Shannon Elizabeth Speaks Out Against Hate Crimes

ByABC News
November 2, 2001, 6:14 PM

October 29 -- American Pie hottie Shannon Elizabeth joins several other celebrities in taping public service announcements designed to prevent hate crimes against Arab-Americans in this tense time

The pinup actress, who's currently screaming her lungs out in Thirteen Ghosts, has a Syrian father. She dropped her last name of "Fadal" when she started acting. "I think it's important that people realize that just because and this is one of the things I actually said in the PSA just because we're part of the same bloodline doesn't mean we shed the same blood," Elizabeth told The Associated Press.As for the fear of receiving anthrax in the mail, the 28-year-old said she's not as worried about it as her personal assistant is, since he's the one who opens her fan letters.

"He's been a little concerned. He's like, 'I'm gonna stop opening your mail now,"' she said. "But he's always, like, opened it, and then passed it along to me to read. So, I don't know if he's really gonna stop opening it and make me do it."