Rachel Bilson

Q1

PLAYBOY: Playing a beautiful, rich, spoiled, manipulative but lovable vixen on The O.C made you famous. You grew up not far from Orange County in a show-business family who treated you 'sort of like a princess," as you've said. Were you well cast on The O.C? BILSON: I wasn't spoiled My great­grandfather headed the trailer department at RKO Pictures, and my great-grandmother was a screenwriter. I had a great fam­ily, a normal childhood-nothing too dirty or gritty I was close to my older brother, who nicknamed me Devil Child. My par­ents divorced when I was nine, but I was still close to both of them. My mom raised me with the belief that if you really want something, try hard enough, put your energy toward it and go for it wholeheart­edly, you can achieve anything.

Q

PLAYBOY: Your character on The O.C con­stantly got into serious messes. What was the worst trouble you got into growing up? BILSON: I had some friends my par­ents didn't necessarily want me to hang around with. Everyone goes through that phase. It was a very mild thing for me I

was involved in a car accident with these people when I was 14. They were just goof­ing around in the car. a guy grabbed the steering wheel, and we went into oncom­ing traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway. I was the luckiest one in the group. I had a concussion and blacked out. so I don't remember any of it. My parents, on the other hand, do. I don't have much of a memory now. though, and I think it's because of that accident. Friends will say, "Remember when we were at this or that place?" and I'll have no recollection.

Q

PLAYBOY: Have you ever been in therapy? BILSON: I went to fewer than a handful of therapy sessions as a child, and the one thing I got out of it was that I should play with something like a Koosh ball under my school desk to help me concentrate. The activity helps me focus. If I'm having a chat with somebody by text message or IM, I get the conversation more than if I'm talking to them on the phone. It's weird, but it works. I don't have ADD per se, but I definitely have a hard time pay­ing attention for a long period of time.

Q

PLAYBOY: Your widely publicized long-term relationship with your O.C. co-star Adam Brody has ended. Has that made you think twice about whether to get romantically involved with a co-star7 BILSON: You cant help whom you fall for. I believed I would never date an actor or any­one else in the business. But you find you relate to people in the business because you're around them all the time, dealing with the same schedules, traveling all over the place. I haven't seen Adam in a while. We have mutual friends, and I hear he's working on a movie and doing well. We were together every day for four years It's hard. That per­son is your best friend, but when the rela­tionship ends you can't be friends with him. It wouldn't be the healthiest situation.

Q

PLAYBOY: Isn't a breakup with a fellow celebrity tougher because when he starts dating again you cant help seeing him on TV, in magazines and on the web? BILSON: It's brutal You have to try to ignore it. It's not like you're going to gain anything or learn anything from seeing it. right' I try to (continued on page 116)

BILSON

(continued from page 105) avoid watching those TV' shows or read­ing that stuff because if they say some­thing mean about you, what's the point? But sometimes you're going to see them no matter how hard you try not to.

Q6

playboy: Were you bummed when The O.C. was canceled, or was it a relief to get away from a failed romance? bilson: I had a good thing going with that show. Of course it's never easy dating your co-star and then having to work with him afterward, but we actu­ally got along well. It was almost nice because at least I still got to see him and sort of ease out of the relationship.

Q7

playboy: How do you react to your peers who seem to be constantly flashing their crotches, driving while high, checking in and out of rehab or crying about how the paparazzi are destroying their life? bilson: The ones who cry the most are the ones who are all up in it. There are certain times, though, when I feel bad, like when I see a picture of someone who looks as if they're having a really hard time and it's captured on film for everyone to see. That's so wrong.

Q°

playboy: How have you managed to avoid those pitfalls of fame? bilson: It blows my mind that celebrity is such a sham now. Not that I'm one of those girls who tell the press where I'm going to be at a certain hour—I totally understand that for some girls, but for me I can't fathom it. I'm not doing a pantyless crotch shot, either. I guess I need to work on not wearing so much. [laughs] But seriously, I'm in this busi­ness because of the career I want, not because of the celebrity I want.

Q9

playboy: So we shouldn't expect to see TMZ-type videos of you hitting the clubs and enjoying the perks of young Hollywood? bilson: I'm a homebody. I like to watch TV and eat junk food all day. It's nice to be able to do nothing once in a while. I don't go clubbing so much anymore. Only once in a very great while will I go out with my girl­friends. I don't read a lot because I don't retain a lot. It's hard for me. I'm good at memorizing, though. I can look at lines and remember them right before I do them.

Q

playboy: You're a turn-on for so many guys, but what exactly turns you on? bilson: The older I've gotten, I've real­ized it's not all about looks. A guy who can make me laugh—that's the biggest thing. I like a guy who can make fun of me, a guy who can put me in my place in a humorous way. I've learned I don't have a type. There are people you think you'd never be attracted to, and you end up falling in love with them. There's something nice and comforting about being in a relationship. You're known as a couple. Who doesn't want a partner? But it's also important to stand your ground and be your own person. I like to think of myself as not being co-dependent.

playboy: In an alternate universe, which male or female celebrities would you be sexually curious about? bilson: Whoa, that one's tough. I guess Angelina Jolie would be the obvious answer. She's just a beautiful, confi­dent and sexy woman. I'm not sexually attracted to women, but I can think a woman is beautiful and sexy. There's nothing wrong with that. Romantically, I've always loved Johnny Depp, even when I was a little girl. He was the first celebrity guy I had a crush on. I'd stick with him. When I was about nine or 10 years old, my mom and I were at a res­taurant and actually saw Johnny Depp eating there and I freaked out. He smiled at me. This is so silly, thinking back, but I geeked out and was like, "Mom, you have to get his autograph for me." She was too embarrassed, so she didn't. But he smiled at me, and that made my day. [laughs] And I'm sure he remembers.

Q

playboy': What's the craziest thing you've ever done in the name of love? bilson: I've impulsively gotten on a plane to go see the person I love. He knew I was coming, but it was impul­sive because we didn't have much time together. Another crazy thing was kiss­ing on a WaveRunner. 1 just thought to myself when I said that, Oh my God, they're going to print that I had sex on a WaveRunner. It was just a kiss!

Q

playboy: What are the most successful or unsuccessful things guys have done to impress you?

bilson: Somebody made me something by hand, and the time and effort he spent made it the most special thing I've ever been given. I can't say what it is. Sorry, it's too private and personal, but

it's something that means a lot to me. One year, for my birthday, a dog was given to me without my being able to pick it. I'd say that was the most unsuc­cessful, even though I loved the dog.

Q *

playboy: Your new project, Jumper, is a sci-fi flick about an abused teen who learns he can teleport. Why such a departure?

bilsoN: I play the childhood friend, the love interest of the main guy, played by Hayden Christensen. My role is impor­tant because the love story is a big part of the film. I like the character because she's no-bullshit, she really gets it, and she's the only one the hero trusts. I'm the only normal character in the movie, and I see these strange things happen­ing the same way the audience does.

Q

playboy': Do you think Christensen deserved the slamming he got for his performances in die Star Wars prequels? BILSON: He's an amazing guy and a fan­tastic actor. In those Star Wars movies I thought other people—people who are successful and Oscar-nominated— came off looking much worse than he did. But he caught a lot of shit, which really made me mad. Darth Vader is the most famous villain of all time, and even Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn't have done a better job in that role. I'm sorry. I thought Hayden did a great job, and I'll stand by that.

Q

phyboy: So we're safe in assuming you and Christensen are now a couple? bilsoN: No. I've never talked about it before, and there aren't many things you can keep private. I will say I'm happy. I feel I'm in a good place. Hayden has this whole perception around him because of stupid people. I hope Jumper does for him what he deserves. He was fantastic in Shattered Glass, and he deserves recognition.

Q

puwBOY: What are your big fears in life? bilsoN: I used to be afraid of pigeons, but I'm over that now. There is some­thing else: mushrooms. I really don't like them. It's the smell. It's like chicken marsala. I can't stand it—even the smell makes me sick. But I love cooking, and I make chicken cutlets, meat loaf, homemade pasta sauce and an amazing salad. But no mushrooms.

Q

playboy: You became famous playing a diva on TV, but you seem nothing like

that in person. What if you chose to play the diva card in real life? bilson: I don't think of myself as a Goody Two-shoes or anything, but no, I don't even process that thought for half a second. If you're in a movie or on a show that does well and gets you attention or changes your image, that's different because it's attention you've earned through your work, not by how you act offscreen.

Q19

PLAYBOY: To show a truly different side, would you ever do something as raw and nudity-friendly as, say, Monster's Ball} bilson: I wouldn't get naked for The Last Kiss. It's almost a deal breaker. The movie was rated R, and they like to put in nudity wherever they can, but I'm pretty strong willed and believe it can be avoided. I can't say there will never be a time I would do it, but I don't really want it. Movies can be sexy or sexual without showing things.

Q

playboy: Do you ever wish women go­ing after the same roles as you would take a few years off and leave you with less competition?

bilson: No. The roles I want usually go to Kirsten Dunst, Keira Knightley, Scar­lett Johansson, Natalie Portman or Kate Bosworth—even though I look younger or older than a few of them. These are all girls I respect. I think they're cute, good actresses, and I admire their fash­ion sense. It can be frustrating at times because it's as if there's a list you have to work your way up. These girls will get the offers before you do, and if they want to do those movies, you're kind of shit out of luck. I get it. I understand they were once where I am now, and my ultimate goal is to get to that point. Hopefully, I'll achieve it, but you never know.

Read the 21st question at playboy.com/21q.