Leslie Grossman says Amanda Bynes is serious about getting back into show business
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It's been over a year since Amanda Bynes first declared her intention to return to show business, and the actress' friend and former co-star, Leslie Grossman, says she can't wait to start working on projects once again.
Grossman recently sat down with Busy Philipps on her E! late night talk show, "Busy Tonight," and the "American Horror Story" actress shared an update on Bynes' journey back to stardom.
"I met her when she was 16 years old and you don’t know what you’re gonna get when you meet a young star of a show, it could be a nightmare. [But] from the get go, [she was] the sweetest, the funniest, the most hard working, and just a wonderful person," said Grossman, who starred opposite Bynes for four seasons on the early 2000s sitcom "What I Like About You."
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Amanda Bynes Looks Happy and Healthy 2 Weeks After Tell-All Interview
"That show was a really fun and good time in my life, and we had such a good time doing that," Grossman recalled fondly.
While Bynes endeared a tumultuous few years, which included painful and public struggles with addiction and mental health issues, the actress revealed in June 2017 that she was clean and sober and ready to get back to acting.
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This past November, Bynes elaborated on her various struggles and her desire to reclaim her life in a lengthy and candid sit-down interview with Paper magazine, where she seemed to have really come to terms and moved past many of the problems she'd been fighting for years.
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"She’s doing fantastic, she really is," Grossman, 47, shared. "She looks beautiful, and she’s very eager to get back into acting, which I think she’ll have no problem with. I think everyone wants to see her doing something."
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The "Popular" star said that Bynes is also still "really committed to doing fashion," which is a passion the star has had for years, and something she went to college to study after taking a step back from her acting career.
Ultimately, Grossman said she has a lot of sympathy for how Bynes had to deal with her painful and personal battle under the intense scrutiny of the public eye, and she's excited for how her friend has managed to turn things around.
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"I think all of us have had tough times in our lives, and we haven’t had to do it in front of the glare of a camera," Grossman shared. "I’m very, very proud of her, I really am. She’s doing great."
For more on Bynes' surprising, brutally honest interview with Paper magazine -- in which she gets very open about the extent of her past drug use and her career's lowest moments -- check out the video below.