The consensus was that the Purvis, Mississippi-born onetime beauty contest winner was one of the finest young actresses of her generation. She had the world by the tail. But Chabert knew that her breakout success came with a seeming expiration date.

“I knew it could all change after I grew up, which was something I really couldn’t avoid,” Chabert, who turned 27 on September 30, recalls. “When you transition from being a child actor to an adult actor, it’s rife with a lot of challenges. Most of it stems from trying to convince people you can still act. It’s like reintroducing yourself.”

That Chabert has made the leap to more adult roles with a rare smoothness is underscored by the fact she’s no longer typecast as either the “Party of Five” kid or the catty teen from the seminal 2004 flick, “Mean Girls.”

Case in point: The new Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Elevator Girl,” which premieres Saturday, February 13 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C). It finds Chabert playing the free-spirited, artsy spark plug to Ryan Merriman’s driven workaholic lawyer. In the romantic comedy, she’s one of the servers at a party honoring Merriman’s character, and unlikely sparks fly when they get trapped together in an elevator during the event.

“Oh my God, I had so much fun making this movie!” Chabert gushes. “First off, Ryan is just a total sweetheart. He’s so sweet and funny and humble and good at what he does. He’s just a breath of fresh air in a business where sometimes I find that the guy takes longer in hair and makeup than I do.”

It turns out that when Chabert hung out in a trailer during the “Elevator Girl” shoot, it was to babysit her three Chihuahuas named Teacup, Teaspoon and, uh, Kitty (“Because when she was a puppy, everyone thought she was a kitten,” she adds). It turns out her dog walker took ill during the shoot.

“They’re my kids,” Chabert offers. “I swear I’m not one of these actresses who takes their dogs everywhere!”

The only anxious moment that Chabert says she had while making “Elevator Girl” came, bizarrely, during the first day of shooting. As she describes it, she was walking by a pool during what was “a sweet scene,” and all she would think was “Don’t trip, don’t trip.”

“So of course, during the last take, I’m walking along and the next thing I know my face is planted on the ground,” she remembers. “Not only did I slip, but I flew through the air and then slid like 20 feet. Everyone was just like deadly silent. I stayed down for a full minute because I was so mortified. I bruised my knee up pretty bad. But I have to say, it really broke the ice on the set in a cool way.”

Fortunately, Chabert’s career took no similar dives following her early splash. She notes, “I had to go through everything on that show – my first kiss, my first bra, everything.” But she was able to land plum voice roles on “Family Guy” (she played Meg Griffin in the show’s first incarnation) and on the toon series “The Wild Thornberrys” in the late ‘90s.

Then the exposure in “Mean Girls” helped to serve as a bridge between juvenile and grown-up for Chabert, as did a much-acclaimed star turn in the 2004 made-for-TV movie “The Brooke Ellison Story.”

It had all started for her back in the early 1990s when Chabert was a finalist on “Star Search,” followed by a two-year run on Broadway as the young Cossette in a production of “Les Miserables.”

“The bar was set for me pretty high from the beginning,” she believes. “I mean, I’m in this amazing Broadway show, then a Golden Globe-winning drama. I was very blessed. I’m so thankful for all of those different experiences.

“But it was also really weird, so backward compared to most of my peers in the industry who were coming out of college trying to get their first job. Instead, I was encountering typecasting issues and trying to convince people I could be whatever character they wanted me to be. For a while, all I was offered were ‘Mean Girls’-type parts.”

Now that she’s continuing to move past the career hurdle that was growing up, the gracious and polite Chabert is able to keep more of an eye on the future. She’s taking to optioning books and other properties to star in and produce herself.

“I’m not sure of the path I’ll be going on from here,” Chabert admits, “but my goal is to take more control of what’s ahead for me now that I’m an adult. I really want to be more collaborative and creative in making my own opportunities.”

She’s also devoting more time than ever to her lifelong hobby of photography. “But I like to use real film, not digital,” Chabert notes.

And what of her personal life? Chabert respectfully offers that she’s dedicated to keeping her private life private, which is why you don’t see much written about her in the tabloids.

“They still manage to make stuff up about me,” she quickly adds. “One time, they had me dating Jared Leto, and I’ve never even met him to this day. I find that whole world very unpleasant. I’m not a party girl. I love life and I love to have fun, but not on the club circuit. That just isn’t me.”

When pressed, Chabert will acknowledge there is a special man in her life. But that’s as much as she will divulge. However, when she’s talking about the “Elevator Girl” storyline, the romantic inside her pops through.

“The script was really cute and fresh,” she says, “and its whole idea of finding a magical connection with someone and having to pursue it really resonated with me. These people live in different worlds and have different lives, but they can’t ignore what they’re feeling.

“I think the lesson is never to judge a book by its cover. And I’m a big believer.”

“Elevator Girl” premieres Saturday, February 13 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C).

From All Your TV

Lacey Chabert stars in the Hallmark orginal movie Elevator GirlIn the original Hallmark movie Elevator Girl, Chabert’s character becomes stuck in an elevator with Ryan Merriman’s career-driven lawyer.

Chabert eventually escapes the elevator prison only to discover she’s working an event honoring Merriman as a server. Sparks fly, romantic and otherwise. Expect anything less from the child star that mastered the melodramatic mastery of Party of Five and Mean Girls? Hardly!

Going up, Lacey Chabert?

Lacey Chabert: Hi Joel, this is Lacey Chabert.

SheKnows: Hey! How are you?

Lacey Chabert: I’m good, how are you doing?

SheKnows: I’m doing fantastic. How am I finding you on this fine day?

Lacey Chabert: I’m trying to clean up my place a little bit and I’m getting ready to go on an audition — all that exciting stuff (laughs).

SheKnows: That does sound exciting. Do you still get nerves before auditions?

Lacey Chabert: You know what’s funny? I really do. It’s kind of an exciting nervous. It’s not a panicking nervous. I put my heart and soul in to all of these auditions. My goal is leaving the room knowing I did exactly what I wanted to do. There’s nothing worse than getting in you car and going, “That’s what I wanted to do.” Sometimes, I just want to tell them, could you watch me in my car. I’m really good in my car!

We both laugh.

SheKnows: Exactly. I’m sure singers feel that way on auditions like many of those American Idol contestants. “Could you just listen to me in the shower?”

Lacey Chabert: (Laughing) You know, I love what I do so I get excited about every job like it’s the first one. But, you are putting yourself out there and it’s a very vulnerable thing. They’re either going to love it or hate it. At the end of the day, you have to just let it go.

SheKnows: …and just be true to yourself.

Lacey Chabert: That’s right! Be true to yourself and go with your instincts and if it’s not you’re thing, there’s not much you can do about it.

SheKnows: Well, you’re instincts have done you well thus far.

Lacey Chabert: Ah, thank you.

SheKnows: That’s just one reason it is such a pleasure to speak to you today for your Hallmark movie. Talk about a cultural icon…

Lacey Chabert: Oh, thank you! It was so nice to be involved. I’ve never done a Hallmark movie before.

SheKnows: How did you find that? I’ve talked to many actors and actresses who find the Hallmark movie shoot simply so pleasurable. And these are also performers who come back to Hallmark quite often.

Lacey Chabert: I would do another one, absolutely. I was a really fun, positive experience. The script was really charming. Working with Ryan Merriman was really fun because we have a lot in common. We were both child actors. We shared a lot of stories about being young and growing up in the industry. I enjoyed it, nothing but good things.

SheKnows: What aspects of your character did you most enjoy wrapping your head around?

Lacey Chabert: I like that she is a free spirited woman who doesn’t want to be tied down to one thing. She really explores all facets of life. That was a great character to play because it’s something that makes her charming and also holds her back. She has this almost fear of commitment and making a decision she’s going to regret. Throughout the film she has to grow up in realize at some point in life you do have to make decisions.
Further elevating Chabert’s career

SheKnows: The premise of Elevator Girl is quite unique in the sense of how this romance begins. Not many romantic comedies place their main characters stuck in an elevator. This is a situation that most people dread, but getting stuck in an elevator worked out pretty well for your character.

Lacey Chabert: That’s right. It’s a nice. I like what it says about love at first sight. When you do meet someone and there’s that attraction that you really can’t deny and there’s this instant connection — that spark — is something every woman should explore.

SheKnows: You mentioned starring opposite another former child actor. What you do think it is, there are so many pratfalls along the way, but you have maintained a real steady head over the years.

Lacey Chabert: Oh, goodness.

SheKnows: It may be hard for you to quantify.

The Party of FiveLacey Chabert: (Giggles) It is, having my family, having my parents be really protective of me as a kid is something a I look back on and have great appreciation for — I know they sheltered me a lot when it comes to certain things that could have led me down the wrong path. Just really loving what I do, even when I was a kid and go to the set, I loved it. I loved reading a script. I loved running my lines. I just wanted to do the best job I could. It’s the way I go about my work now. I think I was so focused on doing good work. Especially being a part of Party of Five, that was such a long-running experience. I just wanted to make everyone there proud. I was focused on the work, and school was really important. I had friends outside of the business. I think that had something to do with it

SheKnows: Also, if you look at the cast of Party of Five, sure Matthew (Fox) and Scott (Wolf) were older, but none of you ran into those young actor troubles.

Lacey Chabert: No, they’re all such lovely people. I’m so grateful that was the show I grew up with — that group of people. Because when you’re around someone that much, you can’t help but be influenced by them. I’m so grateful they were all people of such character. They taught me good things.

SheKnows: I think for you, it would be a proud achievement to…I was thinking about this the other day, that not too many ensemble casts – each member of that cast goes on to have a very significant career on their own. That is the cast with Party of Five with Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Scott Wolf, you and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Lacey Chabert: Thanks! I guess that’s true (laughs).

SheKnows: You bet it’s true! That must have been such a rich environment.

Lacey Chabert: It was, I watched Matthew last night on Lost. One of my favorite shows!

SheKnows: Love it!

Lacey in Mean GirlsLacey Chabert: Love it! OK, I’m so confused though.

We both laugh.

Lacey Chabert: I need answers!

SheKnows: We could talk about Lost for a year.

Lacey Chabert: Sorry, yes. I agree. Yes, back to Party of Five, it was a good show. The writing was good. The characters were really solid and we all challenged each other and helped each other. I feel each week everyone brought their absolute best. It was so exciting when the show got recognized by the Golden Globes (Best Drama). I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

SheKnows: Yeah, I was very excited about the show’s success. I went to George Washington with Scott (Wolf).

Lacey Chabert: Oh my gosh! What a small world.

SheKnows: A small world indeed as I am now talking to you. And…has he not changed a bit?

Lacey Chabert: Not at all.

SheKnows: Lastly, if you were stuck in an elevator with anyone living or dead, just to pick their brain. Who would it be?

Lacey Chabert: I’ve been thinking about this and it would be Natalie Wood.

SheKnows: Oh, wow. Brilliant!

Lacey Chabert: Just because I think she had such a special presence and magic on screen that not many people have been able to capture since. I would love to talk to her.

From She Knows

Just in time for Valentine’s, “Elevator Girl” tells the story of a free-spirited waitress, played by Chabert, who has a chance meeting with a young hotshot lawyer (Ryan Merriman) when they both find themselves stuck in an elevator. Sparks fly between the two but their differences soon become very apparent. But Chabert says she was attracted to the new romantic comedy which is all about how opposites attract.

CNS: What was it like working on your first Hallmark Channel movie, “Elevator Girl”?

LC: I was just really attracted to the story and the characters. Working with Ryan Merriman was really fun, and I think we have a lot in common since we both grew up in this business. I was excited to work with the director, Bradford May. He brought a lot of energy to the set and was really open to us making the characters our own. I thought the story was really relatable and something people would enjoy watching.

CNS: I got to watch some of “Elevator Girl” and it seemed like your most mature role yet. Did you think so too?

LC: Definitely. It was definitely a more grown-up character, but at the same time she’s also kind-of childlike in the way that she has little focus in life and doesn’t know what drives her other than just enjoying the moment. But then she meets Jonathan, who is overly driven, a lawyer, just the opposite of her. But they learn from each other and they meet each other in the middle.

CNS: Is that something you can relate to? Unlike your pal Jennifer Love Hewitt, who I can probably run down who she’s dated in the past five years, I can’t think of any of your relationships. Do you usually date outside the business?

LC: I’ve always kept that part of my life private because dating and relationships are hard enough without the judgment of the world. But I’ve never actually dated anyone famous. I’m not saying I would never date an actor because you can’t help who you fall in love with. But I’m in a relationship now and he’s really understanding because the life that I lead isn’t always the most convenient when jobs come up the way they do. It takes a very special person to be that patient and understanding.

CNS: “Mean Girls” is probably still one of the most quoted comedies amongst young people. Have you been able to see the impact that it’s had?

LC: When I got that part, I was so excited to work with Tina Fey and Mark Waters and I knew it would be great but I never had any idea that it would catch on as much as it did. People stop me at least a few times a week to quote lines from the movie or talk about it and it makes me so happy that people enjoyed it so much and find it so funny.

CNS: Your “Mean Girls” co-star, Jonathan Bennett, also appears with you in “Elevator Girl.” What was that like?

LC: We just did another film together too, “Slightly Single in L.A.,” and we’re talking about doing another project together. We’ve become really good friends. He’s like a brother to me. “Elevator Girl” was such a surprise that we got to work together again. I love him. He’s so funny and such a good friend.

CNS: That must be like finding out a friend has the same class as you on the first day of school.

LC: Yes! That’s exactly what it’s like (laughing). It’s so comforting.

CNS: Tell me about “Slightly Single in L.A.” It sounds like another great role.

LC: We just finished shooting that before Christmas. That was a fun role for me. I felt like that character was like the closest character that I’ve played to myself. The movie, from writer/director Christie Will who is so talented, is all about dating in L.A. and being in the business. It was a really fun role for me. I had a lot of fun filming it.

CNS: Did you not think when Taylor Swift won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards that she should have broken off a piece for Lady Gaga and a piece for Beyonce?

LC: No! That was her moment. She definitely deserved it.

CNS: What about a piece for Gretchen Wieners?

LC: (Laughing) Oh! Definitely. Yes. She would love that piece of plastic.

“Elevator Girl” starring Lacey Chabert premieres Saturday, February 13th at 9pm/8pm Central on Hallmark Channel.

From All Headline News

The consensus was that the Purvis, Mississippi-born onetime beauty contest winner was one of the finest young actresses of her generation. She had the world by the tail. But Chabert knew that her breakout success came with a seeming expiration date.

“I knew it could all change after I grew up, which was something I really couldn’t avoid,” Chabert, who turned 27 on September 30, recalls. “When you transition from being a child actor to an adult actor, it’s rife with a lot of challenges. Most of it stems from trying to convince people you can still act. It’s like reintroducing yourself.”

That Chabert has made the leap to more adult roles with a rare smoothness is underscored by the fact she’s no longer typecast as either the “Party of Five” kid or the catty teen from the seminal 2004 flick, “Mean Girls.”

Case in point: The new Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Elevator Girl,” which premieres 9 p.m. Saturday. It finds Chabert playing the free-spirited, artsy spark plug to Ryan Merriman’s driven workaholic lawyer. In the romantic comedy, she’s one of the servers at a party honoring Merriman’s character, and unlikely sparks fly when they get trapped together in an elevator during the event.

“Oh my God, I had so much fun making this movie!” Chabert gushes. “First off, Ryan is just a total sweetheart. He’s so sweet and funny and humble and good at what he does. He’s just a breath of fresh air in a business where sometimes I find that the guy takes longer in hair and makeup than I do.”

The only anxious moment that Chabert says she had while making “Elevator Girl” came, bizarrely, during the first day of shooting. As she describes it, she was walking by a pool during what was “a sweet scene,” and all she would think was “Don’t trip, don’t trip.”

“So of course, during the last take, I’m walking along and the next thing I know my face is planted on the ground,” she remembers. “Not only did I slip, but I flew through the air and then slid like 20 feet. Everyone was just like deadly silent. I stayed down for a full minute because I was so mortified. I bruised my knee up pretty bad. But I have to say, it really broke the ice on the set in a cool way.”

Fortunately, Chabert’s career took no similar dives following her early splash.

“I had to go through everything on that show — my first kiss, my first bra, everything,” she said.

But she was able to land plum voice roles on “Family Guy” (she played Meg Griffin in the show’s first incarnation) and on the toon series “The Wild Thornberrys” in the late ’90s.

Then the exposure in “Mean Girls” helped to serve as a bridge between juvenile and grown-up for Chabert, as did a much-acclaimed star turn in the 2004 made-for-TV movie “The Brooke Ellison Story.”

It had all started for her back in the early 1990s when Chabert was a finalist on “Star Search,” followed by a two-year run on Broadway as the young Cossette in a production of “Les Miserables.”

“The bar was set for me pretty high from the beginning,” she believes. “I mean, I’m in this amazing Broadway show, then a Golden Globe-winning drama. I was very blessed. I’m so thankful for all of those different experiences.

“But it was also really weird, so backward compared to most of my peers in the industry who were coming out of college trying to get their first job. Instead, I was encountering typecasting issues and trying to convince people I could be whatever character they wanted me to be. For a while, all I was offered were ‘Mean Girls’-type parts.”

Now that she’s continuing to move past the career hurdle that was growing up, the gracious and polite Chabert is able to keep more of an eye on the future. She’s taking to optioning books and other properties to star in and produce herself.

“I’m not sure of the path I’ll be going on from here,” Chabert admits, “but my goal is to take more control of what’s ahead for me now that I’m an adult. I really want to be more collaborative and creative in making my own opportunities.”

And what of her personal life? Chabert respectfully offers that she’s dedicated to keeping her private life private, which is why you don’t see much written about her in the tabloids.

When pressed, Chabert will acknowledge there is a special man in her life. But that’s as much as she will divulge. However, when she’s talking about the “Elevator Girl” storyline, the romantic inside her pops through.

“The script was really cute and fresh,” she says, “and its whole idea of finding a magical connection with someone and having to pursue it really resonated with me. These people live in different worlds and have different lives, but they can’t ignore what they’re feeling.

“I think the lesson is never to judge a book by its cover. And I’m a big believer.”

From The Daily News Online

Lacey Chabert: Still Totally Fetch

Most of us grew up watching a young Lacey Chabert go toe-to-toe with Matthew Fox and Neve Campbell on the long-running TV drama Party of Five. Or perhaps she’s better known as Gretchen Wieners, famous for having a father who invented toaster strudel, in the hit film Mean Girls. But contrary to her character alter egos, there’s nothing dramatic or mean about Chabert. From Broadway to primetime to the big screen, Chabert, now 26, has grown up in the spotlight but is one of the few actresses in Hollywood that has managed to keep both feet firmly on the ground. This month, Chabert appears opposite Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, proving that the transition from child star to a successful adult actress doesn’t have to be a turbulent ride.

Bright and always cheerful, Chabert arrives at our shoot at West Hollywood’s Villa Lounge perfectly on time and with donuts for all. Her petite stature and sugary sweet voice make it easy to see why stardom came her way as a child, but her sexy curves and sense of maturity are clearly the mark of a young woman and established actress. After a day of donning thousand dollar evening dresses and joking with the crew between shots, Chabert settles down to fill us on her latest projects and her evolution from wide-eyed Claudia Salinger to sexy screen siren.

In her new film, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Chabert plays Sandra, a bride hoping her perfect day will go as planned while her soon-to-be brother-in-law (McConaughey) is meanwhile haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends. “I’m a paranoid bride on the verge of a nervous breakdown throughout the film, wanting her wedding to be perfect,” Chabert explains, adding she was thrilled to be teaming up with Mean Girls director Mark Waters once again. Working with Garner and McConaughey also proved to be a dream come true for Chabert. “They’re both really genuinely kind people and great actors and really professional,” she gushes. “I couldn’t ask for a better experience.”

Chabert fell in love with script and it’s touching romantic story. “It’s a really sweet story about holding onto the one that you love,” she says. So would revisiting past relationships be something Chabert would like to do if given the opportunity? Not likely. “I think I’ve learned what I’m supposed to have learned from my previous relationships. The past is better left in the past.”

Revisiting past relationships might not appeal to Ms. Chabert, but revisiting past TV shows is a different story. While Chabert is enjoying her work in film, she would consider returning to television if the right project were to come along. With all these recent TV show remakes, first 90210 and now Melrose Place, one can’t help but fantasize about a Party of Five resurrection. “Party of Six” perhaps? “I would be interested in doing it if everyone came back,” she laughs, amused by the idea. Chabert keeps in touch with her former castmates as best she can these days, mentioning that they will forever hold a special place in her heart, but it isn’t always easy amidst the fast-pace of the entertainment industry. “I haven’t spoken to Matthew in years, but I would love to get in touch with him again,” she says. “I watch him every Wednesday night on Lost – my favorite show.”

And this Broadway baby, who got her acting start playing Cosette in Les Miserables, still has a passion for musical theater. “I’ve been working on my voice and getting it back in shape so when the time comes I’m ready. Singing has always been a part of my life since I was a little kid. I’d love to be on stage again.” Who knows? Chabert may even get to combine her loves if the trend of adapting Broadway musicals into film continues, a dream she hopes will one day be a reality if given the opportunity.

“I always have to fight for the parts that I want the most, and I always have to prove to people that I can do it,” Chabert admits, adding that there is still so much she hopes to accomplish in her career. “I’d like to do something edgier, not for the sake of being dark, but to tap into a part of myself that I haven’t worked with before.” Certainly growing up as working actress is no small fete, and Chabert is nothing but grateful for the experience and the many years she was given to perfect her craft. Still, proving herself as an adult actress, and taking on more adult roles is an on-going process. “I’m just trying to be who I am now,” Chabert says. “I’m 26 years-old and not 12 anymore.”

With her family, who resides in her home state of Mississippi, keeping her grounded, Chabert continues to successfully circumvent the unfortunate pitfalls many former child stars endure. “Family is so important to me. Family keeps me grounded and reminds me what’s important in life,” she says. “As much as I love L.A., it’s easy to get consumed in the business.”