Amanda had a great time on Married With Children as she told a website called Cryptic Rock, “My experience during the ten years working on Married with Children changed my life, for many reasons. I loved the role of Marcy, and playing her till the bitter end was my privilege. Working with actors like David Garrison and Christina Applegate were wonderful experiences… I learned a lot from David and watching and directing Christina was a pure joy. Married with Children gave me my second career as a director, and I will be forever grateful to Michael Moye and Ron Leavitt (the show creators) for giving me that opportunity. All the characters went off in crazier directions and storylines, some better than others; but Marcy always had a strong point of view, and that is always fun to play. I was the only member of the cast to direct, and they were very supportive when it all started. By the series end, I was directing more and more, but I was also able to direct other sitcoms during our weeks off.
Cryptic Rock asked Amanda to describe her journey in film and television, she said, “I’ve had a very fortunate ride within the entertainment industry. It hasn’t been free of disappointments, but the opportunities that continue to come my way are a true blessing. I’ve just finished the run of the first off-broadway play I directed, and I have to say it was one of the best creative experiences I’ve had in my career.”
She also played role in the famous horror movie Fright Night in 1985 and explained how she got the role, “Without a doubt, Fright Night is my favorite Horror film, and probably one of the few I’ve ever seen!! I’m more of a Fantasy fan, and thoroughly enjoy the Harry Potter films… again, great storytelling! I was submitted to audition for my agent at the time, and that is still the typical path to getting a role. The Casting Director, Jackie Burch, was very supportive, which helps give you the confidence to do your best during a nerve-wracking experience. I was 26-years-old when I played Amy, and they were auditioning a lot of real teenage girls. The fact that I could play young enough and then portray the character arc of Amy was due to my being a bit older. The success of Fright Night begins and ends with Tom Holland’s script. He is a true fan of the vampire folklore, and was able to do it justice at every turn; but then he was able to write characters and relationships that were utterly believable set amidst this Fantasy/Horror story. The days at the nightclub were probably the most intense for me. Lots of extras and camera set-ups, but working with Chris Sarandon and William Ragsdale during those scenes was very collaborative. Chris had such a calm and professionalism and it helped to support my work, too.”
After Amanda’s acting career ended, she decided to give back by teaching, “My acting career ended (for the most part) with Married with Children. That was a deliberate choice on my part, because I was annoying direction and the momentum for my career was behind the camera. I moved away from Los Angeles in 2000, and balancing my work with my family was always very important to me. Now that I’m living in Seattle, I wanted to continue work, so teaching has proven to be a good next chapter in my career. Teaching and directing are not that far apart. Directing the US premier of Party Face was a dream. When we finished our final week of the run I returned to NYC to take over one of the parts – one of the actors had to move on to another project, and it left a gap that the producers asked me to fill. Being given the chance to return to the theater and be acting again has been a wonderful full-circle experience… I’ll never forget it!
Carrie is very proud of Amanda and how much she has helped the Lesbian community.
Return to the previous page| Net Worth 2021: | 3 million |
