"MORE TO ME THAN THAT"

Jennifer Love Hewitt: When I read the "GHOST WHISPERER" pilot, I was blown away. I read 900 scripts a week that never make me cry, and this one just completely killed me. I thought: How upset would I be if I turned on the TV and another girl got to play this part?

What is so special about this show?

Although it's called "GHOST WHISPERER" and my character can talk to spirits, the show is really about the living human spirit, human nature and relationships. One of the greatest things is that my character and David Conrad's character have a great marriage. I feel like we might inspire people to want to go and get married instead of wanting to run away from it, because marriage these days is often seen as so negative.

Is Melinda similar to you in any way?

Yes. She likes to go and fix things for people. Obviously, that's her job and her gift. I'm somebody who if one of my friends is upset about something, it becomes my problem, whether they want it to be or not. It becomes my goal to make them feel better and they try to go their problem.

Do your friends and family appreciate it when you intervene?

Yes, But I think they also want me to be able to have a break. They're always like: "This is not your thing----don't worry about it."

How many hours do you work a day on the "GHOST WHISPERER" set?

It's about 16 or 17 hours. I get up at 4:30 in the morning.

How do you cope with that?

I don't know that I've figured out exactly how to physically cope with it yet! Sometimes by midday I'm like: 'Oh my God. I feel I've been hit by a truck!" But being one of the leads on the show, I set the tone for how the atmosphere is going to be every day on the set. If I walk in happy and excited, then the crew feels like they're allowed to be that way, and truly that's one of the most exhausting parts----keeping your energy up all day in order to help everybody else keep theirs up.

Do you exercise?

It's difficult with my schedule right now, but normally I work out twice a week with my brother, Todd, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We start at five in the morning. We do a big swimming workout for two hours at my mom's pool. I think women are suppose to be soft and curvy, and I don't want to have visible muscles where you go, "Wow, she could hurt me," and what I like about swimming is that it tones everything.

How do you balance your work and your private life?

I haven't figured out how to pace myself yet. The one thing that I try to do every night is stop by and either say hello to my mom or my brother. I try to do my workouts regularly, because my brother is actually my trainer so it allows me to spend time with him.

Who is the most important person in your life?

It's a complete tie between my mom, my grandmother, and my brother. My mom and I have been through everything together. I try not to miss a day wit her because there's obviously going to be a time in my life when I won't have her, which is so hard for me to think about. I don't ever want to look back and go: "I wish I'd spent more time in that moment."

Has your family kept you grounded?

Absolutely! When you come home from a big fancy day and you're feeling like: "Wow-----I might be a movie star today," my mom and brother are like: "So what topping do you want on your pizza?" It sudden all deflates very quickly and you're life, "Oh, well maybe I'm not as fancy-pants as I thought I was."

Your parents split when you were just a few months old. Is marriage and having kids important to you?

Yes, I'd love that. I use to be much more of the fairy-tale person: You meet somebody, you fall in love, you get married, you have kids and you live in a house. Now, I'm more: "Would I love to be married one day? Absolutely! Do I have to be married? No." What I would love to do is find a partner, somebody to share time with, have fun with, feel comfortable with and feel supported by and have my hero at the end of the day.

Which celebrity couple do you respect?

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Those people love each other more than anything in the world; they didn't get married because it didn't work for them. If that's what happened to me in my life, I wouldn't be bummed. I definitely want to have kids. I just adore them. They're the most magical things. I think that just on the brink of losing the last bit of innocence, you have kids and it's fully restored. My relationship with my mom, Pat, has been so strong and such a huge part of my life, I want to be able to give a kid what she's given me.

Are you single at the moment?

Yeah.

What qualities would your ideal guy have?

Funny is my number one priority. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and you have to be able to laugh at the person you're with. I love people with kind eyes, a great smile and just somebody gentle. It's so important that both people are able to sit back and let each other shine. I don't mind being just the girlfriend. In fact, I welcome the times when I just could hold someone's hand and be their date. When you either have one or both people in the entertainment business, it's really important that you find two personalities that are willing to sit back and watch that person tell a story and glow because it's their moment.

How many kids would you want and what would be the main things you would want to instill in them?

Three would be good, but that would kind of depend on me and the person it was happening with. The most important thing I'd want to instill in my child is that they be honest and really proud of who they are no matter what happens. It's really hard as a female in the entertainment industry to hold onto your self-worth.

If you get into a relationship and have kids, are you going to be a Hollywood power mom, or step back a bit?

I don't think you know what to do until you're there. I would try to still do what I love at the same time as having kids. If it felt like I was sacrificing the development of my kid or my time with them or the development of me as a mom, I think I would be very willing to take some time off for a while.

Are you the kind of person who goes out in sweatpants and no make-up?

I still go out with no make-up and my sweats on, but the only thing that runs through my brain if I see photographers is: How mad am I going to be at myself that I didn't at least put mascara on? I try not to let it stop me from doing that stuff. It's good for people to see photographs of celebrities that way, because I think there is something very human about it.

What is the most ridiculous thing you've ever read about yourself?

That I was dating Burt Reynolds! No offense to Burt Reynolds, but it was so ridiculous, because why would I have seven years ago been dating Burt Reynolds? I was like 20?

There is always speculation about starlets your age having surgery.....

I think it's everybody's choice and if you thought long and hard about it and surgery makes you feel better about yourself and that's what you want to do and you're not hurting people in the process, do it. I don't think people should judge you and say: "Oh, she needs to get that fixed." Do what you have to do.

What do you hope to achieve by 30?

I just hope that I will have alittle bit more of life figured out. I think every day in your 20s you constantly ask a lot of questions, like, are these the right people for me to be around? Is this what I really believe in? Do I want the fairy-tale relationship, or do I just want a relationship that feeds my spirit and allows me to stand strong and be healthy?

What do people not know about you?

I'm deeper that I think people give me credit for. I think people are surprised to know that I do more than date and shop. Sure, I've been on dates, and I love to shop and all those things, but there is more to me than that.

Story: © 2005 Northern & Shell North America Ltd. All Rights Reserved. "Ghost Whisperer" Image: © 2005 Touchstone Television LLC - a Walt Disney Company. All Rights Reserved. "BareNaked" Image: © 2002 Zomba Recording Corporation - a Bertelsmann Music Company and Love Songs Inc. All Rights Reserved.