KALIN: You started out as an actress at age 8 working for PBS. What was it like working at such a young age? Did you understand how big of a deal that was?
LAUREN: No I don't think I ever thought of it as a big deal at all (laughs). It was just something that as a kid I was very outgoing and loved to be around people and loved to perform so I just kind of fell into it. I just did it because I enjoyed it.
KALIN: At what point did you realize that “Wow, this is something that most people will never be able to do” and start appreciating it more for what it really is.
LAUREN: I think the first moment was when I was on tour with PYT, the band that I was in, we were opening up for Brittany Spears, 'N Sync, Destiny's Child and stuff. When I was opening up for Brittany it was in Nebraska I think and after I was done performing I went to the audience to watch the show and the lights came back on before she was on. One kid went “That's PYT!” and the whole place literally swarmed us. I remember all these huge massive body guards came and grabbed us and were carrying us out. It was pretty crazy (laughs). I had never experienced anything like that before.
KALIN: That's definitely pretty awesome. So what was it like opening up for such big names?
LAUREN: It was pretty awesome. Whenever you get a chance to perform in arenas like that it's such a rush. Performing doesn't get any better when you're in front of a crowd with that much energy.
KALIN: What happened with PYT? Why did you break up?
LAUREN: Many reasons. One of the main things is that we had different ambitions of what we wanted to do. Everything changes. The music industry changes. How it worked out was an amazing experience. We learned and we moved on. Now I'm doing the type of music that I love even more so it worked out.
KALIN: Tell us a bit about your career as a solo artist. How are you trying to really take off as a solo artist?
LAUREN: Well so far I've been able to open up for Katy Perry and Ray J. I've had songs on “The Hills” and “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” I've had songs on MTV and VH1. I've had songs on “The City” on MTV. It's been really cool because I've been able to fuse my music and acting. When I did Frat Party, the comedy that's out that has been airing on Showtime, I was able to put two of my songs in the movie which is pretty cool.
KALIN: I actually watched Frat Party last night. How much did you enjoy playing the role of the crazy ex girlfriend turned bitch?
LAUREN: I guess I'm kind of used to it by now. I get a lot of roles as the psycho bitch girl. I get those roles a lot, but they are very fun to play as opposed to just playing a straight laced kind of character that is just one dimensional.
KALIN: Let's be honest, are you that bitch in real life? Is that why you're so good at playing the part?
LAUREN: You know what, I am actually usually pretty even keeled, I'm a very friendly person and I get along with everybody. Maybe the reason why I'm good at it is because everybody handles their anger differently and for me it's like a take it take it take it, but if you push me too far it's like an explosion. That's like once in a blue moon. You have to do something really bad and mean to me.
KALIN: You played a huge role in the movie “Raise Your Voice” with Hilary Duff. At more towards the beginning of your career doing big movies like that, how was it working with such a big name in the movie industry?
LAUREN: It was cool. It was very cool. It's always fun to work with people who's careers are exploding, but yet they are still humble and nice. She was all of those things. You never know how they will treat you or whatever, but she was very sweet. There were a lot of other big name actors in the movie who were really cool like John Corbett who is off all of the Sex & The City movies. We also had Rita Wilson and David Keith. They are all veterans so it was really amazing to work with them as well.
KALIN: You also do a lot of work on television shows. Do you prefer movies over TV, TV over movies, or are they about the same?
LAUREN: It's different because when you go into a film everyone is coming into it fresh and you kind of become a family for the two months or whatever that you're shooting. It's always sad and hard to say goodbye. With TV, if you're coming in and being a guest star, it's just so quick. You only know someone for about a week and you're just starting to get to know them. It doesn't quite have that same family feel unless you're a regular on a series. I was working for a while on a show called American Dreams on NBC so that was kind of like the best of both worlds. I got to perform with them multiple times and got to see the arc of my character which was pretty cool.
KALIN: You played a part in American Pie Band Camp and American Pie is a huge movie franchise. What went through your head when you were offered the role?
LAUREN: It was definitely a lot more exciting then just hearing some random movie title that I've never heard before and not know if the movie will be good or anything. With American Pie it already had the name so yeah it was kind of exciting to go from growing up being a fan of American Pie to actually being involved in it. That was pretty neat.
KALIN: Looking at your resume it's easy to see that you've been acting for quite sometime now. Do you have a favorite role that you have played?
LAUREN: I really liked the role that I played in CSI: Miami. I really liked it because she was like a suspected killer in the case. It turns out that she wasn't the killer and she was just a hard working girl that looked guilty, but wasn't. I liked playing her because in most things I'm the bad girl, but in this one I wasn't even though I still got to look deceiving. That was fun.
KALIN: You were also working with WWE for quite some time on the ECW brand. How was that experience?
LAUREN: That was a crazy experience. It was different from anything I've ever done before. Being on the road every week was awesome. I loved it. I've always loved traveling so that was really fun. WWE is such an amazing company and it's so wide spread that you are always in a lot of big arenas which is a blast. They're professionals and they know what they are doing. It was definitely very different from anything I had ever done, but I loved the challenge.
KALIN: Growing up a wrestling fan I understand that those guys are on the road literally all the time. What was it like never being home?
LAUREN: Yeah that was rough. I would stay so exhausted that anytime I would lay down I just fell asleep. I was living by my alarm clock. When you're traveling that much you don't even have a time zone. That was kind of an interesting experience. I never felt tired though. I was always just so excited to get up and go to the next place. That was a pleasurable experience. If you didn't like it though it would be pretty awful.
KALIN: If you were still with the WWE would you ever consider having a match?
LAUREN: Oh my goodness, I leave the wrestling to the professionals. I don't think at anytime will I ever be in the ring. However, I do appreciate what they do and I think that they are incredibly athletic and talented. I love sports and playing sports, but wrestling is not my game.
KALIN: Let's take a look at every movie you've ever seen in your life. If you could take anyone's roll in any movie, who's role would you take and why?
LAUREN: Oh I love that question. I would love to play Angelina Jolie's part in Mr. and Mrs. Smith would be a freakin fun role to play.
KALIN: Would you like to be in Mr. and Mrs. Smith because you would be a badass or because you would be with Brad Pitt?
LAUREN: (laughs) I mean Brad Pitt is definitely a bonus, but I want to be a badass. If you can do all these crazy stunts then Brad Pitt should be the prize.
KALIN: You are involved with The Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness. Tell us about the foundation and what it means to you.
LAUREN: You know, being in LA and being involved in a lot of things that require me to stay in good shape, there is a lot of pressure to make sure that you look a certain way and maintain a certain image. I feel for certain girls who see pictures in magazines and stuff like that and then try to attain something that's sometimes unattainable. Even the girls in the magazines don't really look like that, you know? There's airbrushing, retouching, and they have a team of like make-up and lighting. All of these things make them look this way and it's hard for a girl that's growing up to measure up to those sorts of standards. Obviously you should stay healthy and fit because it's good for you, but you have to learn to accept what's healthy and what your perfect body size is. That's why I wanted to get involved with it because I feel like it's just if you are confident and happy, that's more attractive then anything. I want to kind of get that message across.
KALIN: Let's look in the future about twenty years from now. People talk about leaving a legacy. What kind of legacy would you like to leave?
LAUREN: I would love to leave a legacy in both music and the acting world. I would love for people to say that I was a good talent. That it wasn't something that was forced or tossed in the pan, but that it was something that I was talented at. If people could say that about me I would be incredibly happy. I think that being able to touch people through entertainment with a movie that makes you feel something or a song that makes you feel something is a very powerful thing. I would love to create something that can make people feel better or just make them feel something.
Check out the following links to get more of Lauren!
Lauren's Official Site: http://www.laurenmayhew.com/
Lauren's New EP On ITunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-changed-my-mind/id370411976?i=370412012&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Lauren's MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/laurenmayhew
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