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"When Alicia Silverstone was cast to play spoiled Beverly Hills teen Cher Horowitz in 1995’s “Clueless,” she had no idea the film would become a box office sensation, impact the fashion world for at least a decade, leave a lasting mark on several generations of viewers and make her a sought-after star. She was just exhausted. “I worked nonstop,” the now-41-year-old actress told Into the Gloss Monday about her early years in Hollywood. “It was crazy. So much so that I was tired when I started ‘Clueless’ — just an overworked little person. \"Amy [Heckerling, the director of ‘Clueless’] had seen the Aerosmith videos [I was in] and asked to meet with me. ‘Clueless’ was fun, but at the same time it was just another job for me.”  Silverstone revealed she ultimately took on the life-changing gig because of Heckerling alone. The 64-year-old filmmaker was also the director behind another iconic teen flick — 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” That film, which starred Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli, explored how a group of Southern California high school students enjoyed their favorite subjects: sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. “I knew she was a talented filmmaker,” said Silverstone to the beauty site. “Cher was a really good part for me because she and I are so different.” Silverstone, who insisted she was nothing like the rich high school socialite in real life, was then eager to take on the challenge.  “Amy probably told [the hairstyling team] ‘Make her blonder,’” said Silverstone. “But the clothes… At the time I had been wearing a green T-shirt and a pair of jeans [for] all of my auditions. I had no fashion sense. I did so many fittings… and I remember being like, ‘Why is this taking so much time? This is so boring!’ But now of course, I understand.” But acting for the big screen was nothing new for Silverstone, who previously spent her summers traveling to England,&nbsp;where she discovered theater, with her British parents. Her first film was “The Crush” in 1993, in which she played a 14-year-old who attempts to sabotage the life of an older journalist (Cary Elwes) after he refuses her sexual advances. Silverstone would then go on to become a rock muse for Aerosmith and appeared in three of their music videos: “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” and “Crazy.”  “The [Aerosmith videos] came after ‘The Crush,’” she explained. “Those were fun and in a way had a sense of female empowerment. If you look at videos before that, it was like ‘boobs and ass and objectification,’ right? Where I was playing this badass in flannel and combat boots — kicking and flipping people off. After ‘The Crush,’ I did ‘The Babysitter’ and ‘Hideaway,’ and then I did a French film with James Gandolfini.” However, Silverstone admitted she wasn’t always comfortable with fame. In fact, she had something else on her mind. “Having the spotlight on me as a teenager didn’t feel good,” she said. “I was a very young person when I got really famous and I hadn’t planned on that, so I didn’t react in a ‘Yay!’ way. I focused on things that were important to me — the Earth, and animals, and making change in the world.” Silverstone also said that from ages 8 to 21 eating meat just didn’t feel right for her, morally. Then she became vegan. “When I turned 21, I saw a video about factory farming, and it just horrified me,” she said. “I was like, ‘How is this allowed?’ How is this possible? How are people not in the streets screaming?’ I immediately went vegan.”  Today, Silverstone is a passionate advocate of veganism and has become a New York Times best-seller for her books on compassionate vegan living. But when it comes to her groundbreaking role as Cher Horowitz, she’s anything but clueless. Silverstone told Fox News&nbsp;a couple of years ago that she’s quite aware audiences continue to feel nostalgic over the ‘90s classic. “No one knew what a cultural phenomenon would be when it was made, but I’m thrilled that it continues to resonate with so many people,” she said. “And a whole new generation is watching it. Last night, a 15-year-old girl told me all of her friends had seen it!”"
<https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/alicia-silverstone-recalls-finding-fame-in-hollywood-having-the-spotlight-on-me-as-a-teenager-didnt-feel-good>