Amanda Bynes brings it on: Amanda Bynes is mostly known for her teen comedies. But now that she has developed a fashion line and is pursuing serious roles, it's clear she's all grown up. Further proof: the cover of this magazine.(COSMO NEWS: Interview)(Interview)(Cover story)

Amanda Bynes often feels like she doesn't completely fit in. "Part of me relates to Perez Hilton because he's an outcast," she says of her celebrity blogger friend. (The two often grab frozen yogurt and talk movies.) "I don't have a lot of friends who are actresses. They're catty, and they'll cut you down. I like that Perez is proud of who he is and doesn't care what anybody thinks." And it's obvious that Amanda embraces that same attitude.

Today, the independent 22-year-old has Google-mapped her way from her three-bedroom condo in an area of Los Angeles called The Valley to the ultrachic Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills. Dressed in a Veronica M minidress that showcases her very long, very toned, and very tan legs, she bears little physical resemblance to the wholesome girl who has starred in such films as Hairspray and What a Girl Wants. But that warm, girl-next-door vibe is still apparent. As she sits down to talk to Cosmo, she tucks her beloved iPhone into a shopping bag-size purse, flashes a wide smile, and says "Ask me anything!"

GOING CAREER CRAZY

It's that game-for-whatever outlook that has guided Amansa's career. The Southern California native performed stand up comedy at age 7 and had starred in two Nickelodeon series and the WB sitcom What I Like About You before graduating high school (as a straight-A student, no less). She has dressed in drag (for She's the Man), sung and danced (in Hairspray), and lent her sharp comedic timing to everything from the film Robots to the TV series Family Guy. "I've never been that girl [who] was auditioning to be the hot cheerleader," says Amanda. "I was always the quirky girl. I'm much more comfortable being goofy than being the sex kitten."

Along the way, she's also found time for several side projects: becoming involved in charity work (she recently contributed her entire salary for the Lifetime movie Living Proof to cancer research and awareness) and launching her own clothing line, dear by Amanda Bynes, sold exclusively at Steve and Barry's stores.

While her early designs were sportier, Amanda describes the latest pieces as flirty, feminine, and bohemian. "I want to make cute, inexpensive versions of things you see on the runway," she says. (Plans for a dear line of fragrance and makeup are also in the works.)

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