Taryn Manning: once the bad girl sidekick, this actress is heading for the front lines

Interview, Dec, 2002 by Juan Morales

"I called my manager today and said, 'Dude, I want a lead role!"' explains Taryn Manning, 24. "I never really do that sort of thing, but sometimes you can't help it."

Based on the actress' work thus far, it would seem to be only a matter of time before she gets her wish. Since earning praise as Kirsten Dunst's druggie pal in Crazy/Beautiful, where her trademark sass and raw, worldly-wise screen persona were on ready display, Manning's played opposite Britney Spears in Crossroads and Eminem in Curtis Hanson's current 8 Mile ("Eminem's downright hot, and a genius"), and will be seen in the upcoming Cold Mountain, starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger. All that, and she's wrapping up the maiden album by Boomkat, the trip-hop band she fronts with older brother Kellin.

As for balancing her budding Hollywood career with a musical one, Manning says, 'A lot of people won't take an actor seriously if she tries to sing. But this record is pretty real and from the heart. Hopefully, it'll get some love."

Clearly, beneath the pixie-ish exterior and ostensibly mellow demeanor lies a driven artist. "Some people might say I need to learn how to relax," says Manning. "But there's really nothing else I'm going to do with my life. I'd be useless if I weren't singing or acting."

Juan Morales is a writer living in Los Angeles.