Tamblyn is happy, not big-headed

HOLLYWOOD — You've got to love Amber Tamblyn's reaction when she's introduced as "one of Hollywood's brightest new stars."

"Ha!" said the star of "Joan of Arcadia."

And she wasn't commenting on the fact that she's not exactly a newcomer. The 20-year-old has been working in TV and movies since she was 12, including a six-year stint on "General Hospital." And there's show-biz blood in the family — she's the daughter of actor Russ Tamblyn, the granddaughter of actor Eddie Tamblyn, and the niece of Larry Tamblyn, a member of the rock band the Standells.

Which hasn't made her jaded. She's more than thrilled with the success of "Joan."

"It has been wonderful," Tamblyn said. "It's been an incredible trip. And people have been unbelievably supportive. I think it's just amazing that so many people are actually really believing in a show and getting a lot of content out of it."

Tamblyn stars in the title role in the CBS series "Joan of Arcadia," which airs Fridays at 7 p.m. on Ch. 2. Like that other Joan (of Arc, that is), she talks to God. Actually, God appears to her in the form of various people every week and makes assignments — tells her what she ought to do, even if she doesn't want to do it. And, when she follows his advice — by building a boat or joining the chess club or the pep club or whatever — she positively influences the lives of people around her.

The show is one of the surprise hits of the season and seems to have tapped into the vein that shows like "Touched by an Angel" and "7th Heaven" have mined.

"They find sort of a part of the show that they can add on to their own life and that they can take into their own life," Tamblyn said. "It's got a very realistic nature that way."

And a big part of that realism is that Joan is pretty much a typical teenage girl who reacts as an typical teenage girl might if she suddenly started having conversations with God.

"I think that the fact that Joan is an average person, that she's not special, like a Sabrina-the-teenage-witch type of girl — I think that's the whole message," Tamblyn said. "That you don't have to be a special person in order to talk to God. And I think that's part of the beauty of it."

As for her sudden fame, "It's been an easy roller coaster. It's been straight up and it's been wonderful — surrounded by wonderful people. And our critics — it's, like, what critics? It's just people praising it, and they love it. I feel honored."