Issue date: Feb 6, 2000

This week, TV star Elise Neal trades kids for customers in the new movie Restaurant. On ABC's The Hughleys, she's the wife and mother in an African-American family, dealing with life after the family moves to a mostly white suburb of Los Angeles (Fridays, 9:30 p.m. ET). In Restaurant, a drama, Neal is a waitress/would-be singer who falls into an interracial romance with a guy who struggles against his racist upbringing. But the big screen is no novelty for the actress who played a memorably murdered coed in the Neve Campbell slasher flick send-up Scream 2 and a schoolteacher in John Singleton's Rosewood.

What attracted you to the Restaurant script?
"This is my first ensemble piece. I also liked the depth of the characters and the story. It's about going for your dreams and falling in love, and the good and bad that come with it."

You aren't in the latest Scream sequel, but how was working with Neve?
"Crazy, fun. We had a blast filming in Atlanta. She likes to party. We hit every club in town."

Some critics say The Hughleys perpetuates stereotypes through race-based self-deprecating humor. Do you agree?
"Personally, I never saw it on the show. We tackle many issues that upscale African-American families who live in integrated suburbs deal with. But we're only one show, one voice. We can only do so much."

Why don't you tell your age?
"Because if you look good and take care of yourself, it shouldn't matter. Besides, no one wants to be typecast." (Other publications have reported she's 29.)

You're engaged. Will you and your fiancé tie the knot soon?
"Yes, early next year. He gave me a beautiful ring. My friends tease me and say they need sunglasses to look at it."