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Emma Roberts Tackling Fame...And Winning
10/17/05 at 12:02 AM ET
"I feel 14," says Emma Roberts, "I think."
When I ask Roberts how old she feels, she takes a few seconds to contemplate her answer. Sure, she is 14, but most 14-year-olds don't star in a hit sitcom (Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous"), don't have an album in stores (the show's soundtrack) and aren't preparing for a blockbuster movie (she'll soon be portraying Nancy Drew).
Roberts is on the verge of becoming the next teen queen -- that young personality who every person under 16 knows, and who everyone else will soon discover (see: Britney Spears, Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan).
She feels 14, but she realizes she's different.
"A couple years ago, I was just a normal kid and I looked up to all those people and now people are looking up to me," Roberts tells andPOP.
"I hope I'd be good at [being a teen queen], but I would like that."
Oh, and there's another big difference between the 14-year-olds you know and Ms Roberts: she has an aunt you may have heard of. Her name is Julia Roberts, you know who I'm talking about?
Roberts – the young one, that is – realizes that in every interview, her aunt's name will come up.
"Sometimes it's kind of difficult because you want to be doing your own thing and you're always asked about that but it's one of those things you just get used to," she says, speaking from her home in Los Angeles.
She's also beginning to realize that perhaps being her niece may help her stand out from the dozen other young celebrities trying to conquer the entertainment scene. But while it may help her at first, she knows that it won't keep people interested for very long unless she has real talent.
"Obviously my name attracts attention for people to say, 'oh that's Julia Roberts' niece.' But I think you have to have some power in your personality to keep yourself looked at."
That powerful personality is a much-needed commodity in Hollywood, where the weak sink fast. Roberts is adapting quickly.
"A lot of people make up stuff about you that isn't true," she says. "You hope that people believe the good things that are true and not the rumours that people make up. I've heard some crazy rumours like I have a Ferrari and just some stuff about like, 'oh she's probably spoiled because she's Julia Roberts' niece,' blah blah blah, and all that kind of stuff that's so not true."
And the press can be just as nasty.
Something that may sound so innocent can be spun in a way that may make someone look bad; like the time that Roberts said she'd love to work with Reese Witherspoon. One publication interpreted that quote to mean, "Emma Roberts has snubbed her aunt Julia Roberts by declaring Reese Witherspoon her favourite actress."
It's something that could make people second-guess every word that comes out of their mouths. For Roberts, it's something she just accepts as being part of the business.
"Whatever you do, they will put it in a different way. So you just say the truth and hope it comes out right."
Next up for Roberts is the movie "Aquamarine," scheduled for release in April, in which she co-stars with singer JoJo.Quick facts:
Favourite movie: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. "I love that movie. I watched it last night."
Favourite Artist: The Veronicas.
Favourite Song: Tangled Up in Me by Skye Sweetnam
Must-have accessory: "My Tiffany heart ring."
People would be most surprised to learn that: "I really like to draw. Just faces, people. I'm not very good but I just like to do it."
Next year, she'll also start shooting "Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Hollywood Hills." Roberts will star as Nancy Drew in the big-screen adaptation of the popular mystery novels. If all goes well, it could turn into a series of films that could rival "Harry Potter" for popularity.
In the meantime, Roberts is still shooting episodes for "Unfabulous" and is busy promoting the late September release of "Unfabulous and More," the CD which features her singing on 10 tracks.
"I just started [singing] because I sing on the show. We put out a soundtrack because we thought it would be a fun thing to do."
The biggest difference between singing and acting, Roberts finds, is where she has to look.
"I did two music videos and it was so weird because they taught me to look right into the camera. And that was always weird for me because in acting, they're always saying 'don't look right into the lenses'."
And like a true teen queen, she's not sure what she's going to be doing in the near future.
"I see myself in front of the camera and also I want to have a fashion line so I probably see myself doing that," Roberts says. "Maybe when I'm older I'll do singing too. Or maybe I'll do all three!"
Source: http://www.andpop.com
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