Amy Adams’ inner toughness

Amy Adams is not as dainty as she might seem, said Sophie Heawood in the London Guardian. Adams, 36, may project an air of sweet refinement, but growing up in Colorado, she punched out some people. “I was a pretty scrappy, tough kid,” she says. “I got in all kinds of fights at school. Boys didn’t mess with me.” Part of her brawling nature comes from the fact that she was one of seven children. “You have to fight for everything.” But mainly, it came from being raised by her divorced mother, a semi-professional bodybuilder. “I think it was a way to reclaim her own body after giving birth so many times. Mom worked in the gym where she trained, so we hung out there and terrorized the place. We were always very physically fit and involved in sports.”

Knowing how to handle herself has come in handy at different points in her life, from the playground to fending off grabby patrons while waitressing at Hooters, one of her first jobs. She regrets ever telling anyone about that gig. “It’s all about my three weeks at Hooters,” she sighs. “All anybody wants to know about is Hooters. I owe it all to the boob bar.”

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