You know what? I want to sit here and say it's a teen comedy, but that would be a lie. It's a lot more than that. It's romantic, it's real, it's got a great soundtrack, it's fun, it's a comedy, and it's for teens but I think more people can relate to this. I think there will be people who have already graduated and can look back and watch the movie and go, "I remember that" or "I remember this." Then I think people like my sister who are graduating this year can go, "Yeah, what are my memories?"
What's your most striking memory from school?
I think the one-mile run every year. It scared the crap out of me.
Were you a good student?
Yeah. 'B'.
Favorite subject?
Drama.
Were you a drama queen?
Oh yeah.
How tough is it to compete with other young starlets?
The pressure to be pretty? I set, you know, boundaries and goals for myself. I try not to compare myself to anyone else because I will never be anyone else except myself. So I try and stay true to me, and hopefully the right projects will come my way.
What do you have next?
I never like talking about it until I'm actually working on a set because I'm so superstitious, but there's a couple of projects I'm hoping will happen during hiatus. And I'm kind of writing something with another writer to do later down the line. We're developing a script from a book, so we'll see how it goes.
Is directing in your future?
Directing? Definitely. Not yet though, I just started. Well, in L.A. I mean.
So you can't even give a hint of what your next project will be?
It's something that's definitely going to happen. I just don't like talking about it until it's there. You know, what's so funny is I've had situations where I've kind of gone, "Oh, I'm gonna be doing this movie," and [I'll] call my mom and go, "I'm doing this movie," and all of a sudden the money falls out. We don't do it and my mother's like "What happened?" and I'm "Ah, well, I talked about it."
What keeps you grounded?
My mom and dad. They keep me grounded, you know, just to be able to talk to them. And like the film, I had two girlfriends growing up in high school so we were kind of like a tripod, but they keep me grounded too. They call me and go, "What the hell were you thinking? What was that dress you wore?" And I'm like, "But I got it for free!" And they're like, "Okay, I gotcha."
How much pressure do you feel to do magazine covers?
It's fun. There may be a pressure but for me, I like to think of it like it's a chance to be someone different for the day. We go in and just the set when you're shooting stuff and the photography is just like, we have fun, put on good music, and have fun that day. Whenever it's a photo shoot I know it's gonna be fun.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Interview with Emile Hirsch
"The Girl Next Door" Photo Gallery
"The Girl Next Door" Trailer, Credits, and Movie News
