NEW YORK -- Brittany Murphy is the kind of person you want to pick up and carry around in your pocket. That's how actress Julianne Nicholson describes her petite co-star in "Little Black Book." "Just look at her," observes Nicholson, pointing to the 5-foot-2-inch blonde who is practically skipping across a crowded hotel ballroom to her umpteenth interview of the day.
"She always has that energy," Nicholson marvels.
"And she smells like bubblegum."
It is no wonder that Murphy, despite her size, is steadily becoming a giant star.
Having made a splash on the big screen nearly a decade ago as a supporting player to Alicia Silverstone in "Clueless," Murphy has gone on to deliver memorable performances in "Girl, Interrupted," "Don't Say A Word" and "8 Mile."
Lately, the 26-year-old Georgia native has explored the romantic comedy genre, starring opposite Ashton Kutcher (whom she dated for a while) in "Just Married," and in 2003's "Uptown Girls."
As she arrives for an interview, Murphy is a burst of color in her pinstriped jacket, cropped yellow pants and black stiletto heels. And she indeed smells of bubblegum. She appears excited to talk up her newest movie, in which she plays a young woman who discovers too much about her boyfriend's past.
Murphy explains that she was drawn to the Nick Hurran-directed project because it broke the mold of conventional romantic comedies. "It's more of an ensemble," she observes, noting that the plot explores her character's complicated relationships with friends and family as well as the obligatory romance with a cute guy (played by "Sex and the City's" Ron Livingston).
Oscar winners Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates boost the film's quality level a notch in supporting roles. Bates is particularly comical as an overzealous TV talk show host who will do anything to boost ratings.
Murphy also liked that the script avoided the typical boy-meets-girl opening that's a blueprint of nearly every other Hollywood comedy. "I like that it's a romantic comedy set about six months into a relationship," she says. It is then that Murphy's Stacy Holt, a producer for a daytime talk show, decides to take a peek at her boyfriend Derek's Blackberry, today's equivalent of a little black book. In it, she discovers the names and images of three gorgeous ex-girlfriends. At the urging of a co-worker (Hunter), Stacy decides to covertly investigate Derek's past relationships to find out how and where they went wrong.
Murphy says she could relate to the basic premise of "Little Black Book": most people are curious about their significant other's past. When it comes to snooping, though, she draws the line. "I wouldn't even think of doing something like that," she says, aghast.
The worst offense she will cop to is looking through someone else's medicine cabinet. Beyond that? Nada.
Has a boyfriend snooped on her?
"Not that I know of," she says, giggling.
"I wouldn't mind it, though," she quickly adds. "My diaries are written in a vein that other people can read them."
Despite her openness, Murphy admits she has yet to master the game of love. She recently broke up with her fiance, who also happens to be her music manager. "It wasn't the right time for either one of us," she explains. "We remain wonderful friends, though, and I don't mean that in a Hollywood sort of way."
Murphy's own black book is enviable. At various times she was romantically linked with Kutcher (before he moved on to Demi Moore) and her "8 Mile" costar Eminem.
She doesn't kiss and tell but admits, "they've all been kind of whirlwind relationships. I started (dating) late, but boy did I make up for lost time." Though currently unattached, she remains optimistic about finding Mr. Right.
Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Edison, N.J., with her mother after her parents divorced. At 9, she started acting in local theater productions. Three years later, she persuaded her mom to hire a manager and began appearing in commercials. She and her mother moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and she landed a role on an episode of CBS' "Murphy Brown." Other TV credits include "Drexel's Class," "Blossom" and "Sister, Sister."
She made her big-screen debut as the ditsy Tai Frasier in the 1995 box-office smash "Clueless." From there she went on to star in "Girl, Interrupted," "Sidewalks of New York," "Riding in Cars with Boys" and "Don't Say A Word" (where she uttered the memorable line, "I'll never tell"). Other screen credits include "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "Summer Catch."
She appeared on Broadway opposite Allison Janney in Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning "A View from the Bridge."
For the past eight seasons, Murphy has voiced the characters of Luann and Joseph on the Fox animated series "King of the Hill." She calls the gig "my work job." "It afforded me the opportunity to do Broadway for a year and to have this career," she says.
It also has given the young actress the opportunity to work with people like Hunter. "She's definitely one of my idols, and to be able to work with someone that you admire so much every day is pretty unique," she says. "The moment I met Holly we hit it off."
The good feelings are mutual. "The scenes with me and Brittany were scenes of discovery," says Hunter.
Murphy gets the chance in "Little Black Book" to indulge in another passion: singing. She sings one of Carly Simon's melancholy tunes while waiting for her boyfriend to return home. Simon is Stacy's musical hero and her music is peppered throughout the movie. The artist even makes a cameo.
"It originally was going to be Judy Garland and then we decided to have it be Carly, which was a great decision," says Murphy, who plans to cut a jazz/hip-hop album later this year.
And what's next for the versatile actress?
She is set to co-star with Jessica Lange and Sir Ian McKellen in the suspense drama "Never Was," shooting in Vancouver this month. She also recently wrapped work on the animated feature "Happy Feet" in which she provides the voice of a penguin.
