The following words of praise to the American actress were written for the Danish magazine "Schäfer" in 1997.

ALICIA, MON AMOUR

There's a force that's been sweeping Hollywood these past few years. A force of seemingly naive and irrestible young charm, and at the same time decidedly a force of cunning know-how and classic Tinsel Town manipulations.

I'm talking about Alicia Silverstone, the young actress who didn't follow up the smash hit "Clueless" (1995) with rows of similar movies, but who rather decided to turn to producing instead. With both acting- and producing deals now securely in her handbag, she's definitely going to be a major force for many years to come. And why? Because of charming studio producers with her Clueless smile? Because Aerosmith had her appear in three music videos in a row? Because she fit so well in the Batgirl suit or simply because she's a smart young thing full of pure undaunted will?

Whatever the answer or answers, one cannot escape the fact that Ms. Silverstone has branded her red hot mark onto the brains of the millions of moviegoers who just couldn't help but be bedazzled by her Cher, sorry, shear and luscious lightheartedness in "Clueless".

The first big silver screen impact of Silverstone's came through "The Crush", a simple but entertaining film about a writer who rents a room with a well-to-do family. The family naturally has a charming young daughter who falls in love with the writer. So far, so good. But the seemingly sweet and innocent Lolita-character has some pretty obsessive and dark traits within, and she soon starts to really disturb her object of desire. The story then develops into what could be called an erotic thriller, and Silverstone plays the role impressively well for an admittedly unexperienced teenager.

The Aerosmith videos turned out to be the ticket to overt fame, something that she obviously had in mind in accepting the offers. As a result of these vids and the success of "Clueless", Silverstone was awarded the prestigious (some would say positively pretentious) MTV "Most Desirable Female"-award. And thereby her popularity was cemented. Rock hard.

Not too many people know that "Clueless" is a quite faithful adaption of Jane Austen's classic novel "Emma". It's the story of a young girl who comes to terms with her own egotism and smallmindedness through the redeeming power of love. First by helping others to find love and then by experiencing it herself.

The film was directed by renowned comedy director Amy Heckerling, who also wrote the script. If you're a fan of 90's teen comedies, you surely must have noticed that the "Clueless"-script stands out as a jewel among pig dung. Where the laughability in most comedies concerning teenagers touch upon pubescent mistakes and insecurities in quite vulgar manners, "Clueless", on the other hand, is truly on par with the films of Heyday Hollywood Screwball comedy.

Filled with delightful dialogue snapped out of American teen lingo's most absurd aspects and a simple but catching story of young love in Beverly Hills, Heckerling's script is classic Hollywood writing at its very best.

And Alicia herself just has to show up on the screen to steal the entire show. Presence, charm and radiating brilliance are just some of the key words here. Qualities so called method actors would kill for but seldom come to possess. Qualities that come from detachment and a relaxed state of mind rather than forcefeeding shallow acting capacities with "radical" and more stage-related techniques.

Simply, it's a very funny movie. And Alicia Silverstone is over-great.

Feminists whined about the fact that it portrayed young girls as shopping spree-happy airheads with creditcards, but I'm pretty certain they laughed along with the rest of us when actually watching the movie. And in this harsh world of natural selection, the bottom line will always remain "Who would you rather date? Cher in "Clueless" or Thelma & Louise?"

I have no idea what Jane Austen would have thought about the adaption as such. Perhaps a spiritualist seance will answer that question some day. But surely Austen couldn't be disappointed about the fact that the film has gained her new readers among many thousands of young girls.

A truly faithful adaption of the novel, "Emma", was also released recently. A humorous but far more pretentious film starring the bleak Gwyneth Paltrow, whose main claims to fame (this far) are having been Brad Pitt's girlfriend and having been beheaded in the spooky and sinister thriller "Seven". Lightyears away from the innocent and endearing panache of Alicia Silverstone!

The budding teen-babe was now catapulted to Stardom big time, but chose to shy away from offers of similar roles. Instead she developed a production company, First Kiss Productions, together with friend/agent/manager Carolyn Kessler. Negotiations back and forth resulted in multimillion dollar production- and acting deals, of which "Excess Baggage" is the first film.

All the time while working on her role as Batgirl in "Batman and Robin", one of the most profitable Hollywood films of 1997, Silverstone's mind was in the midst of the production of this modern thriller with unexpected twists and turns. She managed to get Christopher Walken, Benicio del Toro and Harry Connick Jr. involved in "Excess Baggage", and the film has so far been well received by critics and audiences alike.

Her activities after "Clueless" left Hollywood baffled. As always, the gossip-press is like an external reflection of what goes on inside the studio executives' minds. Headlines and endless columns debated the young actress' weight "problems" and jokes about her "excess baggage" and "Buttgirl" flourished, instead of focussing on her actual work. Silverstone herself, although naturally concerned with her appareance, couldn't have cared less. "I'm big on food", she admits in the August 1997 issue of "Premiere", and thereby, by the mere utterance of the words, serves as a truly healthy role model for the young females who idolize her. No anorexic tendencies here, just a sound appetite for more of everything. No heroin chic here, just a heroine chick who knows her value more than well.

What actually makes a movie star? Well, it's certainly not only the massive and malignant Hollywood House of Hype that churns out well adapted actors and actresses like hot dogs. There has to be a genuine will, charisma and a ruthless business sense to make a real star. Alicia Silverstone possesses the first two for sure, and only time will tell if she's going to be around with First Kiss Productions for any longer period of time.

She must be every producer's wet dream though, especially when comfortably fitted in roles like Cher in "Clueless". Girls love her, boys too (boys of all ages, I should add). She's absolutely parent-proof, she dislikes on-screen nudity and is so sassy and feminine that she could even grow to become a major gay icon. Not bad for a single 20-year old!

The major question among her male "Clueless" fans now seems to be: Will we ever see this Dope Ultra-Betty in an on-screen boink-fest? She's downright more than mega-doable as a Hottie. Or will she stay hymenally challenged in future films too? To all of this, I can't help but hear Alicia whisper seductively: "Hel-lo...? As if, dude!"

Whatever... You tell me. I'm, like, clueless and that's a fact.