How did you get into acting?
I started modelling when I was about nine years old, and from
there I went into acting. I got started with commercials and
sitcoms and then finally into movies. My first commercial was
for a perfume for little kids. I tried out for a lot of sitcoms
and soap operas, like As The World Turns and a new sitcom that
came out about a mother and a daughter. It was with that woman
that used to play Shirley in Laveme and Shirley – what was her
name? (Cindy Williams, actually!)
How did you finally break into movies?
Well I’d been auditioning for movies off
and on, but I hadn’t really gotten close to any parts. Finally,
I got a movie called That Night, which was my very first
role. It wasn’t a very big part, but it was good supporting
role. From then on, I knew movies were exactly what I wanted to
do. My second film was King Of The Hill.
How did you land the part in My
Father The Hero?
That took a lot of auditioning – two times
in New York and two times in LA. They decided on me for the part
about a week before the filming started! The studios were having
some difficulties about who they wanted, but the director was
really certain that they wanted me, and they were trying to make
a deal, and finally they did!
What was it like working with Gerard
Dépardieu?
He’s a total professional and very, very
funny. He was great to be around and great to work with. At
first I was nervous to work with such a big actor, but by the
end of the movie, we felt like family and kidded around all the
time and had a great time together.
What was your favourite scene?
I think when Gérard and I are dancing right
at the very end, before Ben (played by Dalton James) comes, and
we go out and walk on the beach. Doing the scene, I felt a lot
of emotions and I felt very close to Gérard. He made it so easy
for me to be able to express myself and really do a good job
acting.
Did you fall madly in love with Dalton?
I think, at first, I had the crush on
Dalton. He’s so much older that I am – well, he’s 23 – and plus
he has a girlfriend. At first I had a crush on him, but then it
turned into a relationship where he was, like, my older brother.
We joked around a lot and had a pretty family relationship.
Your character Nicole lied a lot in the film. What are you
like at lying?
Actually, I’m really bad at lying! What happens with me,
when I try and lie about anything, is I usually end up smiling,
and it’s so obvious! I learned a lot from Nicole, and I’m better
at lying now, but I don’t lie very much.
What are you other hobbies?
I like writing short stories and poems about anything that
comes to my head. That’s really fun. At the moment we’re reading
Romeo and Juliet for English at school, so I’m getting lots of
ideas! I love music. I’m into U2, Gin Blossoms and all those
cool new bands, like Smashing Pumpkins and Crash Test Dummies.
You live in a little town called New Canaan. Shouldn’t you
be in Hollywood with all the others young actors?
(laughs) Some people think I should, but right now I think
it’s better that I stay in my own home, and I love it here. I
just want to try to be as much of a normal kid as I can when I’m
not making movies. My goal is to be a movie actress!
