Roswell Close Encounters – Eteen mag, Jan 2000

Thanks to MyrnaLynne for typing this up and sending it in!

From: Entertainment Teen magazine, January 2000

Roswell close encounters – for authorized eyes only

The WB has given us one more reason to look forward to Wednesday nights. Roswell airs at 9 p.m. following Dawson’s Creek and it’s packed with hot hunks, daring chicks and gripping story lines. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of months, here’s the lowdown on the hottest new show that is truly out of this world.

The Story
In the infamous Roswell, New Mexico, Liz Parker (Shiri Appleby) serves up grub to tourists in her dad’s restaurant, Crashdown Cafe. When an argument between customers turns violent, Liz gets caught in the crossfire. It doesn’t look good for Liz until classmate Max Evans (Jason Behr) saves her life with a magical touch and soulful gaze.

Turns out Max is “not of this earth” and in saving Liz, he has put himself, sister Isabel (Katherine Heigl) and bud, Michael Guerin (Brendan Fehr) in serious danger. Max reveals that the trio was aboard the UFO that crashed in Roswell over fifty years ago. After they emerged from incubation pods, they were adopted by locals and lead normal lives.

But, Max’s heroics have changed all that. Now Sheriff Valenti (William Sadler) is suspicious and Max has lost Isabel and Michael’s trust by spilling their secret. The rest of the cast is in shambles as well: Liz’s best friend, Maria De Luca (Majandra Delfino) is freaked out by the news and the girls don’t think their childhood friend, Alex Whitman (Colin Hanks) can handle it. Liz’s ex-boyfriend and son of the sheriff, Kyle Valenti (Nick Wechsler) has joined his father in his quest to bring down the Evans family, after suspecting Liz has feelings for Max.

Which leads us to one of the best reasons to tune in – the blossoming romance between Liz and Max as a modern day Romeo and Juliet. These star-crossed lovers have one colossal problem – they are different species.

Fun On The Set
Brendan, 21, reveals that he and Jason, 25, are always goofing off in between takes. “[The conversation] usually ends up being kind of perverted. Not in a really gross sense. But I mean… our sense of humor is so immature, we find absolutely anything funny.”

The stars make fun of each other, but it’s all in good spirits. Cast members imitate one another and play up each other’s mistakes – all in the name of friendly competition. Brendan gets teased a lot when his native Canadian accent slips out.

Do You Believe?
No wonder Roswell seems so real – the actors really prepared for their roles. Jason says he saw “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” about 12 times. Seriously, he also read a lot of books and watched documentaries about Roswell.

The cast believes that aliens may exist. “I think working on the show you really have no other choice but, you know, to kind of believe that there is a possibility,” Shiri, 20, says laughing.

Real Life
So, have any of the stars of Roswell ever felt alienated in real life? Jason confesses that he was a “shrimp” growing up: “I was probably half the size of my friends and half the size of most of my girlfriends. I felt just as awkward and misunderstood and lost as a lot of people do.”

Jason reveals that he did a lot of soul-searching in those days, much like his character, Max. Jason also had to endure people mistaking him for a girl on the phone. Of course, that would never happen to him now.

Speaking of real life – Colin Hanks is the son of superstar Tom Hanks of course. You saw the resemblance, right? But don’t expect Colin to talk up this famous relationship. He wants to be appreciated as an actor in his own right; no special favors for this guy.

Sensitive Alien
Jason is as dreamy in real life as he is in Roswell. Check out this babe’s thoughts on love: “When I’m in love, I don’t like to talk about it too much. Words can’t fully express the emotion.” Jason also reveals that he loves to paint: “I’m an aspiring Picasso.” Looks, talent, sensitivity, what more could a girl ask for?

We can’t get enough of Roswell and we know you can’t either. Luckily, you can get a weekly dose every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on the WB.

(Side bar:) Back Track: They look familiar.. here’s where you’ve seen the stars before they beamed up to Roswell.

Shiri Appleby
Guest appearances on: 7th Heaven, Beverly Hills 90210, thirtysomething, ER, Xena: Warrior Princess and Doogie Howser, M.D.
Starred in the cable TV movies: Perfect Family, Family Prayers and Sunday Dinner.
On the big screen: The Thirteenth Floor and I Love You to Death.

Jason Behr
Guest appearances on: Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 7th Heaven, Profiler, Jag and Push.
On the big screen: Pleasantville and Rites of Passage.

Katherine Heigl
On the big screen: That Night, My Father the Hero, Child’s Play IV: The Bride of Chucky, Under Siege 2, Prince Valiant, King of the Hill and Wish Upon a Star
Starred in the TV movie: The Tempest.

Majandra Delfino
On the big screen: Zeus & Roxanne, I Know What You Screamed Last Summer, The Secret Lives of Girls and The Learning Curve.
Starred in the TV series: The Tony Danza Show.

Brendan Fehr
Guest appearances on TV series: Breaker High and Millennium.
Starred in the TV movies: Our Guys, Perfect Little Angels and Every Mother’s Worst Fear.
On the big screen: Disturbing Behavior, Flight 180 and Christina’s House.

Colin Hanks
On the big screen: That Thing You Do! and I’ll Be You.

Nick Wechsler
Role in the TV movie: Full Circle.
Guest appearances on” Team Knightrider, Silk Stalkings and Lazarus Man.
On the big screen: The Perfect Game.

Bonus on p. 45, in a fashion article: photo of Majandra captioned:

Roswell’s Majandra Delfino attended the 3rd Annual Designer Launch armed with her own fashion trends. Wearing a thin black lycra duster, bearly {barely} hinting at her red-red gown, the large flowers towards the bottom of the dress made the formal attire fun and mysterious.