Heeb

Jenna von Oy wants to nix the Six. That’s right, the actress most of us know as Six LeMeure, best friend of the titular character of ‘90s sitcom Blossom, has had it with those of you who think she’s still calling Blossom every night to talk about boys, clothes and menstrual cycles. Von Oy’s child star career is as over as, well, floppy hats with big flowers. “I am so grateful to have been on [Blossom], but I want people to move beyond it,” she says with a sigh. And why shouldn’t they? She’s got boobs now and everything (I know, I saw them in Maxim).

Von Oy (who is of proud German descent) grew up in Connecticut, where she remembers singing German lullabies with her grandmother and eating bratwurst—until she hit age six, that is, when she traded in the brats for Jell-O pudding pops. Her breakout role was in a commercial with everyone’s favorite TV dad, Bill Cosby. After a stint on failed sitcom Lenny, von Oy joined the cast of Blossom, on which she spent five seasons as America’s favorite best friend since Jenny Piccolo from Happy Days. She also had one of the coolest names in sitcom history, inspired by the number of beers her parents consumed before her conception.

The 32-year-old looks back on her Blossom days fondly, but wants to distance herself from her prepubescent alter ego. Much to my chagrin, she won’t even address the subject of Joey Lawrence. “That’s not really who I’m about; it’s just a little piece of my history,” she stresses, as if she spent her teen years slutting it up or clenching a crack pipe firmly in her mouth. Neither of which is the case. Unlike other child stars, von Oy never got into trouble—hell, she never even resorted to desperately embracing religion (Kirk Cameron, anyone?). She claims she’s just naturally a “Goody-Two shoes” who never took a vested interest in becoming a girl gone wild. “I think kids go out and rebel because there’s such an adult responsibility put on [child stars] at [a young] age, but I chose that responsibility and I took a lot of pride in it,” she says. “I mean, I waited until I was 30 to get a tattoo.” (She admits that even her tattoo is pretty mundane; it’s a cross. Says von Oy: “My Honorary Heeb name should be ‘Jenna von Goy.’”)

After a series of television and film roles (including a five-year run on The Parkers), von Oy launched her music career in 2007. That year, she released the album Breathing Room, which she says is “quirkier than country,” but counts as country nonetheless. Von Oy currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Nashville, where she is recording her new EP, which she describes as, “Feist with a warped Norah Jones and a little Betty Boop thrown in.”

So, does von Oy at least still talk to her Blossom pal, Mayim Bialik? “We talk all the time,” she says, but about what she won’t divulge. She does say that she has a better relationship with her former co-star now than during the show. “We really grew up together,” she notes. “We are so appreciative of what we’ve gone through together.” Hats and all? “No, no,” von Oy asserts, “I got rid of all of those. I think I will never wear a hat again.”

Check out our Top 10 Favorite Blossom Moments.