"This is an indication of how down to earth she is.  My family and friends were in this restuarant (somewhere in Hawaii) and Love walks in with her mom and a family friend.  This is right around the time she starred on PARTY OF FIVE.  And one of the boys we were with walked over and said, 'Can you signed this piece of paper?'  And Love said, 'I'll only sign it if you and your friends hang out with me all week.  I don't have anyone with me except my mom and her friend.'"

- JENNY OLEKSIW
Love's best friend

"I was completely unpopular. I had a really rough time in junior high. Kids just thought I was some freak and tried to beat me up. Well success was the best revenge! Since starring on "Party Of Five," all I had thrown my way were compliments. And the rest was on top of the world. I recently saw those girls who used to tease me at a 7-Eleven. It was really cool. I went in to get a Slurpee, and they were standing there. I got that old fear back, like, 'Oh my God.' Then they came up to me and said, 'We just love "Party Of Five." Would you mind signing something?' I said, 'You know what? I'm sorry, I can't. I have to go. Really nice seeing you!' I wanted to say something really mean, but why go to their level?".

- JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

At the audition of this one year-old TV dramatic series, a 16 year-old Jennifer Love Hewitt auditioned against a group of 25 year-old gorgeous women.

In 1994, creators and producers Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser, and Sony's Columbia TriStar Television produced a family drama TV series for the Fox Television Network (USA) titled:

"PARTY OF FIVE"
Click the title for the images

Jeremy London, Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf, Love,
Neve Campbell, Matthew Fox, Paula Devicq,
and Owen Bradley

"Party of Five" (PO5) is the story of the Salingers---five children coping with life on their own after the tragic death of their parents killed by a drunken driver in a car collision.

In 1995 on the second season of "Party Of Five" (PO5), a new character was introduced to the PO5 fans named: SARAH REEVES-MERRIN and television history added a new chapter.

Also the dramatic TV series reunited former Kids Inc. stars, Scott Wolf and Love. By the way, Love's character as well as Love herself, was 16 years-old when she started on PO5. Wolf's character, BAILEY SALINGER, was two years older than Sarah. But in real life, Scott Wolf was 10 years-older than Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The TV series won its first Golden Globe Award in 1996 as "Best Drama Series for Television" beating out ABC/Steven Bochco's "NYPD Blue" (don't tell Mr. Bochco I said that).

Love was contracted for a nine episode appearance. But at a PO5 party celebrating another successful season of PO5 (as well as the pick-up for the new season), Love was in tears realizing that it was fun. But now the curtain must come down on Sarah...until she received a phone call from the bosses: Amy and Chris. Sarah and Love were asked to stay. The rest was history. Thank you, Amy & Chris!

In 1997, Love received The Hollywood Reporter Award for "Best Young Star" on "Party of Five".

Prior to appearing on PO5, Love was attending Laurel Springs High School through a correspondence course while filming PO5. Love graduated in 1998.

As a matter of fact speaking of graduation, this brings up an interesting story.

Love hates coming face to face with her acting heroes because she always acts the fool in front of them. Love has had many encounters with her favourite men, but she fears she always comes across as a mad fan. One in case, her fave of all faves, actor JOHNNY DEPP. Back in 1992 on the set of "SISTER ACT II: BACK INT HE HABIT" Jennifer Love Hewitt was in her trailer in bewteen takes of filming the Disney/Touchstone movie sequel. A friend of Love's knocked on her trailer door and asked Love to open the door. Love opened the door and noticed her fave, JOHNNY DEPP. When Love saw Johnny, Love closed the door, fell to the floor and started crying. Love's friend asked Love to come out of her trailer. Love refused because she was afraid to see Johnny Depp outside her trailer. But then Love composed herself and opened the door to meet her fave. Johnny was gone.

Time later, Love lost another chance of meeting Johnny Depp, again. Love's theater seat was given away at one of Depp's movie premiere she was invited to. She tried to convince security (security probably thought she was a stalker) that she wanted to desperately meet Johnny Depp and how much she was obsessed over him. Well Love never got that chance until a week later, Hewitt and Depp's paves crossed again, peacefully. The two actors shook hands, spoke to each other and became friends. And on the week of Love's high school graduation, Johnny Depp sent a dozen long stem roses with a 'congratulations' note on her high school graduation. She loved it! Johnny Depp is her hero!

In 1996, returning to movies, Love (as Brooke) co-starred in the MGM/Rysher Entertainment motion picture:

"HOUSE ARREST"

.....with Kyle Howard, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Pollock, Ray Walston, Jennifer Tilly (playing Brooke's mother) and Christopher MacDonald.

Living the life of a daughter to divorced parents brought back memories to Love to be in this movie about a group of kids kidnapping and holding hostage their nearly seperated or single parents in order to keep them together.

Michael Hitchcock penned the screenplay and had a cameo in the movie as a police officer. Love and Hitchcock would team up again in 2001 for "Heartbreakers" (MGM).*

Continuing in her first love, Love followed up her Atlantic Records' "Let's Go Bang" CD with her self titled CD---her 'White Album' version of love songs:

"JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT"

From her self titled CD, a song titled, "IT'S GOOD TO KNOW I'M ALIVE" became the House Arrest's movie theme.

During her success with PO5, in 1996, Jennifer Love Hewitt was selected to be the spokeswoman for the Sears & Seventeen Magazine Peak Performance Scholarship Program, which encourages self confidence and achievement in young women presented by the department store and the teen magazine.

In addition, Love hosted a series of MTV specials on teenage issues entitled "TRUE TALES OF TEEN TRAUMA" and "TRUE TALES OF TEEN ROMANCE".

In 1997, back with ABC Jennifer Love Hewitt hosted a pilot titled:

"THE SENIOR PROM"

---a light-hearted documentary that looks into the preparations and anticipations of senior school kids for the senior prom, including shopping, fund-raising and getting a date. But the pilot was never ran a full season run.

Also in 1997, GEORGE HUANG directed Love, Wil Friedle ("BOY MEETS WORLD"), Wendie Malick ("JUST SHOOT ME") and the "SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN"/"FALL GUY": LEE MAJORS in Warner Bros.':

"TROJAN WAR"

Brad (Friedle) thinks he has found the right girl of his dreams with Brooke (Hewitt). Trust, love, everything is all right. One problem...No condom.

On his search to find a trojan he realizes that maybe it isn't worth the trouble. So was the film, but Love is human. The original title was "Rescue Me". Unfortunately, the film was not rescued by anyone.

"When I first got boobs, I was so insecure.  I was 11 years old, with this chest, and it was like "Whoa, what is going on?"  Then I finally went, "Wow, what a great accessory to a T-shirt!  My T-shirts have never looked to good, how exciting."  You just have to embrace them."  

-JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

In the late 1990s, teen horror flicks were getting another turn of box office success. Riding on the success were the stars of this next teen horror movie were: Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillipe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Love.

"SCREAM" screenwriter and future "DAWSON'S CREEK" creator: KEVIN WILLIAMSON penned a screenplay based on the LOIS DUNCAN novel about kids driving home from an event, when their car accidently hit and kills a fisherman on the road in the middle of the night. Leaving the fisherman at the scene of the accident and keeping this 'hit and run' trauma as a secret, the fisherman returns from the dead to get his revenge in the 1997 box office blockbuster from Peter Guber's Mandalay Entertainment and Sony's Columbia Pictures titled:

"I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER"

Starring veteran actor Muse Watson as the Fisherman.

Actually, Love auditioned for the role of Helen Shivers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar). But the producers felt the role of Julie James was right for Love. Love had the right temper for it.

Love won the 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Best Female Newcomer" in 'I Know' horror flick.

*

= Michael Hitchcock played a rich doctor trying to be lured and scammed by Paige (played by Love) in the MGM hit movie, "Heartbreakers" (2001). The doctor was spit in the eyeball with an olive from the mouth of Paige after she received a Heimlich Maneuver from Jack (played by Jason Lee).