Emma Roberts on Regina George, Lady Gaga & Kissing Strangers
Emma Roberts stars in Ashby, with Nat Wolff, now in theaters.
If you tuned in for the premiere of Scream Queens last week, you know that Chanel Oberlin is #blessed. While Lea Michele’s character ran around in a neck brace and “Deaf Taylor Swift” met her end, Emma Roberts’s character was the image of perfection. As queen of Kappa Kappa Tau sorority, the over-indulged princess dates the hottest guy on campus, has a closet bigger than most people’s living rooms, and commands an army of minions. Sound familiar?
“Regina George is definitely a source of inspiration,” Roberts tells Yahoo Style of the character she plays on Ryan Murphy’s latest show. “I grew up on Mean Girls and it was one of my favorite movies.” There’s the glamour and the clothes, sure, but the one thing the 24-year-old actress loves most about her character is Oberlin’s over-bearing (and inspiring!) sense of confidence: “I like that she is a strong woman. She doesn’t take any B.S.”
Transforming into a self-obsessed sorority leader isn’t easy. Roberts spends over an hour in hair and makeup each morning to become her larger than life character. “The writing and clothes also really help… give me an incredible sense of confidence,” she says. The hard part comes after, when she has to be mean to people all day on set. “I have to be so condescending that when we wrap, I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry. You know I love you! I hope I didn’t offend you.’”
Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin in Scream Queens.
Her character’s trademark scream, which will be a staple throughout the season, required dedicated practice. Not surprisingly, it’s pretty hard to scream that loud, that often. Luckily, Roberts says she’s easily scared by pretty much anything and can pull inspiration from the myriad scary movies she’s forced herself to watch over the years. Good news considering her next project is American Horror Story, Murphy’s other hit show, which has led to a friendship with Lady Gaga. (“I absolutely adore her,” Roberts says.)
Before the premiere of Scream Queens, Roberts shot Ashby, a coming of age drama from Tony McNamara that reunites Roberts with former Nickelodeon colleague Nat Wolff. She plays Eloise, girlfriend to his Ed Wallis, and says she was happy to kiss him instead of a stranger on set. “It’s actually easier kissing someone on screen that you have history with. Sometimes you show up on set and it’s like ‘nice to meet you’ and in five minutes you’re kissing! I love the familiarity of Nat.”
Emma Roberts on the next season of American Horror Story.
Filming Ashby, in theaters now, also gave Roberts a chance to channel her inner nerd. She calls Joan Didion her personal hero, and swears she reads from real books—not an iPad or Kindle. This particularly offbeat character appealed to her because “most girls can relate to [her]. She is smart and quiet, observes what’s going on around her, and has opinions about things that matter.”
Roberts has opinions about things that matter in real life, too. She recently posed for Aerie’s un-retouched Real Campaign, which didn’t sound so great at first. “I was really intrigued by the concept of no retouching, but I was also scared,” she says. “Everyone uses face tune and other apps to clear up their blemishes and wrinkles and stuff; I think it’s really cool to be part of a campaign that says, ‘this is me, these are my imperfections and I’m comfortable with who I am.’ I hope it encourages young women to be comfortable with who they are.”
