Amber Stevens at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party held at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, Calif. on September 18, 2008.

Stevens spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about what fans of the series can expect from this exciting new season.

MediaBlvd Magazine> How has your life changed, since you started doing this show?

Amber Stevens> My life has completely changed. I have a job, which is nice. I have somewhere to go, every day. I have a whole new family of people that I’m with, all the time. I feel like I’ve gotten better at acting, just because I’m exercising that skill, every day. I’m very happy that I get to do this all the time and get paid for it.

MediaBlvd> What have you learned about yourself from playing Ashleigh?

Amber> I like to have fun, just like Ashleigh does. I’ve learned that maybe I’m a little bit better at acting than I thought I was. When I got the job, I was like, “Who are they kidding? I’m not an actress. I don’t know how I’m getting this job. I don’t know how this is happening to me. I just thought it would be fun.” It still is most definitely fun, but now I’m starting to realize that maybe I’m a little better than I thought, which is nice.

MediaBlvd> In what ways has your character grown and changed since you started on the show? And, how different is Ashleigh, as a character, from what you originally thought she would be?

Amber> She’s completely different. In the pilot, she didn’t really have too much to her. She was just a sidekick character. Life has completely changed for her. She’s now the president of her sorority and she’s got a lot of responsibilities. She’s grown as a person and learned more about what she’s interested in and what her capabilities are, and that she can be a strong person and she can stand up for herself, if she needs to. And, that will continue into the coming season. There is lots of cool stuff for Ashleigh.

MediaBlvd> Did you give any specific input into her development, or were some of the changes that she’s gone through just totally surprising to you?

Amber> All of it has completely been a surprise to me. I’ve never actually sat down with any of the writers or the creator to say who I think Ashleigh should be. I knew that they had an idea of where they wanted to take her, and they would come to me, every few weeks, and say, “Guess what’s gonna happen this week? We’ve got something really cool for you!” I’ve just taken the journey that they’ve put me on and it’s been wonderful.

MediaBlvd> Did your past experience as Student Body president in high school help you understand what it might be like to be president of a sorority?

Amber> I’m different than Ashleigh is, in real life. I’m more of a leader. It’s hard for Ashleigh to be in charge of things, and I put myself in the situation of wanting to be president of my school. I was obsessed with it. I loved it. I liked the creative control that I had at the school. It definitely has helped me, as an actress. I have the skills to understand what it’s like to have to be in front of a room of people and tell them what to do and how things are going to work, and try to be in charge of what’s going on in everyone else’s lives.

MediaBlvd> What did you think when you found out that Ashleigh was going to win the election?

Amber> At first, I was completely stoked. I thought it was a great idea. It was a huge twist in the storyline that no one really expected because Casey had been working the entire season towards becoming the legitimate president and Ashleigh was just her campaign manager. And then, for the storyline to switch, I was really excited because it gave me something new to do on the show and made for a more fun storyline. Then, they switched it back to Casey and, for awhile, they thought that Casey was going to win because they felt like they owed it to the character. And then, at the last minute, they realized, if she didn’t win, there were a lot more stories that they could tell. They’d have to explore more of who Casey is, as an individual, outside of the house, and it gave more of a storyline to Ashleigh because she had to figure out what to do next. So, they decided to have more fun and switch it around, and I was very happy with that.

MediaBlvd> Do you think she’ll make a good president now?

Amber> I think she wants to be a good president, but she is still kind of lost. She’s just so used to Casey taking care of everything and just riding her heels, and now she has to make the decisions and step up to the plate and actually be responsible, so I think she’s going to have struggles with it. She definitely wants to be a good president, but it’s not in her nature, so she’s gotta step out of her comfort zone a little bit.

MediaBlvd> The relationship that Casey and Ashleigh have on the show is a very sisterly relationship. Were you able to draw on your own relationship with your sister, when you were developing that relationship?

Amber> My sister and I have a very interesting relationship because she’s younger than me. We are best friends, but she is still in high school and is going through the whole, “My friends are more important than anything phase.” My friendship with her has changed so many times, over the years. When I was in high school, I didn’t want anything to do with her and she wanted to be with me all the time ‘cause she was younger and looked up to me. Our relationship is different than one of a sorority sister. But, Casey and Ashleigh’s relationship is very similar to a lot of close friendships that I have in my life. I’ve got five best friends, and they’re very similar relationships to the Casey and Ashleigh one because, when you care about your best friend so much, you want to do everything for them and you want to be with them all the time and you share every secret with them. In that way, it helps. And, Spencer and I are friends in real life, so that helps too.

MediaBlvd> What has the experience of working with Spencer been like?

Amber> She’s really talented. I have actually learned a lot from her. She pays attention all the time. She takes direction really well. She is good with standing on her mark and understanding where the light needs to be. She’s been acting a lot longer than I have, so I learn a lot from her, and everyone else on the show. It’s fun. We have a good time. We always share stupid jokes and we make each other laugh a lot during work. It’s pretty easy.

MediaBlvd> When you’re playing a character like Ashleigh, do you feel added pressure to define your own sense of style? How different is your sense of style from hers?

Amber> My style is very eclectic, and it’s different than Ashleigh’s. I don’t make as many bold statements with color and accessories as Ashleigh likes to, but I do like to wear things that are somewhat unique. I like to have fun, but I do wear a lot of black, white and grey, and solid color things. I wear a lot of relaxing, casual clothes. I’m known for always wearing hats. But, Ashleigh has got some really fabulous ideas.

MediaBlvd> Have there ever been times where you really wanted to take a piece of wardrobe home, or have there ever been times where you just didn’t want to wear something they gave you?

Amber> Both, all the time. Everything Ashleigh wears ends up being cute, but it’s just so not me, to where I feel almost uncomfortable in it. But, I know that it’s a character I’m playing, so I have to get over it, and other people will think it’s cute. It’s not my own personal opinion that matters. And, I always want to take something home. I wore a cute patent leather jacket the other day that I loved and wanted to steal.

MediaBlvd> Does being on the show ever make you wish you had your own college experience, or do you feel like you’re getting to live it vicariously through your character?

Amber> Every once in awhile, I’m a little envious of people’s stories from college. Living in a sorority house would be really fun. But, at the same time, I wouldn’t give up my life now for that. I live a very unique lifestyle, and it’s really cool. I feel like I go to college on television, and I don’t have to do as much studying.

MediaBlvd> Without giving anything away, is there anything coming up with Ashleigh that you’re looking forward to viewers getting to see?

Amber> Oh, yeah! There’s a boy in her life, and that’s exciting. It’s fun, how he comes about.

MediaBlvd> What do you enjoy most about doing the show, and what’s the most challenging aspect of it?

Amber> I enjoy being around people I love, all day long. Your job can become your life because you’re there so many hours of your day, and it’s so great that I get along with these people and that I’ve become a family with everyone. I look forward to talking to and seeing everyone, every day. And, getting to act is just so fun, especially being Ashleigh, who’s always a silly character. She’s happy, so it’s nothing too hard. It’s nothing challenging, where I’m crying all the time and it’s emotionally draining. It’s fun. It can be hard, though, because of the long hours. I miss my personal life. Friends call me and they want to see me, and I just cannot make the time to have my own social life. We finally have our hiatus for a long while, which is nice, and I’ve just been making phone calls to all my friends, saying, “I have all this time now. Let’s hang out, every day.”Sometimes it can be draining to be so happy and energetic. The director will come up to me and say, “You need to bring it out more. You’ve gotta be even happier,” and I’m like, “Wasn’t I happy enough?” That can be tough, but for the most part, it’s just fun.

MediaBlvd> With such a big cast, is there anyone on the show that you haven’t really gotten the opportunity to work with much yet, that you’re still hoping you get to work with?

Amber> There are some new characters on the show this season that would be really fun to work with. I just met them on set, but never got to act with them. I would love to work more with Scott Michael Foster. We got really excited because we got a scene together this season. We always want to work together because we always have fun. We actually like to sing musicals all day, on set.

MediaBlvd> Does it help keep things fresh for you that new actors can always be coming into the show as new students at the college?

Amber> Oh, yeah! There’s a whole bunch of new people that come in this season, that are all really talented and fun. They bring a great new spark to the show.

MediaBlvd> Since you started playing piano and singing as a child, how did you end up making the decision to act professionally, instead of becoming a professional singer?

Amber> It just happened, honestly. I still want to be a singer. That’s definitely what I’m going to concentrate on, during these few months off. But, I started out modeling and my modeling agency had a commercial department that just started sending me on auditions. I didn’t go to any classes or anything. I was just working a lot, commercially, and met a manager. He was like, “I want you to act and I want to represent you,” and I was like, “Sure, after I graduate high school.” So, I graduated high school and he contacted me again and said, “I’d love to represent you. I think that you could be really good. I want you to go to acting classes, and let’s see what happens.” So, I just did it without really thinking about it. And then, once I started acting classes, I realized how fun it was and I really liked it. It just took over my path of music. I had worked with quite a few different producers and wasn’t really getting the results that I wanted, and I was getting disappointed. And then, Greek came along and just took over my time. Music is still my first love and I’m definitely going to try to do something with it.

MediaBlvd> Are you looking to write and record, during your hiatus?

Amber> Yes. And, I’m also taking a musical theater class that I’m really excited about. I’ve never studied it before and I just felt like I needed to sing all the time, so at least if I’m not recording anything yet, I’ll be in this class and I’ll be singing all the time, and I’ll get to perform things and get better, and I’ll learn some musical theater skills, like how to work a stage. I’ve taken a few classes so far and it’s just so much fun. And then, on top of that, I’m writing music and I’m going to start working with friends that are producers and see if we can put something together.

MediaBlvd> Do you want to be more of a singer/songwriter, or are you looking to form a band?

Amber> I’m more of a solo artist. I like to collaborate with other musicians to write music because I just like getting other people’s ideas and mixing things up. I feel like I get good products that way. I like to perform with live musicians, but just as a solo artist. I think I’m going to do music that’s in the vein of Amy Winehouse or Duffy -- bringing back that Supremes, do-wop, funky 60's music.

MediaBlvd> Did modeling teach you anything that you were able to apply to other aspects of your life?

Amber> I learned how to deal with people in this industry. People can be really harsh. And, I’ve definitely learned how to handle rejection and how to just be professional. It’s not a really tough career, it’s just hard emotionally, when people are telling you no all the time, or they’re telling you that you have to be this way or do it this way, and they don’t acknowledge your presence because they think they’re holier than thou. I’m just grateful that my mom was a model and she knew how the business worked, so she was just very aware of the people who were talking to me and telling me what to do. Every single time, before I went to a photo shoot, she said, “Don’t let them color your hair, don’t let them cut your hair, don’t let them tweeze your eyebrows, unless you say so, and you do it your way or they’re paying you to do that. And, don’t take your clothes off.” She just always put that in my head, so I realized that I don’t have to listen to other people. It’s my life. I’m basically doing this as a favor to other people, and I don’t have to be uncomfortable, if I don’t want to be. I’m glad I learned those lessons young, so I don’t get taken advantage of, as an adult.

MediaBlvd> If you had your choice, are there types of roles or specific genres that you’d like to work in, that you haven’t gotten the chance to do yet?

Amber> Musical theater. Now that I’ve started this class, I’m obsessed. I would love to be Mimi in Rent. That is on my list of goals in my life.