Articles on 'Joey's' New Romance Madchen Amick

[Brian Damage]

TV INSIDER: 'Joey's' New Romance Madchen Amick
Beautiful Madchen Amick, who debuts as the new love interest of Matt LeBlanc's Joey on 'Joey' tonight (3/24), admits she felt a little intimidated about being the new girl walking into a situation with a cast that's 'worked together all year. I wasn't sure how I'd find my footing, but everyone was so nice and welcoming. They made me feel at home right away.'
It's a good thing, because the pressure was truly on Amick, who's been seen on 'ER' this season as love interest of Noah Wyle. 'The first week I filmed 'Joey,' I shot two shows, because they'd already shot the episode where my character was going to be introduced. They were just waiting for the role to be cast to finish it. It was quite a whirlwind, but I love challenges.'

Amick plays an East Coast photographer who moves into Joey's building. 'She's strong, and she keeps seeing right through his lines and one-liners, but she sees a boyish charm underneath,' says Madchen.

Amick's prior experience with the sitcom form consisted of doing two pilots that never made air, but she believes were invaluable, experience-wise. 'Sitcoms are a completely different animal than dramas, they really are. And with 'Joey,' they're actually rewriting scenes as you're filming as well, which throws a lot of actors. You have to be alert.' She got the role quickly, despite her minimal sitcom experience. 'I had a meeting with Matt and met everybody, and they said it felt good right away.'

[Brian Damage]

Madchen Amick takes her act to NBC's 'Joey'

"I'm representing the single women out there," say actress Madchen Amick, "dating around, trying to find the right guy who respects you and appreciates you. Maybe I'll settle down somewhere. Gotta keep looking."

Thursday, Amick began a five-episode stint on NBC's "Friends" spinoff "Joey" (other announced airdates are April 21 and 28), playing Sarah, the new love interest for Hollywood neophyte Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc).

"It's actually new territory for Joey," Amick says, "because the audience never really saw him engage any one girl. This is the first time you really see him romantically involved and everything that goes with that. It's time for Joey to grow up."

Amick has also been playing the recurring role of social worker Wendall Meade, the latest love interest of Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle), on NBC's "ER."

And Amick appeared in the pilot for ABC's "Jake in Progress," playing Kylie, the date of the title character, played by John Stamos. In the original idea, the whole season was to track this single date.

"It didn't work out that way," Amick says. "It's too bad - I thought that was a great idea."

Asked which of these three TV hunks is the best kisser, Amick says, "Hmmm, I didn't get to kiss Noah very often; didn't get to kiss Stamos at all. But I've had a lot of kisses with Matt, so I have to say, it goes to Matt."

In the meantime, Amick is doing what almost every other actor without a steady gig is doing - auditioning for pilots.

Amick speaks from experience. During the 1990-1991 season on ABC, Amick played Shelly Johnson on "Twin Peaks," created by Mark Frost ("Hill Street Blues") and film auteur David Lynch ("Dune," "Blue Velvet," "Mulholland Drive").

She's not thrilled with what she's seeing in today's pilots.

"It seems like the pilots, in general, are written well," she says, "but I didn't see any concepts that were different than anything else. It was very heavy in dramas as well, not that many comedies. But they always follow the trend of what's on right now."