My name is Summer Phoenix
By Alexia Loundras
Time Out London, March 27- April 3 2002
It's not easy being the youngest of five, in the shadow of your siblings, and it's even harder when your older brothers are River and Joaquin Phoenix. After her roles in Henry Bean's 'The Believer' and as aspiring artist/waitress Marti in Bob Giraldi's slick, Altman-esque 'Dinner Rush' (out this week), 23-year-old Summer Phoenix is doing some shining of her own.
What was it like making 'Dinner Rush'?
It was a great fun. It was so local. It's set in a restaurant that I've been eating at for years. I know all the maitres d's and the cooks, and they all ended up in the film too.
Did you get any waitressing training for your part?
I learned to carry plates up my arms. And that's not something you can just be told how to do - you have to practise. It's a balancing act. But I watched myself in the film tryingto open a bottle of wine and I thought: There's no way I've been working in this restaurant for very long!
Whom would you most like to work with?
Wes Anderson ['The Royal Tenebaums']. His characters are so incredibly unbelievable yet he makes you feel like you know them.
Is there anything you still haven't done that you'd like to do?
I compose classical piano and I would love to play a concert of my work.
What do you like to do for fun?
I've got this electric scooter that my brother got me for my birthday, and I'm addicted to it. He's got one too. It's the most fun thing in the entire world. We go out and ride all over the city. I can't pop benches yet, but he's an old skater, so he's like 'Hey, check this one out' – jerk!
What's the most embarrassing thing you own?
Probably my scooter. No, definitely my scooter.