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By Amanda (23, USA)
Emma Roberts was born February 10, 1991 into, if not a world of royalty, at least a world of some privilege. Her father, Eric Roberts, is a successful actor, though not exactly as famous today as he used to be. So are two of her aunt's. As a result of so many of her family working on the screen, Emma spent a lot of time on film sets. She grew up watching her family make movies, and her interest was piqued. Though her mother wanted her to have a normal childhood, as a little girl, Emma wouldn't be swayed. Today she is one of the most famous young women in the business, with an even more famous last name.
Coming from a famous family inevitably gets you a little more attention than you might want. But Emma Roberts has been taking it all in stride. She has never used her well known relatives to score a role. And she's been steadily climbing the celebrity ladder since she was about ten years old. But perhaps it is her remarkable resemblance to one relative in particular that catches the eye of a lot of critics. A relative that Emma is not afraid to address in interviews. On the topic of Julia Roberts, her aunt who has been a Hollywood force since her big screen turn in Pretty Woman, Emma has said:
think there are a lot of people out there who say the really low blow of "She's just in the business because of her family.” I do it because I love to do it. There have been a lot of parts I've been up for that I haven't gotten. I don't get everything handed to me like some people think. I mean, people say, "Oh, do you feel like you're living in Julia's shadow?" I don't at all, because I'm not trying to be her. I'm just being myself and doing what I want to do. I'm having a lot of fun, and I feel like I am making a name for myself, as well.
And make a name for herself she has. Her very first major film role was actually the first movie role she ever auditioned for, that of a drug dealer's daughter in the 2001 film Blow. The drug dealer? He was played by none other than Johnny Depp. And Emma freely admits that she didn't know what an amazing opportunity she had at the time, that she had no idea how incredible her chance to get to do a film with Johnny Depp actually was. It was Blow that got her noticed by critics and casting directors alike. And just a few years later she would earn herself a loyal audience.
Unfabulous premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004 with Emma in the lead. Lucky for Emma, she was even the network's first choice for the role. It was a quirky little series about a girl named Addie who was living an average kind of life. Of course, unlike most teen girls of the day, Addie didn't write down all of her deepest, darkest secrets in a journal or a blog. Instead, she recorded her thoughts in song. Unfabulous not only opened a lot of acting doors for Emma, but it showed the world that she had a voice. Though she hasn't gone on to produce pop albums, saying in more recent interviews, My musical career is indefinitely on hold. I don’t like people who become like ‘actor slash singer.’ I think people should be one or the other because usually you’re not going to be great at both. You’re going to be better at one, so you might as well stick to the one you’re good at. I’m going for acting, she did get the chance to record additional music for the show's accompanying album, as well as songs for a couple of film soundtracks.
The "Dummy" music video for Unfabulous:
One of those movies was the family film Aquamarine that costarred R&B singer Jojo Levesque as her best friend and Sara Paxton as the mermaid they try to help find true love. Levesque had been someone Roberts admired for a while before meeting her for filming, and the two, as well as Sara Paxton, became fast friends on set. Though their busy schedules don't necessarily allow for it, the three do try to keep in touch with one another. The film wasn't exactly the top grossing picture of 2006, but it did serve to demonstrate that Roberts could headline a big screen venture successfully, and she was well on her way. She even won a Young Artist Award for her work. Of course, her next two projects she had planned never received enough financing, and she was forced to move on to a new acting job yet again.
2007, the same year that Unfabulous ended its run, Emma made another big screen appearance as the title character in Nancy Drew. And though Nancy was still the girl next door, just like the characters in her TV series and last major film, Emma was able to stretch her acting chops a little bit as someone who made her own lemon squares and loved penny loafers more than stilettos. She was able to successfully pull off the old fashioned spin put on the character. The movie wasn't as successful as the studio had hoped, and generally panned by critics, quickly putting all ideas of a sequel on the back burner, but Emma moved on to new projects quickly and gracefully, even as the growing attention from the media meant more and more comparisons between her aunt's body of work and her own. She was also the recipient of the 2007 ShoWest Star of Tomorrow Award, piling on a little more pressure.
Emma appeared well prepared though. In fact, the next year saw her pairing the family friendly fare of Wild Child and Hotel for Dogswith the grittier drama Lymelife. Wild Child took place in England, with Emma as the sole American who gets sent off to a posh boarding school in an effort to curb her spoiled ways. It was a departure for her. She was no longer playing the sweet girl next door, but the bratty little rich girl. She still strayed a little further from her sweet persona in Hotel for Dogs, playing the orphaned older sibling who was willing to break a few rules, even the law, to get what was best for her little brother. Her work in the film, based on the juvenile novel, earned her a lot of critical attention again. And though she earned herself a Young Artist nomination, reviews were generally a mixed bag.
And Lymeife marked another milestone for her. It was a darker film, and one that had her losing her on screen virginity, opening the doors for more adult roles for her. Lymelife was very much a calculated move on her part, one that she hoped would get people to pay attention to her and not her famous family. She says: Some people look at me and think, She’s just Julia Roberts’ niece. So I wanted to do something smaller and edgier, something that would show I really am an actress.
Instead of pulling on strictly adult roles to prove her acting ability though, Emma has been willing to mix it up. The following year, she also appeared in The Winning Season, another family film, though aimed at slightly older audiences. It was a movie about a down and out sports team, but it didn't go the typical sports-comedy route. Instead, the film was more of an indie project with a sporting theme, shot in a style that a lot of independent film makers favor, which is a good thing, because it probably prepared her for the projects she would film over the next year.
And 2009 was a very busy year for her. She filmed Twelve with Chase Crawford and Kieran Culkin, the upcoming independent drama about a drug dealer who begins to question his lifestyle when his friend is arrested for his crimes. Also on her agenda was 4.3.2.1. which was supposed to be something of a feminist piece featuring four young women in the leads as they become caught up in a search for illegal diamonds. The film, though it's only been out since June in the UK, has received mixed reviews.
Of course, there was also Valentine's Day. The film featured an all star cast portraying characters who's lives intersected on the heart shaped holiday. When asked about the film two months after its release, Emma responded It’s just a good thing to have in my pocket. This was a really fun, commercial, big-studio movie that is definitely good for exposure, proving again that she knows which career moves to make, and when. Also cast in the film was Julia Roberts, garnering Emma even more questions about her aunt when the press tours began, though Emma repeatedly informed reporters the two didn't even have any scenes together, and they always tried to keep their family and work lives separate. Not too long ago, Emma even let a reporter know that she doesn't go to her aunt for advice on the industry, instead determined to pave her own way and make her own decisions.
Also up for 2009 and into 2010 were four more projects: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, based on the best selling book, which has already been released in Japan. What's Wrong With Virginia, a drama in which her character dates the son of a woman with whom her father has had an affair. It's Kind of a Funny Story, also a drama and based on another young adult novel in which a young man gives a recount of his breakdown. Homework, a love story where a high schooler who doesn't believe in anything is able to strike up a friendship with his long time crush. She's racking up the serious roles on her resume, no longer allowing anyone the chance to tell her that her jobs are based on family connections.
Emma even has another project that she's set to begin filming this month, the long awaited Scream 4, and her first horror movie. She won the role over Twilight actress Ashley Greene, and it might be the start of a new film franchise for her. The fourth film is anticipated to begin the story arc for a set of three films, with Sidney's (Neve Campbell) cousin taking over the lead role, the part that Emma is rumored to have snagged. If that's true, she could have booked herself another two, almost guaranteed, acting jobs for the next couple of years. The part is something Emma may have been
If she keeps doing just that, mixing up her roles and trying new things, pretty soon mention of her famous last name will only be an afterthought. And she undoubtedly deserves just that. Because Emma Roberts hasn't been standing in the shadow of any of her relatives for a long time.
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