PW: Are you the kind of person who can find a silver lining even in that kind of situation?
Melissa: Oh yeah, you gotta move on. But I think my decision through really carefully and try to see them from every angle. Like with my Maxim cover — I almost began regretting that in 1999 because it blew up into this huge scandal where I was going to be fired and sued.
PW: What made you say yes to that?
Melissa: I was 23 years old and willing to be sexy to promote my movie. Plus, I went through a time where I was a little wild. I actually showed up at the photo shoot from the Playboy Mansion, so it was like, "oh big deal — bra and panties, that's what I saw everybody in all night." I had no idea how big that was going to be.
PW: So if you learn something from every mistake, what did Maxim teach you?
Melissa: I learned that I didn't want to do Playboy. They came around and offered me a million dollars, which I had to seriously consider. Initially it's like, "yeah, I'll take my clothes off for a million bucks, are you kidding?" It's the big question: what will you do for a million dollars? But I decided that because of the reaction I got from Maxim I wasn't comfortable — and my brother had that cover shoved in his face for months. That made me say no.
