Line #9 Creator/AlyssaMilano


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alyssa_milano_2011.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:The Power of Three has set her free.]]
3
4	->''"It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice."''
5	-->-- '''Milano's''' favourite saying
6
7	Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress, model and former pop star.
8
9	Born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian-American parents, Alyssa started acting at a young age when she was dragged to an audition for ''{{Theatre/Annie}}'' to support a friend. Despite this, Alyssa was the one chosen as the lead at only seven years old. She achieved national fame when she starred as Samantha Micelli on the sitcom ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' at the age of eleven.
10
11	As is expected with many child actresses, once she reached adulthood, she sought to distance herself from her [[ContractualPurity squeaky clean image]] and went after a HotterAndSexier persona -- including a sex tape scandal. She managed to avoid becoming a FormerChildStar when she landed a role in ''Series/MelrosePlace'', but it was her next project that would solidify her fame.
12
13	In 1998, a new drama series about three sisters who discover they are witches was being produced by Creator/AaronSpelling for Creator/TheWB. One of the potential lead actresses, Lori Rom, dropped out at the last minute, and Alyssa, with whom Spelling had worked on ''Melrose Place'', was given the call. The show was ''{{Series/Charmed\|1998}}'', and it was a worldwide success, lasting for eight seasons and becoming the longest running female-led network show until ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' surpassed it. However, the early days of ''Charmed'' were not without some controversy -- a well-publicised feud between Alyssa and the show's lead Creator/ShannenDoherty escalated in the third season, resulting in Shannen's departure. Alyssa became a producer of the show from the fifth season onward.
14
15	After ''Charmed'' ended in 2006, Alyssa had notable roles in ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' and ''Mistresses''. In 2013, she settled comfortably into a role as the host of ''Project Runway: All Stars''. Way back in the '80s, she also had a pop music career in Japan. She was also who none other than [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Princess Ariel]] was modeled after -- something she did not realize until Disney asked her to host the "Making Of" feature.
16
17	!! Alyssa's notable roles:
18
19	* ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' (1984-1992) as Samantha Micelli
20	* ''[[Film/Commando1985 Commando]]'' (1985) as Jenny Matrix
21	* ''Film/DoubleDragon1994'' (1994) as Marian Delario
22	* ''Film/{{Embrace of the Vampire\|1995}}'' (1995) as Charlotte
23	* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' as Hannah Valesic (episode "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S1E17CaughtInTheAct Caught in the Act]]")
24	* ''Film/Fear1996'' as Margo Masse
25	* ''Series/MelrosePlace'' (1997-1998) as Jennifer Mancini
26	* ''Film/PoisonIvy II: Lily'' (1998) as Lily Leonetti.
27	* ''{{Series/Charmed\|1998}}'' (1998-2006) as Phoebe Halliwell
28	* ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'' (2001) as Angel
29	* ''Film/DickieRobertsFormerChildStar'' (2003) as Cyndi
30	* ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' (2007-2008) as Billie Cunningham
31	* ''Film/{{Pathology}}'' (2008) as Gwen Williamson
32	* ''Film/NewYearsEve'' (2011) as Nurse Mindy
33	* ''Mistresses'' (2013-2014) as Savannah Davis
34	* ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowskiSuburbanDaredevil'' as Scarlett Rosetti
35	* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' as Poison Ivy
36	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfKidDanger'' as April
37	* ''WesternAnimation/AskTheStorybots'' as Chocolatier
38	* ''Series/{{Insatiable}}'' as Coralee Armstrong
39
40	She also hosts the podcast ''Sorry Not Sorry'', which is focused on social issues.
41
42	----
43	!!Tropes associated with Milano and her work:
44	* ActorInspiredElement:[[invoked]] She's admitted to often bringing comedic touches to scenes not intended to be written as such, and will usually try to "find the funny", because performing emotional scenes is painful for her.
45	* AdamWesting: Her ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' cameo. When Peter compares his company's profits as being higher than her, she appears ([[NoFourthWall in live action watching the show]]), angry about the quip and calling on her lawyer, who happens to be sitting right behind her at home, to sue.
46	* ApprovalOfGod:[[invoked]]
47	** When she found out that Ariel was modelled off her, she was very flattered.
48	** On learning that the ship in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' was named after her, she called it "the coolest thing ever".
49	* BabyNameTrendStarter: It's probably no coincidence that the name [[https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi "Alyssa"]] skyrocketed in popularity in the US during the run of ''Series/WhosTheBoss'' and then again during the run of ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}.'' The name went from being ranked at 230 for girls in 1982 to number 33 in 1989, and then to its peak at number 11 in 1998 and 1999. 'Phoebe' also saw a rise in popularity, but that was likely also due to ''{{Series/Friends}}''.
50	* ContractualPurity: Desperate not to be seen as a child star forever, she took grittier roles such as a teen prostitute in ''Where the Day Takes You'' and Amy Fisher[[note]]A notorious teen delinquent known as the Long Island Lolita.[[/note]] in a docudrama. She also appeared nude in the films ''Embrace of the Vampire'', ''Deadly Sins'' and ''Poison Ivy II''.
51	* CostumeBacklash:[[invoked]] Zigzagged with some of the skimpy outfits on ''Charmed'', where she's admitted that they had to be "scantily clad for that show to be successful", although also attributes it to it simply being TheNineties. She did eventually say that the show's sex positivity was a good thing in her eyes.
52	* CreatorBacklash:
53	** ''Poison Ivy II'' was something she did to distance herself from her child star days, before ''Melrose Place'' helped her out. Years later when interviewed about it, she replied, "I hope my Poison Ivy days are behind me."
54	--> "I always say that if it was a choice between ''Poison Ivy II'' and ''{{Film/Beetlejuice}}'', obviously I would have chosen ''Beetlejuice'', but those weren't the things that were offered to me."
55	** She doesn't look too highly on her music career, feeling her albums weren't that good, despite selling platinum. She has focused exclusively on acting since. In a 2021 Reddit Q&A however, she did admit she had fun with them.
56	** She regrets having done any nudity in her early twenties, describing it as "the opposite of empowering".
57	* DisownedAdaptation:[[invoked]] Sort of towards ''Series/Charmed2018''. She was annoyed that none of the original cast or crew were consulted at all, but did say she was glad "a whole new generation gets to love it."
58	* DyeHard: She's naturally brunette but has changed her hair many times. Within ''Charmed'''s fourth season alone, she had six different hair changes.
59	* FormerChildStar: She looked to be a straight example in the early 90s, but ''Melrose Place'' and ''Charmed'' proved to be a CareerResurrection for her.
60	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:[[invoked]] She gained a huge Japanese fanbase in her child star days, enough for her to be signed to a six-record deal over there.
61	* IAmNotSpock: She was glad when ''Who's the Boss'' ended so she could break out of this, not wanting to be seen as Samantha Micelli. This has been averted thanks to ''Charmed'', ''Melrose Place'' and ''Mistresses''. Although it's arguable that ''Charmed'''s enduring popularity has ensured she is most likely to be remembered as Phoebe Halliwell.
62	* IronyAsSheIsCast: A famous [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 mermaid princess]] was modeled after her. Alyssa is terrified of water, which proved interesting when a ''Charmed'' episode required her to be turned into a mermaid.
63	* MsFanservice: She's had no shortage of roles showing off her beauty.
64	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: She left during Season 2 of ''Mistresses'' due to a scheduling conflict.
65	* SheAlsoDid: That's her in the Blink 182 video for "Josie".
66	* StarMakingRole: ''Series/WhosTheBoss''.
67	* ThoseTwoActors: She starred alongside Creator/BrianBloom in the TV movies ''Crash Course'' and ''Dance til Dawn'', and cameo'd in his film ''The Webbers''.
68	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:[[invoked]] Alyssa had been pushing to do ''Charmed'' reunion movies for years (Holly Marie Combs likewise), and had mentioned speaking to Netflix about them. The well publicised Twitter feud between Alyssa and Creator/RoseMcGowan in 2021 makes them unlikely to happen.

Context Creator / AlyssaMilano