"Big Fat Liar" Co-Star Grows Up with Her New Primetime Sitcom on the WB
If you are over the age of 15, chances are that unless you have a little sister or brother (or a kid of your own) who loves Nickelodeon, you don't know who Amanda Bynes is. But don't worry-- you will soon find out.
Bynes, who can currently be seen opposite "Malcolm in the Middle" star Frankie Muniz in Universal Pictures' "Big Fat Liar," is one of the most talented teenagers working in Hollywood today. Discovered at the stand-up comedy club The Laugh Factory when she was only 10-years-old, Bynes got her start in Hollywood on the popular kid's sketch comedy show "All That." After just one season on the show, she found herself up against Tracey Ullman and Janeane Garofalo for the Cable Ace Award. However, it was Bynes' comedic timing and stage presence during one of her more well-known sketches, "Ask Ashley," that caught the attention of "All That" co-creator Dan Schneider, who not only discovered Bynes, but also wrote "Big Fat Liar."
"I remember the first major thing Amanda ever had to do was a skit called "Ask Ashley,"" Schneider recalls. "In short, it was five pages of dialogue straight into a lens. I couldn't do it, I don't think the cast of "Friends" could do it-- it's really hard. Gilda Radner could do it-- she could stare right into that lens and do four or five pages of dialogue and so can Amanda Bynes. I remember being so nervous for her cause there is only one camera. You make a mistake and you have to start over again. So if it's a four-minute bit and you do three minutes and 50 seconds and you blow it you got to go back. And she nailed it. 10-years-old, the size of a pot and she nails it."
After watching her for four years as a cast member on "All That," Schneider began to develop a show for Bynes that would allow the teenager to expand her comedic roots even further. Rather than being part of an ensemble cast, "The Amanda Show" allowed Bynes to be the star of her own variety show-- a role she was born to play. Now going into its third season, the show has not only earned Bynes two Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actress, but is also one of the most popular shows Nickelodeon's ever aired.
Like most actors though, Bynes doesn't want to be pigeonholed in Hollywood. Although she has appeared in over 18 commercials and guest starred on such popular adult TV shows like "Arli$$" and "The Drew Carey Show," Bynes wants to appeal more to an older audience. This had led the young actress to make a difficult decision in her life--to end her own show.
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