Christina Applegate: Pop Goes Christina

Q: How hard is it not to start dancing when your phone rings?

A: I always do. I have a lot of different rings. My husband's is "Lips Like Sugar" by Echo & the Bunnymen.

Q: That makes sense. Did you know when you first met that you and Johnathon were meant to be together?

A: When we shook hands, my heart skipped a beat. [Director] Gregg Araki, who introduced us, said he thought Johnathon was interested in me, but I had just gotten out of a relationship and I was pissed off and hated men. So I was like, "If the guy wants me, he'll find me." Three weeks later, Gregg calls and says, "Guess who found you?" Seven years later, here we are.

Q: Say Johnathon is out of town for a while. Which of his movies would you pop in to get a fix?

A: Probably The Doom Generation. Right after we went on our first date, my sister and I had a little Johnathon film festival and watched every movie that he was in over a weekend. In Doom Generation there's a shot of just his face and his lips and my sister hit "pause" and said, "If you don't go out with him again, I'm going to kick your ass."

Q: What was it like working with Ben Affleck on Surviving Christmas?

A: He's very silly on set. I just wanted him to be quiet so I could work. There's something specific he did that made me laugh but it would ruin his reputation.

Q: If I give you a flat-screen TV, will you tell me?

A: [laughs] OK, they were doing an insert shot of a briefcase or something, and Ben just decided to put his stuff on the briefcase. He would always be doing things like that: mooning, sticking his tongue in the director's ear. He's very goofy. I just adore him.

Q: What's something you would like to do in a movie that you haven't done yet?

A: I want to break shit. I want to really go off on a room, just flip out and have it all be documented on film.

Q: You're making your Broadway debut next year, starring in a revival of Sweet Charity. Is that a dream come true?

A: Yes. When I was a young dancer, I wrote a paper when I was in school about how I wanted to be a triple threat on Broadway. Then I kind of let go of the fantasy and here it is. It just sort of came into my life. Now my friends call me Tracy Flick [the overachiever played by Reese Witherspoon in Election] because I am in dance classes and voice lessons practically every day.

Q: Are you excited about living in New York for a while?

A: Yes. When I was a kid, I just loved the smell of the subway. I can walk down the stairs and get that whiff--I don't care if it's urine or whatever--and it excites me in an all-over-the-body kind of way. There's something so erotic to me about it. Maybe erotic is the wrong word [laughs].

Q: How long are you committed to doing the play for?

A: Seven months. I gotta have a baby. The clock is ticking.

Q: What kind of mother do you think you'll be?

A: I'm going to be a 1950's mom, I have a feeling. I'm going to be Tipper Gore. I met her not long ago and I actually thanked her for what she did, putting the warnings on CDs so parents have an option. She looked at me like, "Are you serious?" There's so much more to shelter kids from today. There's Girls Gone Wild telling women: "Don't have respect for yourself, your body or your family. Just flash your tits."

Q: Hollywood is obsessed with youth, weight and beauty. How hard is it not to buy into all that?

A: There is pressure, and anyone who tells you that they don't buy into it is full of it because we do. During Married...with Children it was torture to have to look good because I'm not a naturally thin person. I love food and I had to kind of give that up in order to fit in the clothes and that really messed me up for a long time.

Q: In the current climate of media paranoia, post Nipplegate, it's interesting to look back at Married...with Children, which was very controversial at the time. What was it like being part of something like that?

A: I was always the rebel so I enjoyed every bit of it. I mean, I was the girl who shaved her head at 13. You've got to shake things up, man.

Q: Where do you think Kelly Bundy is now?

A: Hmmm. She did a stint in Vegas thinking she was going to be a showgirl but she ended up just being a cocktail waitress. Now she's back living at home.

Q: What advice would you give to a young actress who's just breaking out?

A: Don't believe what people say, the good and bad, and have a private life. If you're doing it because you love being an artist, you're going in the right direction, but I think most people are doing it for the money and fame and that can be so easily taken away from you. People see these horrifying shows on television that just glorify money.

Q: Like The Fabulous Life of So and So...

A: Right. See how they get you with that? This person has a fabulous life. Your life sucks balls. They've got a jet; you don't even have a car. I mean, I watch them and start to feel bad about my life.

Q: What showbiz turns of phrase are you fed up with? I think I've had it with "Let's think outside the box."

A: Anything to do with heat, like "You're going to ride the heat," or, "That guy's got a lot of heat on him right now." The heat thing really makes me want to seriously throw shit.

Q: The funny thing is, you have a lot of heat on you right now. You could be riding the heat as we speak.

A: Maybe I am.

Q: So how does it feel?

A: It feels hot [laughs]. Hmmm...sizzle!

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