Alicia Silverstone opens up about playing the anti-housewife in 'American Woman'

Many longtime fans fell in love with Alicia Silverstone with her lead role as Cher in the 1995 cult classic Clueless. Since then, she has done everything from playing Batgirl in Batman & Robin to posing nude for PETA to protest the use of wool. Now she is portraying an unconventional ’70s mom in the new television series American Woman, and according to Silverstone, her character has a trait that everyone can learn from.

“She has no skills, no money, and at the time, you couldn’t even get a loan out without a man. So she’s taking a huge leap. I appreciate that bravery and being able to live your truth,” Silverstone told Yahoo Lifestyle about her character, Bonnie Nolan. “Most women put their heads down and would pretend this didn’t happen. But she says, ‘Oh no you don’t,’ and she breaks free. I think that’s brave, especially during that time. A universal lesson that we could all learn is that she’s not afraid of what’s on the other side.”

During the 1970s, most mothers did not have the courage to step outside of what was believed to be their role in the household. The 41-year-old actress admires that her character was courageous enough to step outside of that mold.

“My character does not always pick the right thing to do, and she’s really irresponsible but she means well,” explains Silverstone. “That’s so fun for me as an actress — being a mom that does everything she’s not supposed to.”

American Woman premieres June 7 on Paramount Network.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Alicia Silverstone’s Halloween costume is pretty brilliant

• Alicia Silverstone Poses Nude for PETA to Protest Wool

• Alicia Silverstone is divorcing husband of nearly 13 years

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