 |
Chabert recently talked to PEOPLE about her break from acting, and whether she was ever a mean girl herself.
It seems like we haven't seen you much in the past few years ...
Part of that has been for a reason. I am trying to be so particular in the roles that I choose. But it is a hard transition, you know? People see you as a child, and then you are all grown up and some people don't know how to handle that.
Do people still think that you are Claudia Salinger?
Yes. People still come up and hug me and say, "You made me cry every week. I was so sad for you." As far as the industry goes, there is still this misconception that I am like 15 or just strictly a dramatic actress.
So maybe this is a way of breaking out of that mold?
Absolutely, doing Mean Girls was.
How else are you branching out? Anything outside of work?
I started taking classes at Moorpark (Calif.) Junior College. I take classes on nights and weekends. That's been really nice because I stopped going to formal school in the sixth grade and I was tutored from then on.
So you didn't have a chance to be tormented by the other kids?
I know. Isn't that sad for me! (Laughs)
You must have gotten it from somewhere else.
People always say, "You missed out on high school," but as far as I am concerned, I had the high school experience. Have you ever been to a set?
How is a movie set like high school?
I have been pretty lucky in that most of the people I have worked with have been really, really kind to me. But there are some divas and there are cliques. People you don't get along with, people who cause trouble ...
That Lindsay Lohan. What are we gonna do with her?
(Laughs) I did not say that! Lindsay was very nice. We got along really well.
