Emma Roberts doesn't reside in her aunt Julia Roberts' ever-long shadow anymore; she is genuinely a star in her own right. She's starred in seven films this year (and has many upcoming in 2011), including indie comedy 'It's Kind of a Funny Story,' which co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Keir Gilchrist. Despite the plot of the movie -- which focuses on a group of depressed individuals resigned to a psychiatric ward -- the film is a laugh-riot and actually quite uplifting. Moviefone caught up with Roberts at the Toronto Film Festival, where she talked about appearing in 'Scream 4' and how she briefly considered becoming a lawyer thanks to 'Legally Blonde.'
Did you ever consider not becoming an actor?
I think I had a brief moment of wanting to be a lawyer after seeing 'Legally Blonde.' I decided maybe I'll just play one, one day, because that would be a lot less work. No, if I wasn't an actress now, I would probably be a writer, because I love to write and I love to read. I read a lot of books. That is what I find so daunting about writing -- seeing that empty page. It's so intimidating, so I just write down these little blurbs here and there.
You'd be surprised how much can come out after just writing down a sentence. I've been reading so many different things lately. I order truckloads of books on Amazon. Or maybe I'd be doing something in fashion, I think that would be really cool. To do a collaboration with a designer or something. I think doing something for Topshop like Kate Moss did -- because I am a Topshop fanatic -- I think would be fun. Or to do something with Barney's.
But you're not quitting film -- in fact, you're busier than ever.
I'm finishing 'Scream 4,' and it's a lot of fun. Totally different than anything I have done. That'll come out in April. After this film, I did another independent called 'Homework,' which is really similar to '(500) Days of Summer,' with Freddy Highmore. He's so cute and sweet.
We need to know about 'Scream 4.' That seems like a funny choice for you.
The entire original cast is in it: David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. There is a younger generation coming in -- Hayden Panettiere, who I've done two movies with, as well as me. I think this might be the best one yet. It's really clever, really scary. It's definitely funny; there are parts where I was laughing so hard. But there are parts where I was genuinely terrified. So, it's a lot of fun.
You star in 'What's Wrong With Virginia,' which also screened at Toronto. What kind of character do you play?
I play a 15-year-old Mormon girl who is Ed Harris' daughter, which was fun. We shot in Michigan, and all of my clothes were bought in the child's section of Wal-Mart and had shorts built into them, and everything was pink. It was like a 15-year-old girl threw up on me, and I love it.
It was so much fun to be all prim and proper. The director said, "No more mascara for you and we're cutting your hair an inch!" because I had layers, and he said no layers, so every scene I had a headband and a blunt cut. I would fight for my mascara, but he said no. It was fun to play younger, though; it was a very interesting role. She's naive, but learning about things, and she is very conflicted. I wanted to work with Ed Harris, who I love, and Jennifer Connelly, who is amazing. And I love Dustan Lance Black; I idolize him and would love to work with him again.
Well, you are really on your way. You released seven films this year alone.
Yeah, I'm excited. I'll probably take the rest of the year off after 'Scream 4' because it's been a really grueling schedule.
You can catch Emma in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' when it hits theaters on Oct. 8.
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