Where are they now? Interview with “Switcher Girl” Ellen Feiss

January 28, 2007 by Dr. Macenstein
Filed under: News 

ellen feiss

“I’m Ellen Feiss and I’m a student”. Back in the Spring of 2002, those words launched one of Apple’s more memorable, if not effective, ad campaigns. Known as the “Switcher” ads, the spots featured real people telling real stories of being fed up with the hassles of PC ownership, and their subsequent relief upon switching to the Mac. By far the most popular of the ads from this series starred Ellen Feiss, a 14-year-old girl who ended up in the commercial totally by chance. While other “switchers” quickly fell into obscurity, Ellen grew into an overnight internet cult hero of sorts, her fame spurred largely by the rumor she was high during the filming of her spot. Sites selling merchandise with her image sprung up on CafePress shops across the web, and fan sites declared their undying love for her.

Ellen recently started college, but not before taking a year off to star in an independent foreign film entitled Bed and Breakfast. We caught up with Ellen to see what she thinks of those Switcher Ads five years later, how she feels about acting, internet fame, and what she thinks about her image being on a Frisbee.

Macenstein: Hi Ellen. Thanks for taking the time to meet with us. The last time most of us saw you, you were what, 14? What have you been up to?

Ellen: Well. I finished high school, got accepted to college and then got a call from the Bed and Breakfast director. I decided to go to France in August and put college off. Two free tickets to Europe later I would say it was worth it for me, I’m not sure how they feel about it.

Macenstein: Why’s that? Do you think the movie didn’t turn out well?

Ellen: I think it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t really make sense. But it was really fun to make and the other actors are, in reality, very talented. The crew was also incredibly impressive and on to better things. I think it was just a fun silly project and perhaps somewhat of a joke for everyone.

ellen feiss

Above: Ellen in a Scene from Bed and Breakfast (2006)

Macenstein: Where can someone see it? There’s very little info on IMDB.com other than a 2006 release date.

Ellen: Contact Screenrunner, the production office if you want to buy a copy.

Macenstein: Take us back to that Switcher ad shoot. I understand you were not actually supposed to even be in the ads, you were actually just a friend of the Director’s (Errol Morris) son and just happened to stop by the set?

Ellen: That’s true. I was friends with his son Hamilton in high school and a few friends and I went with him to watch him make his ad. The two other girls I was with that day also made ads. We were asked to when we got there. What I was wearing in the ad was what I had worn to school that day.

Macenstein: So, were you really a Mac user at the time?

Ellen: Yes. I still have the same powerbook G4 at school with me.

Macenstein: Really? Apple never offered you any free gear?

Ellen: I got a free iPod.

Macenstein: So, that “beep, beep, beep” story was 100% true? How soon after your dad’s PC “ate” your paper did you force him to get you a Mac?

Ellen: The story is true, the 15-page paper was about the history of Chinatowns in America and I wrote it for my 8th grade history class. My parents bought my sister and I the G4 to share the next year.

Macenstein: So how did that shoot work? Was it all just stream-of-consciousness, or did they give you a script or direction of some kind? Multiple takes, etc.?

Ellen: The camera Errol used you could see his face in. So while he interviewed me, I was looking at him, and into the camera the whole time. The commercial was engineered for non-actors. It was literally an interview about my computer. He asked me questions to get me to tell him stories.

Macenstein: You achieved a sort of “instant internet celebrity” based on your Switcher ads that didn’t seem to fall upon any of the other “Switchers”. What do you think it was about your ads that made you a stand out?

Ellen: I don’t know? Because people thought I was stoned, because there aren’t that many young girls in computer commercials.

Macenstein: So back in 2002, you were just a regular kid, no agent, no manager etc. How soon after your ad aired did Hollywood call?

Ellen: Quickly. I got all the calls within a month or two. The “movie” I was ultimately in called 3 years after I shot the commercial. Everything else was all at the same time and fizzled out within the first year after the ad had finished airing. The online stuff has, obviously since we’re doing this, surprisingly held out.

ellen feiss

Above: a Scene from Bed and Breakfast (2006)

Macenstein: What was the best thing to come out of appearing in the Apple ads?

Ellen: Making the movie, Bed and Breakfast, was really fun. The film itself is really not a reflection of all the great people that worked on it. I enjoyed the shooting immensely. It’s something I would do again even though I don’t consider myself an actress. Plus I then lived in France for free for most of the next year. A lot of astounding things have come out of that 30 second spot.

Macenstein: And the worst (aside from this interview)?

Ellen: Being “famous” in high school isn’t fun. I got bitter pretty quickly. For some reason people lose their sense of what’s appropriate social conduct when you have any kind of celebrity persona. People would come up to me and say really rude things that they either thought or they had read someone else had said. People for some reason have an urge to tell you what they think about you and your fame. You feel relatively powerless.

Macenstein: You seem to have a large male following, even to this day. Does it creep you out that they are, in effect, into a 14-year-old Ellen Feiss?

Ellen: It was creepy from the beginning. It was always one of the worst aspects about the whole thing. I was famous but not that famous. It’s not like I had to get a body guard, but my parents stopped letting me go out alone for a while. It was an annoying balance and the constant commentary I was constantly reminded of pissed me off. Plus a lot of my fame seemed to me to be based on the fact that I seemed to be a vulnerable (stoned) young girl. That is never who I was or am. I don’t want that kind of gendered fame and I was never proud of the fact that a bunch of dudes on the internet thought I was hot, or ugly or stoned or stupid or any of the other things people talked about. That being said, a lot of my fans have turned out to be nice, intelligent Mac using people. Mostly men but a few women too.

Macenstein: So aside from the positive experience of making the movie, do you wish you had not made the ads?

Ellen: No. I think ultimately the benefits have outweighed the negatives. Plus it has been so long I don’t know what my life would have been like had none of it ever happened.

Macenstein: You were actually offered guest spots on both Letterman and Leno following the success of those ads, yet you turned them both down. Why?

ellen feissEllen: Because it seemed like I would be the guy with the talking cat on the show. I would be the side guest the host would make fun of and then move on to the real celebrity guest. Mostly I didn’t do it because I was told my fame would escalate. My then agent told me there would probubly be people outside my house if i did the talk shows. I didn’t see any real acting jobs or cool things/opportunities coming out of that, especially because going on the talk shows would be categorizing myself as a stoner computer chick. It didn’t seem worth it to me.

Macenstein: Now, you actually made 2 ads, but the 2nd one (”I love my
G4“) was never officially released. Were both shot the same day, or did they ask you to come back and shoot a second based on the success of the first?

Ellen: Both were taken from the 20 minute interview / stream-of-consciousness I did initially.

Macenstein: Do you still get recognized today?

Ellen: I got recognized last year in NYC. But not frequently.

Macenstein: Has any one ever asked you to sign their laptop or iPod or anything?

Ellen: I signed a printed still of the ad once.

Macenstein: You recently started college. Did word of your “celebrity” follow you there?

Ellen: Actually no. I don’t mention it unless someone specifically asks me about it. No one figured it out until a month into school someone Googled me for another reason.

Macenstein: So, in that short film, Bed And Breakfast, you star as one-half of an American couple searching for a friend across France. How did you land that job? Were you actively seeking acting roles?

ellen feissEllen: I was in my last year of high school and the director called me after having Googled me, found the name of my school somehow, called the school and got my home phone number. This disgusted me at first. It took him 2 and 1/2 months to convince me to do the unpaid role. My flight, ticket and housing were paid for though. He had seen the commercial and wanted me for this particular part-mostly because there is a scene where I trip on mushrooms in it. Plus it’s a short movie, he thought the internet star power would help. I never officially began looking for roles. Right after the commercial aired, I had an agent, but I would have had to move to LA to really attempt any kind of career. Acting was never something I was actively interested in. But i do like it.

Macenstein: Did you have a problem taking the role at first because of the drug theme?

Ellen: I didn’t read the script-so I didn’t know about the scene beforehand, but furthermore I don’t care about being depicted taking drugs.It took them 2 months to convince me because I didn’t want to put off college for two weeks of shooting. Plus, they got my number in an illegitimate way so that took a while to convince me they weren’t illegitmate as well.

Macenstein:That’s a pretty brave thing to do, going to Europe at 18 to do a film with a stranger who found you on the internet. Without any real acting experience, and no script, what convinced you you could handle the part?

Ellen: I got nervous once I was there and on set, but when I decided to do it, my performance in it wasn’t really a concern for me. I thought about it as: they chose me, so if they don’t like how it turns out, that’s not my problem. They know I have no acting experience, it’s their risk. I think ultimately I did ok.

Macenstein: I read that after the Apple ads aired, Apple sort of advised you to not try to capitalize on your celebrity, and sort of fade away. Why do you think that was?

Ellen: A multinational company obviously doesn’t want to be associated with weed. Their instructions made me want to capitalize on it though.

Macenstein: So as far as you know, your friends who did the ads with you did not get those same instructions from Apple? You were singled out because of the “stoner” moniker?

Ellen: Hamilton’s ad was the only ad besides mine that was picked up. The other two girls I was with, their ads never aired. Apple was advising me not to take acting roles, not to go on the talk shows, so they were talking specifically to me.

ellen feiss

Above: Ellen was profiled in this 2002 Joy of Tech cartoon entitled “Mona Switcher”.

Macenstein: Soon after your Switch Ad aired, there were T-Shirts, coffee mugs, etc. with your image for sale all over the internet on sites put up by your fans, as well as folks out to make a quick buck. Those sites seem to be largely gone now. Did you (or your agent) have to go after them, or did Apple do that for you?

Ellen: Apple did that for itself. My image in that commercial belongs to them. The money from Ellen Frisbees and alarm clocks would have to partially go to Apple.

Macenstein: Do you have a MySpace site? There is one called “http://myspace.com/ellenfeiss”

Ellen: i don’t have a MySpace.

Macenstein: There are 131,000 returns on a Google search for you. What’s it like to still have fan sites and folks pretending to be you on MySpace? Do you ever miss your anonymity?

Ellen: It’s not present in my day-to-day life, so I don’t think about it unless someone asks. Plus I rarely meet fans.

Macenstein: A large part of your mythology seems to stem from the internet’s obsession with the idea that you were “high” during the filming of your Switch ad. We’ve read past interviews where you attribute your slightly dazed look and red eyes to a late night shooting and your allergy medicine. That all seems perfectly plausible. However, you are now in college… Ever tried marijuana?

Ellen: I was not high during the ad. But I have smoked weed. Is that really surprising? You just had to ask.

Macenstein: So what are you majoring in at college?

Ellen: Photography/video or women’s studies.

Macenstein: Are you contemplating a show-biz career of any sort?

Ellen: Not really.

Macenstein: You met Steve Jobs after the debut of your spot at the 2002 MacWorld. What was your impression?

Ellen: I don’t really remember, it was very brief.

Macenstein: What do you think of the newly announced Apple iPhone?

Ellen: Sounds expensive.

Macenstein: Ok, we’ve taken up far too much of your time already. Let’s wrap this up with a quick lighting round to get to know Ellen Feiss:

What’s on your iPod right now?
Ellen: Nelly Furtado, Sleater Kinney, The Organ, Patti Smith, Sassie.
What’s your favorite movie?
Ellen:Bed and Breakfast. psych! anything with Diane Keaton.
What’s your favorite book?
Ellen:The Happening by Annie Ernaux
What’s your favorite TV show?
Ellen:Next, The L Word.
Currently single or taken?
Ellen: No comment
Do you currently own a Mac now?
Ellen:Same computer I had when I made the ad. G4

Macenstein: Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions and update our readers on what you’ve been up to. It really is an honor to speak to a Mac-icon.

Ellen: Oh stop. No big deal.

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Comments

113 Comments on Where are they now? Interview with “Switcher Girl” Ellen Feiss

  1. Ed in Accounting on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 12:26 pm

    2. Wow.
    I have to see that movie.

  2. Laurence Anderson on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 12:44 pm

    3. Great interview Doc, Ellen seems nice.

  3. g on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 1:43 pm

    4. She went to europe without seeing the script and no money and never having met or heard of the director? Didn’t she see “Hostel”?

    :)

  4. Jere on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 7:41 pm

    5. Cool chick. Funny how desperate stoner’s are to find anyone famous who has done pot. They made her a symbol for weed and she never even did any (at the time).

  5. hahahaha on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 9:34 pm

    6. yeah, she definitely looks and acts high in that commercial, and its good to see shes still a cutie all grown up

  6. Jimbo on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 9:45 pm

    7. Jere:

    You’re making some assumptions there.

    1) That the people calling her a stoner are stoners themselves.
    2) That she’s being honest about not being stoned for the commercial.

    I think people associated her with being a stoner because she looks high and acts high, not because they’re looking for someone famous to affix their stoner label on.

  7. Way Cool Jr. on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 9:50 pm

    8. Hey “hahahaha”, she said she wasn’t high during that commercial. She seems pretty f-ing honest about everything else, so I doubt she would lie about something like that.

    Great interview guys! Glad to see she’s doing well.

  8. Foo on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 10:02 pm

    9. It’s funny how she says “But a lot of my fans are nice, mac-using people.”

    What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Like PC and Linux guys are scruffy, bearded perverts?

    *Looks at self in mirror* Um, Never mind.

    Ellen, if you’re reading this, you totally should act, because I bet you could make lots of money at it. Just do it.

  9. dave on Sun, 28th Jan 2007 11:03 pm

    10. im totally going with Ellen is queer. She likes all these queer-rock idols, is studing womyns studies and wont comment about her girlfriend?

    ellen - live it up honey. don’t make me make jd sampson to call you! :)

  10. Ellenfan on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 12:33 am

    11. A lot of this was covered in an earlier interview with Ellen, and as a bonus, it’s audio, so there’s some new classic Ellen-isms:
    http://www.theflux.tv/index.php?/Podcast_Player/ellen-feiss-interview/

  11. Way Cool Jr. sucks on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 12:38 am

    12. Way Cool Jr.:
    First, hahahaha just made an observation, not even making fun of this girl for looking high

    second, you are freaking out about NOTHING

  12. Mac Guy on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 12:38 am

    13. Give me a break, she was stoned.

  13. kc on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 6:00 pm

    14. Kind of a long interview, but kind of interesting. Too bad she gave into the peer pressure of trying weed.

  14. Bilbo on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 6:14 pm

    15. kc, who says it was peer pressure? I think trying weed is a non-issue these days. it’s not like an after school special from the 80’s anymore. do you think everyone who drinks as an adult gave in to peer pressure? how about people who have had sex? sometimes you try things because you are curious and it helps you grow as a person. she doesn’t sound like a stoner to me, her thoughts on the fame thing are pretty well thought out, especially for an 18-19 year-old kid.

  15. Benhertz on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 6:56 pm

    16. Personally, I do think she looks high in the ads after watching them on YouTube. Bloodshot eyes are a telling side-effect of marijuana use. She should have admitted it.
    On second thought, to keep the mystery alive, she should have refused to give a yes or no answer. Keep everyone guessing forever. That would have been the coolest thing to do.

  16. Ralph on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 8:48 pm

    17. My cat’s breath smells like cat food.

  17. jebus on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 9:14 pm

    18. Did you know that Janie Porche is in an indie rock band?

  18. Matthieu on Mon, 29th Jan 2007 9:20 pm

    19. Ellen: One more question, you mentioned Keaton so I must ask… Sleeper or Annie Hall? I hope this experience in France gave you as much to think about as the ad, in a better way ^.^

    Bilbo: They are, but I think you’re assuming 19 year olds aren’t capable of such reflection. On the contrary I think they are very sensitive to these issues, she just had more to think about.

  19. Melissa W. on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 12:09 am

    20. Great interview! My husband and I loved that ad.

    What a well-spoken, intelligent, young woman. Ellen has a good head on her shoulders, and I wish her well. I’m glad she chose not to allow that ad define who she is as an individual. Way to go, Ellen!

  20. David Paul Robinson on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 12:25 am

    21. Great interiew. Amazingly, this ad will live alongside Apple’s “1984″ forever.

  21. chort on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 3:20 am

    22. What an intelligent and down-to-earth young woman. Someone that grounded should go far in life.

  22. Mehturt on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 5:10 am

    23. Ellen impresses me as a quite obviously intelligent, sensible young woman. Even at 14. How many teenagers would turn down an invitation to Leno and Letterman based on the (probably accurate) conclusion that they would be the side guest to be made fun of? Not many, I wager.
    Ellen, I’m sure you’ll get far.

  23. Shaun on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 5:52 am

    24. I always just attributed her lugubrious speech to being a teenager, not being stoned.

  24. スロ on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 9:13 am

    25. Poor Ellen, all the interview about the same… let her go, she has better things to do than talk about 4 years ago…
    the last 6 questions (fast ones) were the best, thought.

  25. X-rod on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 10:02 am

    26. “What’s your favorite TV show?
    Ellen:Next, The L Word.
    Currently single or taken?
    Ellen: No comment”

    Hmmmm…. anyone else putting 2 and 2 together and getting the same answer as me? Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

  26. Mossy on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 4:39 pm

    27. Anyone else notice the single or taken.. and TV Shows questions?… hmmm.. nevermind and the L Word..

    Now not that this matters.. she is cute as hell but those answers spell Lesbian to me… come on girl let it out.. break those boys hearts…

  27. Way Cool Jr. on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 5:03 pm

    28. Oh great guys, give her another rumor to live down. She just got over the pot thing. (although, to specifically mention those shows and music groups, she either IS, or just wants to screw with our heads.)

  28. ClimbingTheLog on Tue, 30th Jan 2007 11:00 pm

    29. What, no questions about if she had ‘french-style’ scenes in the movie? That would have driven sales through the roof from the fanbois! I have to admit, I’d forgotten about her ad, so I don’t think the 1984 analogies are entirely on track.

  29. buzzdat on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 12:44 am

    30. > Bloodshot eyes are a telling side-effect of marijuana use.

    And of hay fever, colds, and swimming in a chlorinated pool. Get a life.

    I always saw her as a ditzy teenager, not as a stoner. And based on her interview, I think she would have admitted to being stoned during the commercial if she actually was.

    Even if she was, who cares? It’s a cute ad.

  30. Stone watcher on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 3:37 am

    31. well, the fact her pupils are so friggen dialated indicates she was stoned, or perhaps on a good dose of hefty drugs. She can’t honestly say she wasn’t on some drug. Its like the Dell dude, “Hey Dude! I’m going to jail!”

  31. Tsagaan on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 3:58 am

    32. I was amazed at the use of poor grammar. Secondly, she does act like she is stoned. But she does look cute.

  32. stowner on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:00 am

    33. She rolled one right before the commercial shoot. It was good paper.

  33. nocturnal on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:09 am

    34. she seems really down to earth and real

    having smoked pot since i was 15 i can tell you that i can act and look exactly like she did in that ad weeks after i smoked any pot, just because i am naturally like that, i look tired, she says she had the same clothes on that she had to school that day, so she was probably just tired from school

  34. chowderhead on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:20 am

    35. She seems like a regular kid in this video. Stoned or not, doesn’t matter; why should anybody care?

    Nowadays she’s thoughtful, has had a bit of an extraordinary experience in terms of celebrity, and just wants to live and grow like anyone else. Sounds relatively normal and likeable. Good interview.

  35. adrian on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:53 am

    36. Ellen is gorgeous, who cares if she’s gay or not or stoned or not. She fucking rocks.

  36. Anon. Scruffy Bearded Dude on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 6:26 am

    37. Well… I can state for the record when I take any alergy meds I sure act stoned… slured speach, slow reactions, and everything. Decongestants tend to make my eyes dry and red, too…

    For obvious reasons, I don’t drive, code, or use sharp objects while in such a state!

  37. gary on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 6:35 am

    38. I’m stoned right now.

  38. Whatever on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 6:47 am

    39. Hmmmm…. anyone else putting 2 and 2 together and getting the same answer as me? Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

    If there’s nothing wrong about it, why are you doing the math?!?

  39. YoBaby on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 7:07 am

    40. “The story is true, the 15-page paper was about the history of Chinatowns in America and I wrote it for my 8th grade history class. My parents bought my sister and I the G4 to share the next year.”

    Gimme a break.. 8th graders don’t write 15 page papers for History class.

  40. Placid on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 7:44 am

    41. Interesting article. Why have I never heard of ‘Bed and Breakfast’?

  41. poptones on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 8:43 am

    42. Oh please - Apple didnt weant to be associated with pot? THEY edited the commercial, and you can do anything in editing. They didn’t have to pick the parts where she looked stoned, and there’s no way they didn’t know she looked stoned in those ads.

    Nice seeing her again though. She sure was a cutie.

  42. myanmarr on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 9:00 am

    43. In the years since the ad, she’s developed a really beautiful face. The lips were awesome then and are more so now. Good luck to her, whatever she winds up doing.

  43. Anon-withal on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 9:15 am

    44. I think that, and I’ve “viewed” the clip, it is readily apparent that “many” confuse “ditzy” with “drugged up.” Stoned she might be, but I don’t automatically call it that.

  44. Wiley on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 9:15 am

    45. Stoned to the bone!

  45. Anonymous on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 9:50 am

    46. Now the obligatory: I’d hit it.

  46. Jason on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 10:02 am

    47. Good interview. I am impressed how well put together and poised Ellen’s answers are. Most 19 year olds are not so cogent.

    As someone with a decent head on their shoulders, maybe you should look at law. You would make a hell of a good public defender.

  47. Justin on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 10:49 am

    48. Still kicking around with a G4? Time to upgrade that shitbox to a Core 2 Duo! x86 pwns PPC.

    How many geeks out there got a raging boner from an 8th grade girl in a Mac ad? F-ing pathetic.

    P.S. She’s either stoned out of her mind or she’s a space cadet on no sleep.

  48. dirty on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 10:58 am

    49. EDITED BY MODERATOR

  49. Schoschie on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:00 am

    50. She does look very drugged! If it was allergy medication that she took, it could probably have been an antihistamine. Now read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihistamine#Adverse_drug_reactions .

  50. Aaron on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:27 am

    51. “I was not high during the ad. But I have smoked weed. Is that really surprising? You just had to ask.”

    No, not surprising, but pretty disappointing.

  51. Kim on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:32 am

    52. re: Ellen: I don’t know? Because people thought I was stoned, because there aren’t that many young girls in computer commercials.

    Perhaps it’s that, and that you were all beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep, and we were like, “huh?” It was a really funny commercial so I had to watch it again.

  52. frank on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:34 am

    53. Stoner dood paedophile doods awesome stoner mushrooms sweet awesome doods macs are better. Maybe she’s a lesbian. Maybe I’m a lesbian. Doood.

  53. chris on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:51 am

    54. Hmmmm…. anyone else putting 2 and 2 together and getting the same answer as me? Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

    one of my favorite shows is “queer as folk” and i am married with two kids. what you watch on TV says nothing about you.

  54. hylas on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 12:40 pm

    55. Ellen,
    My Wife and I loved your ad(s), and think you have a great outlook on things with a sense of humour well beyond your years.
    If you listen to anyone, first listen to yourself, you’re doing great.
    Never mind the yammering idiots that seem to follow you everywhere with that whole “stoned” crap - I think your honesty speaks to that quite well.
    If we were ever to have children, we’d want one like you.
    Thanks for the interview, we always love hearing about you.
    Now, about that G4 PB - If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

    Hylas & Ayla

  55. Rogueboy on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 1:25 pm

    56. For everyone’s information, The “L” word does not imply lesbian or gay. it is referring to the “Love” word. What ever happened to the simpler times. Granted, now more of the gay and lesbian society is making their selves known now. The “L” word has always been known for Love and always will be.

  56. Stathis on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 1:36 pm

    57. I think that it’s really sad how everyone was speculating as to whether she was stoned, and now everyone thinks she may be a lesbian.

    People are crap, Ellen is beautiful.

  57. anonymous coward on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 1:53 pm

    58. YO!!! did any1 else notice how friggin high she is!!!! Damn im bout to light up!! yeeeeeee

  58. Mikupertino on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 2:19 pm

    59. Dudes, one word:

    SPLOOOOOGE!!!!!11one!

  59. Joël Kuiper on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 2:28 pm

    60. Woah … “Bed and Breakfast” sounds like a fun movie.
    The apple fanbase should buy her a MacBook or something, out of appreciation ;)
    Also I would not mind bumping into her sometime … but that’s just the sad macfanboy talking :p

  60. Craig on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 2:44 pm

    61. Ellen .. you rock! I loved your ad. I watched it again this morning. It’s cute, you look very natural and authentic and likable. You will go down in Apple history. :) That part’s not ……………………………………

    …………….. a bummer.

  61. Hippo-crit on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 2:56 pm

    62. Rogueboy, I don’t think you’ve seen the show…

  62. sw33tpixiesmile on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 3:29 pm

    63. YoBaby:
    Just because YOU may have been dyslexic in Grade 8 doesn’t mean the rest of us were.

    In Grade 8 I wrote a paper on a similar topic, the History of the Chinese in Canada. My history teacher submitted it to the Junior Historians of Canada Society essay contest and I won 2nd prize ($75). It was 37 pages long, with appendices and bibliography, 97 pages, 9 months of research and took 3 months to write.

    Estimates of the Chinese dead on the Canadian National Railway run at one for every 4-6 kilometers of track, although documents show about 10, 000 Chinese that entered the country paying $500 dollars per head but were never again accounted for. Most major cities in Canada have burned down their Chinatown at least once. Vancouver, which was owned and operated by WASPs at the time, twice.

  63. Anonymous on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 3:46 pm

    64. I don’t think she looks stoned. I’ve been sober around people who are stoned or high plenty of times, and they don’t sound or act like that. Could be she’s stoned, but it’s just as easily explained by dozens of other possibilities.

  64. AL on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:00 pm

    65. Hylas & Ayla -

    Are you kidding me? You saw a commercial of a flighty, medicated 14 year old girl, then read what she thought about it in, what, a 5 minute interview, and you are ready for a child just like her? WOW. That’s what I call desperate for a role model.

    I thought some answers seemed pretty mature for a 18-19 year old, props to her for that, but who knows how long she had to compose the answers, how much editing was done, etc. I certainly wouldn’t pin my hopes of how my children turn out based on a media interview of a one-commercial wonder who grew up to smoke weed and star in a really bad film for no pay.

    What a ludicrous thought that you would want a kid just like her. You always love hearing about her? I’m not sure whether you are just a REALLY insane fanboy or a closet stalker.

    MOTD Ellen: AVOID FUTURE INTERVIEWS.

  65. The Vet on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:33 pm

    66. Never scene this commercial, didn’t know this girl existed until now. I found this article on Slashdot, and no I don’t own a Mac, and NEVER will. I live in Canada where we have more sane laws (although still yet to be sane) regarding pot. I have smoked since I was 12 twice daily, don’t smoke cigs they make me sick. Early on in highschool often I would know girls accused of “being stoned” when they just had facial features that make them look that way. Ellen is a spitting image of a girl I know who was suspended for being high, but DEFINITELY was not. Blonde hair and bright eyes combined with fatigue make one look VERY high. She seems smart enough that she would have put Visine in b4 goin to a friends fathers place of work. It’s amazing how American media thinks being ‘high’ changes everything. You’re just high. Only thing it changes is how many burgers you order at the end of the day. Or fish sandwichs (Shit that wasn’t cool, but I had to :O )

  66. dontBelieveApple on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:41 pm

    67. Anyone that listened to the Ellen Feiss Apple testimonial commercial would realize that the story was fraudulent and problably fed to her by someone at Apple. Windows XP has always been more stable and reliable than any Apple Mac has ever been. I switched from Mac to Windows XP back in early 2002, I use XP intensively every single day and I have never seen any of the problems described by any of these (jewish) morons Apple used in the “Switch” ads.

  67. Ed over in Accounting on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:47 pm

    68. Wow, that comment is just filled with ALL KINDS of hate, “dontBelieveApple”.

    But I will take it as a professionally “flame-war-starting” ranting just to get attention.
    It is obvious from your comment that you have never used Windows XP, and likely typed that on an iMac when bored just to mix it up.

    I’m pretty sure even Bill Gates doesn’t use Windows, at least not when writing a 15-page paper of any importance.

  68. Ellen Degenerate on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:50 pm

    69. Did you do L with Steve?

  69. Medical Information on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 4:52 pm

    70. Wow, this is walks me down memoir lane. I think that this girl defined a whole generation of what 15 yr old geeks wanted to find in a girlfriend. I think I am going to have to go and rent her movie now to see the scenes they outlined. -
    ===EDITED BY MODERATOR

  70. poptones on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:39 pm

    71. “Also I would not mind bumping into her sometime … ”

    Me neither.

    Repeatedly.

  71. Anonymous on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:44 pm

    72. reading this interview was a total waste of time……who gives a crap about this girl’s thoughts on anything, i dont see the fascination…. sorry to sound mean–but come on people: wake up

  72. Public-Educated Idiot on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 5:45 pm

    73. She said she shot that ad after having been at school all day. She wasn’t stoned, she was suffering from post-traumatic-BOREDOM syndrome.

  73. spot on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 6:22 pm

    74. i hated these stupid ads. this one may have a cute chick, but i’d like to know how a mac would have prevented her problem.

  74. SRL on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 7:02 pm

    75. You’re doing well, Ellen. You seem to know what really matters. I’d take a chance on doing a mysterious movie role in France for no pay in a heartbeat. Anyone who’d pass up such an experience is made of wood or living in a cardboard box under a sink in Montana.

  75. aurin on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 7:58 pm

    76. My absolutely drugfree friends daughter looks and acts completely like Ellen. This nice slightly funny voice and those dangling body movements and eyes going a bit all over - she’s been like that all the time. No need to be stoned for this, its called puberty, oh, and maybe the steiner school:)

  76. reg on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:15 pm

    77. Ellen Feiss - you have more talent in your little fingers than most pop star girls today !

    And that is just with 1 commercial and 1 movie.

    Things get better and better the more you do!
    You go girl.

    Do some acting, but pick the scripts, and read them first! [And Get Paid for real this time - even if it is union scale wages!] With your film studies, try directing, writing too. (There is usually more money to be made behind the camera, than in front of one - but many talented people enjoy both!)

    All the best to you, stay healthy, have a great time in school, have fun and do good!

  77. Mark on Wed, 31st Jan 2007 11:36 pm

    78. Listen, no reason to be a hater. Her story is very plausable. I had a “stoned” incident at work on Halloween. I had used that spray to change your hair’s color temporarily… white because I was going as Albert Einstein. Anyway, I was spraying my moustache while, when I got a big nose full of the crap.

    Anyway, I had never used that stuff before. I tried not to breathe in the fumes, but the damage was done. Boy was I in for an interesting night.

    Halfway through my shift at work, because we had to come in costume, I realized that I was stoned. So I told my boss what had happened and the fact that I had never used that stuff before.

    It was all a good laugh later. Apparently, I spent my time pretending to be Einstein and kind of neglected taking care of my tables. Wasn’t on purpose.

    Anyway, so I have no reason not to believe her.

  78. John Travolta on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 1:21 am

    79. Get a life people.

  79. jake on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 5:14 am

    80. “aurin Says:
    My absolutely drugfree friends daughter looks and acts completely like Ellen.”

    If she’s not on drugs then she’s retarded. Congrats.

  80. Jerry D. on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 10:58 am

    81. She was a HOT piece back then and is STILL hot!!!!

  81. stonj on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 4:08 pm

    82. Whether or not Ellen was stoned when she made this video is not important. The video was EDITED to make her seem to act stoned.
    Apple has always been trying to recruit sales from stoners. Where have you been? Remember the flower-power iMacs? This was the culmination of it. I guess they realized they went too far this time. Or, perhaps they are enjoying all this free publicity.

  82. Jerry D. on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 5:31 pm

    83. and my god…what an AWESOME set of lips!!!!!

  83. Martin on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 5:44 pm

    84. Jeremiah Cohick, another “switcher”, is gay too. Yea! :)

  84. John D on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 6:34 pm

    85. I don’t see what’s wrong with someone saying they’d like their kids to “be like Ellen.” I think all they mean is, they’d like their daughter or son to be level-headed and reasonably resistant to temptations that could cause harm. Goodness, there are so many HORRIBLE “role models” among the famous and not-so-famous.

    I’ve got five kids, and am glad they’re who they are. I’d like to think that if any of them got a “shot of fame” like Ellen, they’d react as well as she seems to have.

    It’s too bad that the comments here don’t come associated with an age. I don’t think it’s creepy for one 14-year-old to find another 14-year-old attractive — for example, Jerry D’s comment would seem very different if he’s 45 (my age) than if he’s 19 (Ellen’s age). Hopefully between how her family raised her, and her own innate character, she’s protected from the attentions of less appropriate “suitors.”

  85. Cypy on Thu, 1st Feb 2007 10:08 pm

    86. Ah… she’s not stoned… she just came from school that’s all. She looks sleep-deprived and board.

  86. Carmen on Tue, 6th Feb 2007 4:33 am

    87. She’s so gay! That’s wonderful.

  87. Marusonu on Sat, 10th Feb 2007 10:58 pm

    88. Who cares if she was stoned?
    Since when is it wrong to experiment as a teen or anytime in life? The government might think its wrong because they can’t “Control you” but in the public eye, everyones done something they shouldn’t have in there life.

    I mean, i doubt she was, but i dont see the big poof that everyone is complaining about.

    If you can find a teenager that hasn’t tried or atleast thought about trying a doobie, ill show you the biggest liar ever.

    (To Ellen Feiss if you ever read this comment: Don’t care what other people think of you, Just let life pass you by and enjoy what you can of it. If you worry about the stupid things in life, like people thinking you were a stoner, youll miss all the good things.)

    Anyhow,
    Marusonu out.

  88. fangola on Fri, 23rd Feb 2007 4:45 pm

    89. I live near where they do a lot of shooting for the L-Word. So far Im still straight. And Ive been accused of being stoned when Ive had allergies and Ive been rockin high and noone’s had a clue. If only they’d say “You put out so much code today we’re going to make your hash a company expense.”

    As for Apple do a search on Steve Jobs and LSD. Illuminating

  89. jbs on Mon, 26th Feb 2007 11:59 pm

    90. She wasn’t stoned? Is she just retarded?

  90. Anon on Mon, 5th Mar 2007 6:56 pm

    91. Two words: she’s gay.

  91. smoth on Mon, 12th Mar 2007 5:22 am

    92. So Stone watcher, you can tell she was stoned because her pupils were *dilated*? Have you ever actually smoked weed, or looked into the eyes of someone who’s stoned?

  92. S on Thu, 29th Mar 2007 10:44 am

    93. I would just like to say for the record that I am MALE, STRAIGHT, and I love Sleater Kinney (amongst other bands). Liking Sleater Kinney doesn’t infer that Ellen is GAY; it just means she has GOOD TASTE in music.

  93. smith college student on Wed, 4th Apr 2007 1:16 am

    94. i go to school with ellen and she’s not a lesbian

    - someone who knows her IN REAL LIFE

  94. a on Wed, 4th Apr 2007 1:56 am

    95. very smart woman

  95. LOL on Fri, 27th Apr 2007 6:57 am

    96. Man, she is sooo stoned in that ad…it’s hilarious!!! Anyone that tells you she’s straight is either a total liar or has never smoked weed before…hahahaha

  96. jgarland on Wed, 9th May 2007 9:24 am

    97. I don’t know who ever got the idea that she was high in that ad. Sure, it’s a funny thought, but she was a 14-year old girl put in front of a camera for the first time in her life and told to tell the world how great her Mac was. She had no idea how she was supposed to act.

    Apparently common sense isn’t all that common these days.

  97. Taekaieo on Wed, 9th May 2007 10:43 pm

    98. man so what maybe she was stoned maybe not maybe she is a lesbian why should you care shes not hitting on you or your girlfriend is she so you can judge all you want but its not any of our place

  98. anonymous on Wed, 16th May 2007 5:59 pm

    99. ellen does date women. — i hate to prove you wrong. she asked me out in new york once, but i was (am) taken. she is a really cool girl. smart, fun, the whole nine. :)

  99. dean s on Thu, 12th Jul 2007 2:28 pm

    100. fuck me she sfunny love it
    n bong on

  100. El Mex on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 3:18 pm

    101. I’d like to make her go: Bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep-bleep-bleep-bleep >3

  101. Dean on Sat, 18th Aug 2007 3:50 am

    102. I am so impressed with this girls blindingly sharp mind and communication.

    Quite honestly, you have first handedly restored my opinions of American

    Youth.

    Best of luck to you!, and continue to remain sharp,funny and absolutely wonderful !

  102. Lite on Fri, 24th Aug 2007 4:11 am

    103. Perhaps what is important isn’t whether she’s a stoner or a lesbian; instead, the focus should be on the fact that she’s got some quirky, entertaining mannerisms. I’m not a Mac user, but I enjoyed her Switch commercial because she’s funny and I appreciate it simply for that reason - some of you are getting tangled up in irrelevant issues.

    Also, who cares if she smoked marijuana? I’ll avoid the conversation of basing morality on legality (even though it hinders progress, and I’m not talking only about pot because I don’t smoke it), and instead say this: the only person who should or should not be disappointed in her use of pot is Ellen.

  103. Yum on Tue, 16th Oct 2007 11:36 pm

    104. Come on!!! She was totally wasted. Can’t blame her for lying about it though, what age was she at the time…..14? She would have been grounded till now had she been honest. Is it wrong to say how fine she looks in them commercials??

  104. Constable Odo on Fri, 21st Dec 2007 9:05 am

    105. I’d never seen this ad before. I like it. She’s sweet. Good luck to her.

  105. anonanon on Sun, 23rd Dec 2007 3:38 pm

    106. she is totally lezbo

  106. Max on Mon, 10th Mar 2008 3:01 am

    107. Good for you, Ellen! You got as much out of the commercial as you wanted and didn’t get sucked into being exploited. Good luck to you and thanks for speaking up for Macs!

  107. Chris on Fri, 30th May 2008 3:32 pm

    108. I recall from an earlier interview that she looked stoned because she has/had really bad allergies and was a little doped up on Benedryl…. or something to that whole effect.

  108. Girl in a Shopping Center on Wed, 11th Jun 2008 5:33 am

    109. I’m sure that I have seen this beautiful girl in my local shopping center
    What a theme

  109. zahadum on Fri, 27th Jun 2008 2:10 pm

    110. @ellenfan: the link to the interview on your website is broken … please fix it!

    @johnd: you are way too uptight about ellen’s nubile sexuality … of course, since you are a scared father now, it comes with the territory ;-)

    but seriously, you need a reality check!

    Age is not an important factor in whether anyone can have beauty or appreciate beauty.

    otherwise we will have to start administering Rorschach tests to everyone who walks into a museum — oh wait, the Bowdlerizing pinheads have already started doing this athe Babicon in London! -
    cf: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/artexhibition-20637709-details/Seduced:+Art+And+Sex+From+Antiquity+To+Now/artexhibitionReview.do?reviewId=23416411

    the simple fact is that ellen was hot then, and a cutie now.

    please leave the rest of your neuroses on the couch … where dr. freud (not dr. macenstein) can deal with them!

  110. Anonymous on Fri, 21st Nov 2008 6:57 pm

    111. TITS OR GTFO

  111. dd king on Sun, 28th Dec 2008 6:22 pm

    112. I still think she is hot !

  112. magallanes on Wed, 21st Jan 2009 2:21 pm

    113. She is hot and looks fine for a 21 year old street slut but she looks ugly for a 14 year old girl, in fact she looks pretty old to their real age.
    The problem is not about a kid being drugged (legal or illegal really doesn’t matter), the real deal is WHY Apple did a commercial with a kid clearly with sign to be drugged (makeup?). I think it is uses as a fool catcher, cause she is a kid and drugged, or you could say, a easy girl (if you don’t mind).

    And now, there are a movie about a group of apple fans, where one woman have sex with anything that own a apple.

  113. anon on Mon, 30th Mar 2009 3:12 am

    114. i went to school with ellen (i graduated in 07), where welived in teh same house…and used to have such a crush on her! so weird, never knew about any of this mac ad stuff until now

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