Alyson Hannigan

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Date Movie" star Alyson Hannigan might be happily married, but she can still identify with the agony and uncertainty of being single. "Until you find it, you’re always pining for the ’Where’s my one? Where’s my one true love?’" muses Hannigan. "It was easy to know that feeling. You know, I didn’t meet [my husband] when I was born. I had some years without him, looking for him."

The perky actress therefore jumped at the chance to play lonely Julia Jones in "Date Movie," which spoofs popular romantic comedies. Thanks to a "Pimp My Ride"-style makeover and winning the "Extreme Bachelor" reality show, Julia has met the man of her dreams, Grant Funkyerdoder (Adam Campbell).

But before achieving her happy ending, she has to get past Grant’s best friend/ex-girlfriend Andy (Sophie Monk) — a hot blonde with a tendency to reenact Paris Hilton’s steamy hamburger commercial. How can sweet, but shy Julia compete with that? Like her character, Hannigan understands insecurity and the need to feel desirable. During the early years portraying brainy Willow Rosenberg on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the redhead decided to pose for lad magazine FHM.

"Because Willow is sort of the wallflower in the beginning [of the series], I think it was more of a ’Hey guys, look. I’m a girl,’" she confesses. "Would I do that now? No. I’m married, and it just doesn’t feel like I need to. Back then I definitely needed to sort of express that part of me. Those [photo shoots] are so uncomfortable anyway. You’re in underwear. I was like, ’What am I doing? It’s so stupid. Just put some clothes on and be funny.’"

These days, Hannigan gets all the validation she needs from her husband, actor Alexis Denisof, whom she met on "Buffy." And while Julia and Grant’s courtship endures a few "Meet the Parents"-type hiccups, Denisof turned out to be the perfect man to bring home to mother.

"I did something unintentionally, but very smart. I dated somebody that was completely wrong for me before I started dating my husband," says Hannigan. "So I think that [my parents] were so relieved that I wasn’t going to marry that [other] guy, they were like, ’Awesome. You’re fantastic.’"

As a diehard romantic, Hannigan felt it was her duty to watch most of the films spoofed in "Date Movie." One reference is to her personal favorite, "Say Anything," and features Campbell mimicking John Cusack serenading his love by holding aloft a boom box. Thanks to her husband, Hannigan is no stranger to such romantic gestures.

"He’s always carrying a boom box for me. When I brush my teeth, he just stands there with the boom box. It’s really romantic," she says with a laugh before adding, "Yes, he’s incredibly romantic — just the sweet little gestures, like breakfast in bed, and not just on Valentine’s Day. It’d just be out of the blue. He’s so very sweet about all these little wonderful things that just make the day better."

"Date Movie" opens nationwide on Friday, Feb. 17.