novel "Emma."
While 30 years have passed, "Clueless" lives on. Earlier this year, it was announced that a sequel TV show was in development, with Silverstone attached to star. Few details have been released, but the original team that made it is involved with it in some capacity.
“I’m really excited about it. I think we’re going to try really hard. The goal is to make it honor what everyone loves about Clueless and Cher," she said on the TODAY show. "So we want to honor that, but also bring something fresh and new to it. I’m confident that we’ll be able to do that, but we’re in baby stages right now.”