Michelle Branch: "Everywhere" at Once

Yo, Britney, if juvie rocker Michelle Branch has her way, moviegoers soon may be saying goodbye to you. Having reached a career crossroads, the chart-topping 19-year-old has begun considering, ahem, branching out and staking a claim to Brit's new turf, the multiplex. "I dabble with the thought," Branch told TV Guide Online at last week's VH1-Vogue Fashion Awards. "One minute, I am very interested in it, and the other minute, I'm like, 'I could never do this.'

"When I was younger, I really wanted to be in musical theater," continues the ambivalently aspiring actress, who played wholesome '60s singer Lesley Gore on last week's episode of American Dreams. "I wanted to be on Broadway more than anything. But as I got older and got more into music, it kind of dissipated. Still, sometimes I have the feeling of, 'Wait a minute, I would love to do some theater.'"

The would-be Betty Buckley may get her wish yet. First, though, she'll likely have to make a detour through Hollywood. In addition to an appearance in next year's The Hot Chick, with Adam Sandler, she says, "I have [received] a lot of scripts. I haven't had any right scripts yet. I think when the time comes, if I got the right script, I would jump on it."

After a pause, she adds, "I would actually be very content to do a couple of indie films and focus on the music."

Given the lukewarm box office response to many hot musicians, Branch's slow-and-steady approach seems wise. Sure, Brit scored with her big-screen debut; however, even now, the queen of almost all media, Madonna, can't catch a break from reviewers. "I'm always open to critical barbs," Branch insists, "so that doesn't bother me. And I shouldn't say anything [bad] about Madonna because she's my boss [at Maverick Records]."