Ginnifer Goodwin really wants to recommend the right New York eatery. It sounds like an overly elaborate setup for a joke: A girl from Memphis is driving around Los Angeles, talking to a Boston magazine editor about a restaurant in New York City.
But there’s no punch line here. That’s just the kind of girl she is—a Southern belle who lives by Emily Post’s guidelines (“They’re about making things run smoothly and efficiently, and making everyone feel respected and proud,” she says); has a habit of eating too much before bed; and lists her sister, Melissa, homemade mac and cheese and a sweater (“because I’m always cold”) as things she can’t live without.
At Home With Ginnifer
She lives with her fiancé, actor Joey Kern, in Los Angeles, and is quick to name their home as the place where she feels most comfortable. “There’s one room in particular,” she says. “It’s my favorite because it has a fireplace and lots of sunlight.” Previous owners had used it as a formal dining room, but Goodwin transformed it into her living room, with her television, sofa and “a huge upholstered ottoman onto which I encourage everyone to put their feet and their drinks and everything.”
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Tennessee Roots
Just as she prefers to stay casual at home, Goodwin, who turns 33 this May, is remarkably untouched by the glamorous pull of the Hollywood scene. “I’m as Southern as they get,” she professes. “The only thing not Southern about me anymore is my accent, because I had that beaten out of me in theater school,” she laughs.
She’s been acting professionally since she was in kindergarten, working at local theaters in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. “I always knew I was going to be an actress,” she states matter-of-factly. “I mean, I loved other things—I danced for 14 years, I figure skated, rode horseback. I loved science. But there was never any question on whether I was going to be an actress.” And so, after applying to the highest-ranking theater schools in the country, Goodwin landed at Boston University (her first choice, in fact) to hone her skills.
