When I first rushed into the world of “Greek” I assumed Ashleigh was, despite being a brunette, the token dumb blond. With her neon clothes and pop culture references, she could have easily become “Clueless: The College Years.” But over the course of three seasons Ashleigh has revealed herself to be one of the show’s most fascinating and complex characters.
And this season finally gave actress Amber Stevens the opportunity to take center stage as Ashleigh unexpectedly became president of her sorority. Unfortunately, her first term involved a cleanup of Obama-ian proportions as ZBZ had lost its social standing and fallen to Nixon-level lows.
Tonight’s “Greek” season finale will deal heavily with ZBZ’s future as the house is part of a shocking cliffhanger — one that involves a fire drill!
PopWrap: Ashleigh has really stepped into the forefront, were you excited that was the plan for this season?
Amber Stevens: Oh absolutely, it’s been so much fun. I love when I get a script and see her in it more. I also love that they’ve developed so many fun little stories for me. I’m elated to work on this show, but even more excited to have so much going on.
PW: Will we see Ashleigh continue to struggle with ZBZ’s status on campus in the finale tonight?
Amber: Oh yeah. The girls are trying their best to become the number one house again and Ashleigh gets really desperate. I mean, she paid that other house’s electricity bill, obviously she’s going to do whatever it takes to keep her girls from going astray. There’s a great cliffhanger that has a lot to do with that.
PW: I’ve heard talk of a fire…
Amber: Well, you’ll see [laughs]. There is something to do with a fire, but ZBZ isn’t burning to the ground.
PW: So all those cat decorations are safe and sound?
Amber: [laughs] yes, they’re all fine. They’s safe. They really are all over that house.
PW: I love how self-referential the show has gotten this year, talking about the cat statues and how long the semester’s felt.
Amber: I know, right. It’s taken like two years to get through one semester.
PW: And now graduation is looming — I’m a little worried about people leaving.
Amber: Well, that’s kind of our concern too — but the writers have taken that into consideration and mapped out how to continue the season without running out of time. This season ends with winter vacation and the one after that will be spring vacation, and then there’s spring to summer and then summer school and grad school if necessary. They have plenty of ideas how to keep the storyline going.
PW: Not like any of them seem graduation ready — I don’t think we’ve seen the girls in one class all season long!
Amber: There’s a little more class in the episodes we’re filming now for next season. Those will air in March. Rusty and Ashleigh will have a class together and everyone will be concentrating more on graduation. You’ll see a much greater emphasis on school next season.
PW: In addition to Ashleigh becoming a ZBZ leader, you also had an awesome storyline with Fisher & Rebecca — what did you think of Ash’s choice to forgive him but not her?
Amber: I kinda liked the way they handled it. I personally would never let that happen, I would just cut them both out of my life. It takes two to tango, you know. But life isn’t always black and white — I understood how Ashleigh felt about the situation because so often in life you pick love over friendship since you assume friendships can be mended whenever you want.
PW: What are some of your other favorite moments?
Amber: I loved the episode where she kept creating more and more credit card debt for herself.
PW: Buying all those crazy Ashleigh clothes!
Amber: [laughs] It’s really over the top sometimes, it cracks me up! Every once in a while I get obsessed with a piece she wears, but her outfits as a whole are usually over the top by one thing. Usually an accessory like earrings or a necklace. I love it though because it’s like putting on a costume every day. The clothes definitely help me be silly Ashleigh.
PW: Is there one piece you can’t seem to escape?
Amber: There was a sweater last season that still gets a lot of attention — it had a cloud on one sleeve and a rainbow on the other. Any fan who wants to talk about Ashleigh’s clothes always brings up that sweater. I felt like a preschool teacher that day — “Ok, today kids we’re going to learn about the weather!”
PW: I heard you’re working on getting an album together, is that true?
Amber: Well, music was my first love. I thought that’s where my life was headed until “Greek” came along. For a while I was trying to do both, but singing and music have always been my first love.
PW: So what will your CD sound like?
Amber: What I’d love to do, if a record label wants to assist me with this, is to make a 1960s-inspired pop album. Bring back the Motown sound, but modernized because I like to sing pop. I’m not an R&B artist. I’m not trying to be Beyonce. I’m following in Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Adele’s footsteps. I like music that needs a tambourine — something to get people up and dancing.
“Greek’s” season finale airs tonight at 9 pm on ABC Family
Photo: ABC