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HOLLYWOOD -- Finally, Samantha Mathis is in a film with an actor she's always been compared to.

"But the funny thing is I didn't work with her at all," says Mathis of Winona Ryderm who stars in How To Make An American Quilt. "We did visit a couple of times."

What about the Ryder comparisons? She'd rather not talk about that. She's also uncomfortable recalling the death of her former companion, River Phoenix.

Talking about Phoenix, generally, is a great deal easier, especially remembering their first meeting on the set of the country music movie, The Thing Called Love.

"I still play guitar and write really hokey and mushy stuff," says Mathis. "But I remember I had to start playing guitar three weeks after the movie started just to learn how to fake it. It was intimidating doing that movie, because River was such an incredibly accomplished guitar player."

The film, on the other hand, was incredibly ignored. Unfortunately for Mathis she had a string of those kinds of movies after making a splash with Pump Up The Volume.

Amazingly her reputation survived such clinkers as Super Mario Bros., This Is My Life, and The Bulldance.

"As far as I know, Steven Spielberg asked for me," she says of her American Quilt role in the Spielberg-produced film.

Previously, "There were a couple of people besides Julia Roberts that he was considering for Tinker Bell, and I was one of them."

Endurance might even be translating into hit movies: American Quilt is getting good reviews.

"And I just wrapped on Broken Arrow," says Mathis, referring to the much-anticipated John Woo action movie.

I play a park ranger who finds Christian Slater in the middle of the desert after his plane crashes. John Travolta is the bad guy."

Almost every moment of filming had a dangerous moment. "There was one stunt I didn't do. It was a high-speed chase on a train over a bridge 500 feet up. I thought if I trip, I am off this train. I had an anxiety attack. I didn't do it."

But, "the most horrifying stunt is the one I did. There was a helicopter swooping down. It came about three feet from our heads. I couldn't help thinking of The Twilight Zone."

Safer and saner was her co-starring part in Michael Douglas' The American President. "I am the assistant to the United States president," says Mathis.

"And I was actually in awe of Michael, he's such a movie star. It served our movie relationship well.

"I run around saying, �Yes, Mr. President. No, Mr. President. Some one is here to see you Mr. President. Here's your coat, Mr. President.'"

Winona Ryder, eat your heart out.