We chat with 90210 starlet Jessica Lowndes about her Adriana's emotional ride and, her new film 'Altitude'.

Jessica in a Photo Shoot for Life and Style Magazine

So you play Adrianna in the hit show “90210,” so what has that whole experience been like?
It’s been an amazing experience, I’m still kind of pinching myself because we finished season two last week. We had 24 episodes in the first season and 22 in the second season, and it just feels so great. I’ve learnt so much as an actress and about myself as well because Adrianna is somebody who has a very addictive personality and she’s drifted to drama and the highs and lows and because of that she’s dealing with some pretty intense issues. And they are pressing issues in society that I have no personal experience with them so it’s definitely been challenging on many levels because it was first the drugs, and then the HIV scare, rehab, pregnancy and now she’s questioning her sexuality. So it’s definitely been challenging, but it’s exciting; it’s so fun to play somebody who’s so different from yourself. There are great issues that are going on in society and I feel very blessed to be able to given the responsibility to tell the story and to give a voice to these issues. The amounts of people who’ve been affected by the challenges have been incredible. Those who do feel so alone in those situations, whether its drugs or just the pressure from parents like my character has gone through. See I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility that I just like learning so much because I’ve done a lot of research for each and these incredible people, like there are even kids questioning their sexuality and that’s like something that is going on. And it’s the kind of show that actually touched base on that and it’s probably pretty terrifying, but I wouldn’t know from personal experience and it is different and far away from who I am. In a lot of ways I can relate to Adrianna, she’s just an extreme version, I’ve obviously haven’t gone through that, but I’m definitely a performer, I’m a singer and there’s going to be a lot more singing in season two, which is really exciting. So I definitely can relate to her on that level and I think that’s why when she goes through some of those horrible things I try to make her as likable, and honest and vulnerable as someone would be going though that.

Jessica, Annalynne McCord and Jessica Stroup in a promo still from 90210

As you said your character goes through some very difficult moments, how do you do the research, how do you find that spot within you even though you’ve never been in such situations?
I did a lot of information for the drug stuff, especially, because I wanted her to be very different from who I am because I’m kind of a more bubbly person and during that time I didn’t want her to even come across like that, I wanted people to really take it seriously so I met with addicts at a rehab center, I watched drug movies, I watched reality shows about drug abuse and the rest of it comes from a very truthful place because the crying scenes are something I’ve always got casted into crying scenes and I actually love it, as an actress I can take things that I’ve gone through or stories that I’ve heard and I can put it into my work and to be able to put a 100 percent of your focus on that and be able to cry, you feel this amazing relief at the end of it. I love it, I kind of get high off of them, it’s like my drug, crying scenes and it’s such a way to really be in touch with how you’re feeling and how certain things make you feel, you have to really think; what makes me sad. What has gone on or what have I heard that genuinely makes me sad that I can put into this work? I’m very passionate about it and I care about this show and this character so much that I work really hard to keep pushing boundaries and learning more.

The Season 2 Cast of 90210

Well that sounds a bit twisted, I get high off crying.
I know, but it’s great. So much of the time in your life…I don’t know, when you’re ten and you fall and scrap your knee, you cry, because it’s like in you. And when you grow up, in society, it’s like not okay to start crying in the middle of the road. But I’m getting paid to kind of just go there and it’s very refreshing to kind of just revert to that and to be really in touch with how you’re feeling at certain moments and it’s sometimes hard because are body’s are kind of trained to shut down those emotions, because I know in my everyday life, I try not to cry if something’s making me, but on TV it’s like “Adrianna starts sobbing,” so I can’t not go there. It’s been fun, it’s been very hard and emotionally draining; first season especially because of all the subject matters, but there were times afterwards that have been just incredible. Just being able to help people, I’m just like pinching myself, because I was only suppose to be in the first two episodes and I was just so excited to sing on TV, that was like my original place on the show. Just to be the singer in the school musical and I was thrilled with that, it was just the most amazing thing in the world, but it turned into something so much more and I just feel just very lucky and fortunate and it’s just been so much fun to play.

Jessica at the Montblanc Charity Cocktail to Benefit UNICEF

That’s great. So we see that in the second season Adrianna has turned back to drugs, what do you think about her relapse?
I think it goes back to her addictive personality, she’s somebody who, when she was going through a stressful time, she turned to drugs to kind of numb that pain, numb the stress and she’s somebody who definitely hits the highs and lows and even when she’s in the chaos, she wants things to just sail smoothly, that just pretty much not her personality. She’s addicted to the high of it. I think it’s very true to her character, but I think that she, at the end of the day, is very responsible. Which is kind of weird to say, but I think she was able to kick the drug habit in the first place, she stayed in school, she was the lead in the school play, she went through and ultimately did the right thing for her because she knew she wasn’t ready and not responsible enough and she’s managed to still like stay in school and keep friendships and be strong. I admire these qualities about this character. Like she stood in front of the whole school and announced she was pregnant, even though she makes some bad decisions and has done some not so good things she’s a very admirable character because she’s strong and not afraid to be who she is. The relapse is definitely something that’s unfortunate but true to what’s going on inside of her. She is working through it; she is genuinely, this season, is making a commitment to it and really sees the importance of it. Like last season, it was more like she hit rock bottom, literally, so this year she like see the importance of it and how it affects relationships, even with Navid and she is trying so hard to battle that. So I think it’s very, very interesting for people to see.

Jessica in a Photo Shoot for Life and Style Magazine

Definitely. Speaking of relationships, there is some drama at the beginning of season two regarding the return Teddy, the ex-boyfriend and Navid, the current boyfriend. Who do you think she’ll be better off with Teddy or Navid?
It’s so hard because, Navid has obviously been there through everything, he stuck by me and he was just there for Adrianna through everything and he wasn’t even the father of the baby and he still stayed with her and he knows her better than anyone. But Teddy represents her childhood and the childlike innocence and happiness and summer camp. So I think she’s definitely still very attracted to Teddy, but when it comes down to it, he isn’t really looking for what she is looking for. He’s not somebody who’s really a relationship guy; he’s not a commitment guy. I think, even though he represents like the movie world, and the highs of it all, what’s best for her personality is somebody whose gonna be there, be that constant person who’ll be her true blue. But again she’s somebody who’s addicted to the drama. She just always has to go there to truly learn for herself, someone can’t tell her the way it has to be, she has to truly experience it, and I think you’re definitely going to see that, and see sometimes, regretful acts as her decisions, but she also needs to do it to learn her lesson.

Jessica at the E! Oscar Party

True. So Adrianna transforms so often, what phase of Adrianna’s life do you like most acting?
Well I think it’s near the end of the season, she’s kind of in a good emotional place of season two, and I’ve enjoyed every aspect of her life, I feel like it daring. It’s been fun and challenging, I really love, like playing all of it, and as an actor there’s so many different things, like I was a drug addict, I was pregnant and it’s so fun. It keeps it fresh, especially when you’re on a show nine months out of the year; I feel like I’ve played so many different sides of her, it’s constantly exciting. But the newer stuff has been a lot with music and I’m a musician, the show has actually bought a couple of my songs, so that has been probably the most fun recently because we’ve been filming a lot and it’s like my singing and it’s kind of narrating my life. I’m making an album right now, so it’s kind of very similar, I go to work and I’m like singing scenes that I’m kind of having the same conversations off camera; like record producers and music, and all that kind of stuff. I didn’t start out saying this is most like me, and it’s really fun, and I’m so excited for everyone to see. To be able to go to work and be acting and singing so it’s been a dream come true.

Jessica at the Stuart Weitzman Oscar Styling Suite

Great. So you say you’re working on an album, do you have any idea when that’s going to come out?
I’m busy working on it so I’m not sure. Well I know that in America those scenes are going to appear in May, so ideally it would be great to have something out by May, but I don’t know. I know I’m definitely working very hard on it, but definitely by next year.

Oh, I’m excited. I can’t wait to hear them. Are you going to do a sort of tour when it comes our as well? Do you plan to do music parallel to acting?
Music is kind of the next thing. I love acting; I ultimately want to do Broadway one day. It’d be incredible to be on Broadway show in London or in New York, but I’m definitely going to be doing that next year. But I love both, and the fact that I get to do both on the show is incredible. There will be more of that in season two.

Good hints. Do you have any more hints for the rest of season two or for what might happen to Adrianna’s character?
Well she’s definitely in kind of a love triangle, she’s had a little relapse with her drugs and coming up she’s still very hung up with Navid, and that’s truly who she loves and is trying to get back. I think they’re cute together.

Jessica at her 21st

They are; they’re adorable.
I know. Michael he’s an amazing actor and he’s a dear friend of mine. We had so much fun doing those scenes. So she’s definitely trying to stay off drugs, she made a commitment and I think her motivation to win Navid back is definitely helping her stay sober. But in AA she meets Gia, played by Rumer Willis. She was in a few episodes in the beginning, but her and my character had very little interaction and throughout the next episode Gia’s really there for her and is in AA as well and really helps her analyze different compromising situations and encourages her to really pursue the music. They have a really special bond and I think you’re really gonna see Adrianna start questioning her sexuality and whether or not sexuality can be measured on affection or black or white or if it just really comes down to who you connect with and who you’re compatible with. She’s definitely questioning that because she’s found a special friendship in Gia’s character so that will be interesting and I know there is going to be a lot more music as well.

Wow.
Yeah, it’s always dramatic.

Yeah definitely. Adrianna’s character is very exciting I have to say.
Yeah, definitely. I’m now at a point where I open a script and nothing shocks me, something crazy’s going to happen today.

Adrianna makes it a little more fun. The completely unexpected.
Yeah it’s so fun. It’s going to be interesting to see when my parents and grandparents watch those scenes, it’ll be interesting.

Oh, dear. A little bit awkward I can imagine.
Every day after the drug scenes my mom would call me just to make sure I was okay, because it was like so real.

Jessica in a Photo Shoot for Life and Style Magazine

Yeah, well actually I thought they were very, very realistic, which was excellent acting on your pat I have to say.
Thank you. It’s been fun, and yeah, as an actress I’m drawn to things that are…like I filmed this movie that’s coming out this year called “Altitude,” so I got to take flying lessons and learning how to fly a plane, so I like things that are on paper, very scary to me that I have no experience with. You really do the work, you know, it’s not just going to work and really being yourself, but to be a true character and really work hard at it, I love that.

Wow, so you can fly a plane?
Well, I took flight lessons. I don’t have a full certificate, but I definitely know the switches. Again, when I saw it on the script I wanted to know how to make this believable. By the end of it, it was like second nature, it was a fun experience. It comes out this year, I’m excited for people to see it, and it’s a very cool film. The director is a comic book artist and writer for “Marvel,” he’s an amazing director, visually really cool and it starts out like a thriller, becomes horror, becomes sci-fi and ultimately a fantasy and it was fun, it was like all four genres and the cast was incredible. I was very claustrophobic though because I was in a six person plane for like a month. I didn’t realize, I’m basically sitting, like the whole movie, and after a 17 hour day of just sitting it’s really, really tense. Again, it was like really something I kept learning and trying to improve my acting, so it was fun.

What food can you not live without?
I’m addicted to my; well it’s not really food, but my coffee. Actually my nonfat latte with whipped cream, I have one almost every day. I love oatmeal for breakfast I literally mix it with bananas and brown sugar; I have it almost every day as well. I love food. Oh, I cannot live without cupcakes. I try to keep it to a minimum, but I’m addicted to any kind of cupcake, especially red velvet.

Jessica in a Photo Shoot for Life and Style Magazine

Sounds good. You always look beautiful; do you have any tips or secrets?
I try to lead a healthy lifestyle, I workout, I have a personal trainer. We do like running and yoga and weights and Pilates as well. I just drink lots of water and lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. Drinking lots of water is key; I drink like eight water bottles a day.

Do you have a twitter or MySpace? How can fans contact you?
Well I have a MySpace music, which is kind of getting updated right now, and that just my name; Jessica Lowndes, for music. I have older music, but I’m going to be updating it with a lot of newer stuff. I plan on starting a twitter here, probably this week. I’ve been having everyone telling me to start. So I think I’m gonna have a twitter as well.