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... Brittany Daniel 

THE GAINESVILLE SUN
Wednesday, September 8, 1999

STAR on the RISE:
Gainesville native Brittany Daniel debuts on 'Dawson's Creek' Sept. 29
By BILL DeYOUNG
Sun entertainment editor 

  Of her "Dawson's Creek" character, Brittany Daniel says: "She 
definitely has a sordid past. But she's a very, very fun character to 
play. I'm having the best time with it. Because on 'Sweet Valley 
High,' I played the snobby girl . . . and this character has so many
different layers." FRED MORRIS/The WB

  When "Dawson's Creek" begins its third season on The WB Sept. 
29, fans of the high school drama will immediately notice a new cast 
member.   
  Tall, blue-eyed and blonde, Gainesville's Brittany Daniel is hard to 
miss. 
  Daniel, 23, joins "Dawson's Creek" as Eve, a young woman who 
meets Dawson Leery on a bus. She enrolls at Capeside High and 
becomes an on-again, off-again fixture in his life. 
  "She's very cerebral and very mysterious," says Daniel, who has
signed as a "possible series regular" for the 1999-2000 season 
and beyond. "She's definitely a very sexy character; she's really 
free and open with her body. But she's not just this temptress that 
moves into town: There's definitely this mystery about her."   
  Daniel says Eve's goal is to rid Dawson of his virginity. "She's on
the hunt," says the actress. "But there's more to her, which you'll 
find through the next few episodes." 
  Daniel, whose father is C.B. Daniel, a member of the state 
university system's Board of Regents, was born and raised in 
Gainesville, and graduated from Gainesville High School in 1994. 
She and her identical twin sister Cynthia began modeling at age 11;
they spent four years as the stars of the syndicated TV series "Sweet
Valley High." 
  The Daniel twins also had small but memorable parts opposite 
Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1994 film "The Basketball Diaries." 
  With "Dawson's Creek," Brittany is going it alone. 
  "In this business, you get stereotyped so fast," she says. "We just 
decided it was almost a dead end. My sister approached me and said 
'You know, I think I want to take a little bit of a break from acting.' " 
  Cynthia - who lives with her sister in Los Angeles - now prefers to 
concentrate on commercial work (she can currently be seen in spots 
for MCI, Bioré and the New York Stock Exchange). "We get offered twin
things here and there, but we just decided it was best for our careers to
split up," Brittany explains. "She's booked six commercials in the last 
year. She makes more money than I do!" 
  For her major solo debut, Brittany made the rounds of L.A. auditions. 
"During pilot season, I was testing for a bunch of different shows," she 
explains. "And I was so close to so many different projects. It's so 
frustrating. But even with those, there's no guarantee. So many of the 
ones that I almost got didn't even make it. 
  "But I had this strong feeling. I sometimes feel like I might be a little
psychic, in the sense that I just had such a strong feeling that something
was going to happen in the middle of August, when they bring on new 
characters to different shows. I felt like that was my ticket, to get on a
hit show. To slide right in." 
  "Dawson's Creek," which was created by "Scream" screenwriter Kevin 
Williamson (who serves as the series' executive producer) is filmed in 
Wilmington, N.C., where Daniel spent most of the summer. Away from 
the business. Away from the industry buzz about the hot new talent on 
"Dawson's Creek." 
  "This business is so unpredictable and so unstable, you can't ever 
think 'this is it,' ever," Daniel says. "But it is surreal; I don't actually 
believe I'm on this show. 
  "I've just been trained in this business not to get excited about 
anything, because it's constant letdown. If you get your ego involved 
in it, and you think you're going to be a big superstar, the next day 
someone tells you you're the worst actress in the world." 
  If Eve's storyline fails to get the fans worked up, maybe the producers 
will bring Brittany's sister on the show. Cynthia has visited the Wilmington
set a few times, and an "evil twin" scenario has been suggested - in jest. 
  "I was like 'Don't even think about it,' " Daniel laughs. "Because that 
would make it so 'Melrose Place.' " 

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