As if you didn’t already know, the fact that the exceptionally bright Alicia Silverstone transitioned from promising talent to bona fide star in a mega-hit named Clueless is ironic. Only an actress as smart and gifted as Silverstone could portray that film’s iconic protagonist–the earnestly naive Cher–as more than a one-dimensional airhead with an enviable wardrobe and her very own lexicon. But in Silverstone’s capable hands, Cher became much more: Motivated by good intentions but hindered by her inability to execute them, Cher was a young woman whose occasional haplessness was not only human but also familiar–you could and very often did identify with her. Because of Silverstone’s nuanced performance, audiences forgave Cher’s incompetent, dim-witted meddling and even loved her for it.

Since then, Silverstone has starred in a slew of films–the Atlanta-set Beauty Shop among them–television shows (she nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Miss Match) and Broadway plays that include The Graduate with Kathleen Turner. This December, Silverstone will head back to Broadway to co-star in the highly anticipated Time Stands Still, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies.

The socially conscious Silverstone is also a well-known and unapologetic cause-celeb. By ceaselessly championing issues about which she is passionate–animal rights and the environment–Silverstone proves that acting and activism are not mutually exclusive. Most recently, the eco-chic actress designed an environmentally friendly line of makeup tools and bags in partnership with EcoTools–EcoTools by Alicia Silverstone–and has written The Kind Diet, a soon-to-be released book about living and eating healthy, in turn nourishing yourself, the planet and all its inhabitants.

Silverstone kindly sat down with JEZEBEL to talk about the passions that drive her, the projects that consume her and those defining performances.

JEZEBEL: These days, you’re an activist as well as an actress. Do you prefer one title to another?

Alicia Silverstone: I don’t know. It’s hard to analyze yourself like that. Whatever people see is what they see, and whatever I’m doing is what I’m doing.

JEZ: With respect to your activism, were you raised to be passionate about causes such as animal rights?

AS: I wasn’t raised that way, but I think every little kid loves animals. I’ve never met a kid who didn’t. When you’re young, all you want are stuffed animals, animal movies, animal everything. Kids identify with animals; they connect with their souls, find them funny, and can feel their personalities.

JEZ: It’s that unconditional bond.

AS: Yeah, and it’s beautiful. As we get older, it gets beat out of us, but I think that naturally we all start from that place. At least that’s my intuition. I just didn’t get it beat out of me, so, for me, everything [stems] from my love of animals.

JEZ: You’re a good example of how passion takes many shapes, and so is the new book you’ve written, The Kind Diet. Tell us about it.

AS: It’s about being your healthiest. I want people to experience the benefits of good health no matter how they arrive there.

JEZ: What prompted your own arrival?

AS: My love for animals, but that’s not what the book is about. It is about experiencing the benefits of good health. If you want to lose weight, if you want to feel and look your best, if you want to be free of medication, whatever, you’ll benefit [from the information in the book]. You can be the healthiest person on the planet–a superhero every day–if that’s what you really want. You can have that, help the planet and be kind to animals at the same time. To me that’s pretty amazing.

JEZ: The Kind Diet talks about prioritizing, not obsessing over, food. Why is our relationship with food such a love-hate partnership?

AS: We’ve just lost touch. Food is this crazy thing. Its function is to heal, sustain and nourish us, but I don’t think most Americans eat to nourish their bodies. When you eat food that’s not good for you, it doesn’t give you back anything good, so you get fatter but are literally starving your body of the nutrition it needs. That’s why we eat more but aren’t ever satiated. Food was designed to fuel us like gasoline. You want pure gasoline that makes you ride like a Porsche, right? Well, you can have efficient fuel that is also delicious, and that’s what I’m here to say. Good food can be simple and delicious–mouthwatering, insanely delicious–and also healing. When you make it a priority to look your best and feel your best, and to nourish and heal yourself, then it becomes quite simple.

JEZ: If it’s that easy, then why don’t the majority of us prioritize good health?

AS: We’re overwhelmed. There are so many choices in life. I quite like that we can choose to narrow the field without narrowing delicious options. Knowing that I have boundaries helps me make good choices, because for me decisions are tricky. I could go on forever.

JEZ: Physically, what happens when you follow a “kinder” diet?

AS: You feel younger, more powerful, more nourished, more beautiful and stronger while you age. You have more energy while simultaneously feeling calm and at peace.

JEZ: How was the writing process?

AS: Amazing. Really, really amazing, I have to say.

JEZ: How long did it take you to write the book?

AS: Every single day of my life for over a year. And when you try to do a play or other jobs at the same time, you end up really freaking out.

JEZ: Having real passion for the subject matter must have helped.

AS: I’m passionate about helping; when you see a need, fill it. [I want] people in pain that don’t need to be, [to know] that there’s an easy answer. We spend so much time, money and energy on finding cures for things that don’t need cures. The real cure is: Don’t do it to yourself.

JEZ: How gratifying is it to know that you can add book author to your list of credits?

AS: I’m so proud. I felt so connected to the universe and to my heart [while I was writing the book]. It felt like the right thing for me to be doing. Every single day my heart would open. I felt so happy. I literally got to form and mold and shape this thing from nothing.

JEZ: Since we’re on the subject of kindness, as part of a scrutinizing industry that is particularly unkind to actresses, is it hard to stay kind to yourself?

AS: Not when you have the tools. Most people are walking around with no tools; I just happen to have the most perfect toolbox. I want to share it because I know this works.

JEZ: Tell us about your other side project, EcoTools by Alicia Silverstone.

AS: EcoTools are environmentally sustainable makeup brushes and bags made from bamboo, recycled metal, PET (plastic), hemp and vegetable inks. I designed each makeup brush to be usable, and the only way I knew to do that was to use how they are most usable for me. They are the most perfect makeup brushes; they’re all I use. They just look great–they’re really, really pretty–and are reasonably priced.

JEZ: So it’s possible to be fashionable and fashionably conscious?

AS: Definitely. People shouldn’t have to think so hard to be green. Ultimately I want people to know that this product is safe and healthy for the planet, and looks amazing. I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy [EcoTools] just for the hell of it, but if you need a new bag or brushes, they are beautiful and work great. I really believe that Carrie Bradshaw would use them and carry the bag.

JEZ: Outside of acting, what’s left in the “arenas to conquer” department?

AS: I’d really like to finish working on my house.

JEZ: Are you a do-it-yourselfer?

AS: Kind of. But so many projects come along that I get easily distracted. I’m doing a Broadway play in December, and developing a really cool Web site, thekindlife.com, which will be a continuation of the book.

JEZ: What’s the Broadway play?

AS: It’s called Time Stands Still written by Donald Margulies, who is a brilliant, brilliant playwright. I did the play in January while I was writing the book, and they asked me to take it to Broadway.

JEZ: Is there a film project that you most fondly remember?

AS: I have to say The Crush because it was the first. I had the time of my life being in that movie. I was a 15-year-old girl, living in Vancouver by myself while I made the film, and got to grow and play every day. I felt that my work was good, and I enjoyed that. I also really like the Clueless role.

JEZ: Ah, yes, Cher. Bless her heart. She tried so hard.

AS: I know (laughs). I have to say that I also loved working with Kenneth Branagh (in the film Love’s Labour’s Lost), and my theater work; being on Broadway with Kathleen Turner (in The Graduate) was amazing. The whole thing was so grand, and wonderful and exciting. Being on Broadway was out of my wildest dreams.

JEZ: What’s the thrill that theater presents as opposed to film or television?

AS: The rehearsals and also the writing period. There’s time to develop the performance, so you keep growing, and it just keeps getting stronger, and more interesting and deeper.

JEZ: Everything that drives you requires development–producing, creating a character, writing, designing. You like process.

AS: Yeah, I think so.

JEZ: Can we expect to see you back on the big or small screens in the near future?

AS: I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead. I would love to do a really interesting movie soon. Hopefully it will happen. It all depends on the schedule.

JEZ: What most inspires you at this point in your life?

AS: Growth. People who are warm, really funny and really smart who want to grow are inspiring. I’m also inspired by people who are awake and conscious; people who turn off the faucet while they’re washing their hands, or are mindful enough to bring bags to the market. That just fills my heart.