'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Bristol Palin Reveals What She'll Tell Her Son About Abstinence
by Gabrielle Dunn, posted Jun 28th 2010 6:45PM
In one of the most fitting guest-star casting decisions ever, Bristol Palin (daughter of Sarah Palin) who garnered national notoriety for getting pregnant at the age of 17 during her mom's vice presidential campaign, is set to play herself July 5 on 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager.'Palin will interact with the show's main character, Amy, who gave birth to a son after getting pregnant before her freshman year of high school. The girls will meet at a band camp for teenage mothers.
Another character on the show, Adrien, played by Francia Raisa, also just learned she is pregnant after a one-night stand and is deciding between keeping the baby or terminating the pregnancy.
Palin and Raisa talked to TV Squad about the cameo and their shared favorite TV show. Plus, Palin also spoke about the show's message against pre-marital sex and what she'll tell her now 1-year-old son, Tripp, about abstinence when the time comes.
So Bristol, I wanted to ask, are you playing yourself, or a fictionalized version of yourself?
Palin: Yeah, a fictionalized version of myself is probably the best description.
Can you tell us a little more about what happens in the episode?
Palin: Well, it'll be on July 5, but it's just a few lines of myself talking with the main character, Amy.
What did you do to prepare? Did you talk to any acting coaches?
Palin: [Laughs] No, no acting coaches. I went over the lines that was on the drive over here a few months ago, so it was kind of thrown out there, but it was an awesome experience.
Do you have any longer term plans for acting? And is this something you'd want to do more of in the future?
Palin: I don't know if I want to do more of it. I guess I'll leave it up to the experts but I had a great time shooting this and hopefully I don't look like too much of an idiot.
Do you have any scenes with Adrian (Raisa) or were most of them just with Amy?
Palin: It was just the one scene with Amy.
Francia, can you talk a little bit about what might be coming up for Adrian?
Raisa: Well, Adrian is pregnant, we just realized that and right now she's just dealing with the fact that she's going to have to tell her mom and in her head, she's going to terminate the pregnancy. And we'll just see what her mom has to advise her, because her mom, as well, got pregnant at 17 and decided to have her. So, it's just going to be an emotional roller coaster and a tough decision. Not only does she not want to be a mother, she doesn't want to have a baby with someone she doesn't love or isn't in a relationship with. That's all I can really give away, but just the decision of whether to terminate or not.
The show takes a cautionary tone about pre-marital sex. Bristol, was it a show you watched? Was part of you wanting to take the role an agreement with the message of the show?
Palin: It was definitely a show I watched with my younger sister and my cousins and what not. I think that every teen pregnancy has a different circumstance and I think the show is doing a great job showing that teen pregnancy isn't getting worse, and it doesn't just affect the mother, it affects her boyfriend, and so many other aspects and dynamics of it.
So you think the show is accurate?
Palin: Yeah, I do think it's accurate.
I read in Harper's Bazaar that you said your parents just assumed you weren't doing anything rather than talk to you about the realities of pre-marital sex, and it was pretty similar with the main character on 'Secret Life.' Have you given any thought to what you might say to your son about it when the time comes?
Palin: Well, I definitely hope Tripp will wait to have sex until either he's married or what not but I just hope that he doesn't have to go through what I went through with my teen pregnancy. Hopefully, I'll do a good job explaining that to him.
Francia, you said your character isn't sure if she wants to have a baby with someone she doesn't love. Is there a way that it could end amicably between a teenage girl and her child's father that she doesn't necessarily get along with?
Raisa: I can't give too much away just because it hasn't aired yet and I don't want to kill it for the viewers, I just know that right now they're going through a tough time. He's feeling guilty about the possible fact of her terminating the pregnancy and they're not really getting along with the decision right now.
Bristol, do you have any plans to watch it with your family, to throw a little party or something?
Palin: No, definitely not a party or anything. I'll definitely be too embarrassed to see myself on TV, so I'll probably just watch it by myself with my baby.
Are there any other shows that either of you watch that you like a lot?
Raisa: We bonded over 'Bridezillas' earlier. We're both fans of that show.
Palin: It's crazy, fun and dramatic.
Raisa: It's really funny, and other than that I watch 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'How I Met Your Mother' and stuff like that.
Every person says they're not going to be a bridezilla and then they turn into one in the end.
Raisa: [Laughs] Who knows? Just do what I say and I won't turn into a bridezilla.
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