Alia Shawkat Issue #39

Comeback Kid

By Jessica Galliart
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 9:59am

Having worked alongside the likes of George Clooney, Spike Jonez, and William H. Macy, 19-year-old Alia Shawkat — best known for her role as the snarky teen-producer Maeby in the short-lived sitcom, Arrested Development — has been in show business for nearly half her life.

With a slew of promising projects on the horizon — including Sundance favorite Amreeka, about a Palestinian mother and son facing challenges as they transplant themselves to rural Illinois; Drew Barrymore’s Whip It!; and the strong possibility of a film version of Arrested Development — it looks like the smart-mouthed Maeby has brushed aside the stigma of child stardom.

While visiting her parents in Palm Springs, California, Shawkat called up VZ to talk about her new projects, her two-day college career, and the long-rumored Arrested Development movie.

VZ: Amreeka is a bit of a departure from the films you’ve done so far. What are you looking for now in the projects you take on?
AS: With Amreeka, I’ve slowly started to leap toward more films that have to do with my heritage and my Arabic background. I’m up for a movie right now that focuses on Palestinian characters. I’m Iraqi, but I find it fascinating. It’s cool to be a part of something like that. When I was younger I wanted to do everything to avoid it and be [as] “American” as possible. Now I’m learning Arabic — so it’s nice to get back to that, to my roots.

VZ: And your character in Whip it!?
AS: Her name is Pash, like passion. In the movie she’s in this po-dunk town with her friend. She wants to get out of this town, and she knows she will. She’s just biding her time and having fun while doing it. I’ve never been that girl. When I was younger, I was really shy and used to get so nervous around boys. So to play someone like this, who’s just crazy and grabs guys and [is] just all over the place, it was just really fun.

VZ: Any plans for college in the future?
AS: I went to college for two days — literally, two days. I went to Sarah Lawrence in Bronxville [New York]. I already had a project lined up that I was planning on shooting in like, a month. I [told] my adviser ... and he’s like, ‘I don’t think this is going to work out. We can give you like, four days throughout the whole year to work.’ So I withdrew that day … In my head I imagined it to be like how Natalie Portman did it. It’s just not that easy when you’re not known as an actress. To make myself feel better I just read as much as possible.

VZ: What would you be doing if you weren’t acting?
AS: I would paint. My boyfriend’s parents live in New Jersey, and he goes there and works. I go to his basement, and I’ve been painting ... it’s so fulfilling, I love it. I’ve been interested in welding lately. I’ve been trying to do that, but it’s harder than it looks.

VZ: Is the Arrested Development movie really happening?
AS: I know Mitch Hurwitz really wants to do it ... I think everyone is in, except a couple of actors are still deciding on whether they’re going to be able to do it. It’s been in talks since the show got canceled. It could happen, but it could not. It’s definitely the closest it’s ever been.

VZ: Any hints on what will happen with Maeby in the film?
AS: I think we want to keep going with the idea that she’s a producer. The only idea I heard about, which I don’t know if it’s going to happen, [Hurwitz] was thinking it would be really funny if we had these huge actors like Luke Wilson as Gob, played by Will Arnett. It’s almost like in Austin Powers, like a movie within a movie. The Bluth family doing interviews on the set of the Bluth movie played by all these obnoxiously famous people. Maeby would be producing it all.