Kirsten Prout is probably best known for her role of Abby, alongside Jennifer Garner, in Elektra, and for her lead role in Kyle XY as the girl next door, Amanda.  But Kirsten recently was cast in the role of Lucy in the 3^rd installment of the Twilight franchise, Eclipse, which recently completed filming.  Kirsten recently returned to acting after taking a break to attend University, and had several fun roles over the summer.  And she is already being recognized on the street as a participant in the Twilight universe.  Kirsten recently spoke to Kenn and Jamie from MediaBlvd Magazine about her experiences on Twilight, and the other acting jobs she has recently completed.

Kenn> We were really happy to hear about your casting in the third Twilight film.  You are one of our favorite people out there in the world of acting, so that was great news!

Kirsten> Thanks!  It’s crazy though, when I got the call, I definitely had a dance.  I was jumping around with a little dance, which was the same one I do when I get parts.  I just bust a move. 

Jamie> Were you already a fan of the books before you got the part?

Kirsten> Yeah, I’ve read all the books.  I read them because my younger sister had been reading them, and she’s addicted.  My sister is not a big reader.  I went to school for English Literature so I’m absolutely a book person, all the time always reading.  But I saw my sister with this voracious appetite for reading, which I’ve always tried to instill in her.  And she was going through these books like nothing, just glued to them.  I actually read a book a day with Twilight.  I got through all the books.

Kenn> Can you tell us a little bit about Lucy and who she is in the Twilight universe?

Kirsten> She’s one of the vampires involved with Jasper, Edward’s brother.  Jasper get’s turned while he is an officer, and I’m one of the vampires that causes Jasper to be turned while he is serving in his military career.  He encounters these women, and back in that day, women didn’t really go un-chaperoned.  So he sees these 3 kind of haunting women and the rest is history.  Lucy looks like an innocent little victim, and then she turns into something a lot more sinister.

Jamie> Did you enjoy getting to play something so different from your usual role?

Kirsten> Oh yeah, girl next door?  Totally.  The roles that I’ve thrived in are the roles that are the furthest away from myself.  I’ve loved, ever since I was young, just playing that make believe and getting into the shoes of another character, and being able to comprehend what they are going through.  Girl next door, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s going through her mind.  You’ve just to tap into those basic human emotions.  But when you are put into these supernatural situations or far fetched, very dramatic ones, those are the ones that I love doing.  So Lucy, for me, was a step forward into sinking my teeth into what I really want to play with in my career.

Kenn> Are you actually filming now for Eclipse?

Kirsten> No, I wrapped Eclipse and then the day after I got on a plane and flew to Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island, just outside of Vancouver.  I filmed this amazing mini-series with seven young people, called Seven Deadly Sins.  The show, the work, the camera angles, the ascetic style; it was so wonderful.  I was very privileged to be on that show.  And to do a movie, coming back from university at the begging, then going on to Eclipse, then going on to Seven Deadly, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot.  I was on Kyle for three years and just doing the series.  You kind of wonder, as a child actress, what’s beyond the industry?  So I went to school for English Literature, which I love.  But the whole time I was there, I felt like there was something missing.  The film industry for me is just such a normal part of my life, when I wasn’t on a film set I was like, “What am I doing?”  I just missed it so much, I missed playing make believe, and missed having fun at my job.  So I came back, and was really luck to be afforded the three opportunities that I was.  So I just finished Seven Deadly Sins a few weeks ago, and so I’ve don’t three shows right before the holidays, which is amazing to me.

Kenn> Now is Seven Deadly Sins a series, or a mini-series, or a movie?

Kirsten> It’s a mini-series.  It’s a two part mini-series.  Essentially, it’s another show that is very far from Kyle XY.  It’s about teenagers and is a very kind of sexy thriller.  It was a relly fun project to work on, because we were afforded the opportunity to really get into our own material.  If we wanted to make changes to scenes or our lines, there was a lot of creative latitude, and we were able to play with that.  So it was a fun project creatively.  And I really did enjoy it, and I think the artistic style that it is shot in is something that viewers will enjoy.

Jamie> What about Meteor Storm?  I’ve heard that you are involved with that, but it’s not listed on your IMDB profile.

Kirsten> I’m not sure what’s going on with that.  We shot it, and it’s in the can.  We finished that project and had a wrap party and everything.  Right now it’s in post, so I’m unsure where that movie is actually going.  The funny thing about Hollywood is that I’ve booked main leads before and a couple of days before the project starts, it kind of goes poof.  So I don’t know what’s happened with that, but it will probably show up in a couple of months out of the blue.

Kenn> Is that the one that Michael Trucco is part of as well?

Kirsten> Oh yeah, I love Michael, him and his motorcycle. He’s a great actor as well.  He is absolutely phenomelal to work with.

Kenn> Can you talk about your parts in both of these projects?  Who is Miranda over in Seven Deadly Sins, and how about your character in Meteor Storm?

Kirsten> In Meteor Storm, she is that teenager, going about her life with everything normal, focusing on the trivialities.  Then she is put into a life or death situation, and it’s coping with the trauma and the situation that is unbelievable.  That was fun for me.  Coming from sitting in lecture theatres and doing the whole academic route, then actually jumping into a project where the world is literally ending and jumping into that head space and getting in touch with the panic and human reaction.  That was a really cool project to dip my toes into.  Then to go onto Twilight, which is also a very instinctual project.  Lucy is a predator who actually stalks out her prey.  She looks as innocent as can be, then she just snaps. 

Miranda, the third character I played this summer, was a character who is a sidekick.  She is always in the periphery and never gets to stand out.  She starts out really plain, I had no makeup on.  Her sin is envy, and every character has a sin.  She envies all of these girls who stand out, and throughout the show, she comes to this realization that she can take charge of a situation. The show is a lot about learning what kind of mistakes you can make through the sins.  And with Miranda’s envy, she realizes when you stop trying, a lot of things come to you. So I got to really play with that, and towards the end of the movie, she really blossoms.  She comes to her own, and really does get to experience what she has been envying when she stops focusing on other people, and focuses on her self.  So three very fun projects to work on, all of which had young people which I haven’t really worked with a lot I my career.  Of course Jean Luc on Kyle was one of my peers age wise, but having a full cast, especially on Seven Deadly Sins, and also on Eclipse was really fun.  You get to relate to people who are going through the same thing as you.  You are kind of a young adult in a very adult world.  I’ve had a great, great summer, and I feel very lucky to have experienced this.

Jamie> Obviously Twilight is huge.  Once the movie comes out, do you think it will have a big impact, and how will it affect you? Will you be recognized more, do you think?

Kirsten>  I walked into the Gap the other day, and this is just indicative of how attentive the fan base is.  I was a friend of mine at the register, and I’m used to people calling me Amanda.  But this woman looked at me, and goes, “Oh Lucy!”  I thought she thought I was a friend of hers, and I looked at her and I looked at her and said, “No.”  She says, “You’re Lucy in Eclipse! You’re Lucy!”  I just looked at her cause the movie hasn’t even come out, and I was just standing in the Gap and I’m getting recognized for a movie that hasn’t even come out.  I was like, “Oh my Gosh! This is crazy” This is my third interview of the day.  I had ET Canada come over to my house, and it s just so fast.  Luckily I had experience with press and interviews before because of Kyle and because of Elektra.  But I know a lot of actors on the show who have had the same experiences as me.  All of a sudden you are getting invited to Comic Con and all of these crazy things.  There is a huge following and you don’t really realize it till you are on the project.  I’m wondering what this is going to be like when I’m actually in the movie.

Kenn> I think the Twilight fans, and I want to say this in the nicest away, are a little bit insane about their movie.

Kirsten> They come them Twi-hards, right?  Because they are so into it?  All of my fans from Kyle XY, I love them dearly, it’s just when you meet Twilight fans, it’s this whole new level.  The thing about this industry is that people use their imagination, and when someone recognizes you, they think you are that person.  I often get people walking to up to me going, “Oh hi Amanda!”  And I just kind of respond to it.  But you don’t really know what to say, “My name is not Amanda.”  But you are kind of thinking, “I think this person has me confused with my character.”  That is a phenomenon that happens with a lot of shows, but Twilight is definitely number one for that.  Just look at the way that Robert Pattinson is Edward.  The girls that are in love with him look at him, and he is not Robert, he’s Edward.  That is who they are after, the sexy vampire. 

Jamie> What’s your favorite part of the book series?

Kirsten> I don’t know, I love the tension.  I’ve read all of the books, and I can’t pinpoint them anymore, except for Eclipse, and I know what happens in that obviously.   They all kind of blur into one thing after awhile.  But I love the tension between Edward and Bella because she is so young, and knows she is, but has found this love.  And it’s kind of struggling between those conventional norms that you can’t get married young.  And she is so young, and this is her first real boyfriend, but he is so incredible that she is struggling with that so much.  It’s funny because she has found her soul mate, but she has so much inner turmoil about that.  I think it’s very real, and the books are very interesting in the way they play with that.  I also love when the werewolves, when Jacob’s family, is all sitting around the table.  I think the neat and captivating aspects of both the book and the film is how the Cullens can be so exceptional, but also so conventional in the funniest ways, and playing with that secret gathering of close people is so great for the imagination.  I think that is really fun to just put yourself into the middle of that kitchen.

Kenn> I think it was on ET Canada, but somewhere you came out of the closet as a team Edward member.  Are you having any regrets about making that known?

Kirsten> I love the whole werewolf thing, but come on.  Edward is Bella’s soul mate.  I know Jacob is this and that, but there is a resolution in the end.  He is in love with Bella, but not really meant to be with her in the end, and I won’t give spoilers for people who haven’t read the books, but Jacob definitely comes to a resolution in the end.  And Edward wouldn’t have, so I’m on team Edward.

Kenn> At Comic Con, it seemed like a lot of the die hard fans were 35 and 40 year old mothers, maybe the mothers of the audience the books were intended for, who are wearing the team shirts, and screaming at each other.  Have you heard from any of the team Jacob members after saying that?

Kirsten> Have I been in the middle of a firestorm yet?  No, not really, and I’m not really looking forward to getting into one.  If I ever get confronted, I don’t know what I’m going to do (laughs).  Put up my hands and say, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please!”

Kenn> And they will probably be calling you Amanda while they are yelling at you!

Kirsten> Yeah, “Amanda, your opinions are just so mixed up!”  Or they’ll be calling me Lucy.  It’s funny, because as an actress, I still respond to all of my character names.  On set, through the duration on the set, you often have people who get confused.  You have two names on the set, you are your characters name.  I actually have a good friend named Amanda, and when someone says her name, I turn around because I’m so used to hearing a camera man in the middle of a thought process calling me that.  So I respond to basically all of my past character names.  There are a lot of funny habits that you pick up on a set that seem peculiar to other people.  I got tapped on the shoulder awhile ago, and I didn’t respond, because I’m so used to wardrobe fixing my clothes on set, getting them straight and touching me, touching my hair and face.  So I didn’t respond, and just stood still like I do on set.  I put my hands on my side, and I’m ready for them to fix my clothes or whatever.  So I’m just standing there all stiff, and she is like, “Hello”.  It’s all these weird habits that people don’t understand, but you spend literally 12 hours on set with basically three people (hair, wardrobe, and makeup) touching you and being in your space, you get so that you don’t even notice it.  It’s really peculiar!

Jamie> Can you run us through one of the days you spent on set?  And how long were you actually there?

Kirsten> I only had a couple of days.  It was a small part, but a fun part, and that is why I took it.  Even the wardrobe fittings themselves, getting the special effects was fun.  With those red lenses, I had to wear my contacts under the special effects contacts, because I’m basically blind without them.  At points during the scene, the world would literally go white as the contact moved over my lens.  But a typical day, after the wardrobe and hair and makeup, I’ll tell you about my first day.  You drive out to this location, and there is no signage.  That is very peculiar for a film because usually you have to get the cast and crew to set on time.  But they can’t sign it, because if they do, the paparazzi will find it, even if they use codes.  But you drive to this unspecified location with rudimentary directions, and there are police as you first walk into set.  There are two police cars and you are like, “Holy Crap!”  I’ve been on tight sets before, but this is a whole other level.  You walk in and around all the trailers, there is this giant, high, black screen fabric.  You get into the trailer and change, then put on a bathrobe so no one can see your costume, then you go to the hair and makeup trailer. 

I was in Los Angles the week before, and I was so afraid I was going to get tanned, so I bought SPF 70, which I wasn’t even aware of it’s existence.  So I put that on, and was actually worried that I’d gotten a bit of color, so I go on set thinking, I’m kind of brown because the month before, I was on an action movie, and could get as tan as I wanted.  Which actually really didn’t work out!  I was under the impression that I was tanned, and I sit down in the chair, and she starts air brushing my arms.  Then she says, “Oh, I’m sorry, I guess it’s not working.”  She sprays it on her hand, and yeah.  I’m the same color as a vampire.  I don’t have to be air brushed.  So I went on set, had the scene, and without revealing too much, we were working with a horse, and were in the middle of a giant quarry, like a mining quarry.  It was just phenomenal; the size of that production and the expertise of the people on that show, and just a solid cast and crew.

I felt very honored to be on a set that is so private, and so much a part of something.  People will look back at these years and ask what was the big craze.  Twilight re-defines a craze, and it’s changed Vancouver.  Vancouver has always been the place to not get bothered by the paparazzi.  When I was working with Jennifer Garner there, it was very minimal compared to what she usually gets to deal with.  Now, because of Twilight, we’ve got all of these paparazzi that have sprung up because of twilight.  And it’s definitely changed the city.  Actor’s can’t go up to Vancouver anymore without worrying about being photographed.  I mean a set is a set, and I’ve been on them since I was little, and I’m very used to them, and they are never really anything different for me.  But that blew my mind, the fact that you can’t even bring a cell phone to set.  No one can, because they have camera phones.  Even if you are the director, nothing with camera’s is allowed without prior approval. 

Kenn> What do you think it is about vampires that are so popular now?

Kirsten> I think Vampire sexuality is really what gets people.  There is no getting around it.  Vampires are very sexy creatures, and it’s the fact that they are predators and you are their prey.  You are kind of helpless, but they are so beautiful and other worldly that people are almost willing to be preyed upon.  It’s like being loved by the monster.  What people love about this love story between vampires and humans is the fragility.  To be loved by something so powerful is kind of this deep innate human thing, and I think it plays into that with the blood and strangeness of it.  It’s so alien and so fantastical, but also so sexual in a way, that people are just drawn by that.  Being loved by what you most fear is the big thing for a lot of people. 

Kenn> I want to go back to the magnitude of Twilight again for a bit.  You mentioned that you already had done three other interviews today, and there are just a ton of people out there talking about you.  Is that something you are really prepared for at this point? 

Kirsten> Yeah, I’ve been doing it since I was younger.  I did a lot of guest starring roles when I was younger so you don’t do a lot of publicity work there, but when I did Elektra, that was a huge release with a big budget.  All of a sudden, I was 13 years old and I was thrown into this publicity circuit.  You are talking to ET Canada and you are on the red carpet looking up at them.  It was kind of trial by fire for me because I didn’t even have a publicist at the start of that.  I was getting set up with these interviews and I was just speaking from the heart.  I feel a big part of how I’m interviewed is that I’m very conversational, and I think that comes from not being trained like a little pony.  I definitely figured it out at a young age, and getting these interviews just becomes a part of your daily routine. 

Jamie> So you’ll most likely get to go to the premiere for Eclipse and walk the red carpet.  Are you looking forward to that?

Kirsten> A lot of people, on their first red carpet discover that a lot of actors become compulsive liars.  You are so flustered and you feel so not powerful, and you feel like the interviewer has the upper hand.  I never did that myself, but on my first red carpet, I forgot the designer I was wearing.  You are looking at Michael Clark Duncan standing next to you, and someone is asking what designer you are wearing.  You’re like, “uhh”, and asking your publicist to check your tag.  That was my shining moment at my first red carpet.  The interview asked me what I’m wearing and I asked my publicist to check my tag on camera.  But you get better at it, and practice makes perfect.  If you think about it, what normal person in their right mind can walk onto this strip of fabric with paparazzi and photographers and interviewers dotted all along the way.  You are basically being herded and people are screaming at you while your publicist is screaming, “Go, go ,go Entertainment Canada is open!” You are pushed around from station to station having to sound vaguely intelligent and like you are not loosing your mind.  So it’s a good thing I’ve had some practice.  If I walked onto the red carpet for Twilight without that, I’d probably pass out and end up shaking in a fetal position. 

Jamie> Is there anybody in particular that you are hoping to see at the premiere?

Kirsten> Top celebrities obviously, but I don’t think a lot of the top celebrities I’d like to meet will be there.  Like Johhny Depp.  One day, I’m telling you, I’ll meet Johhny Depp.  I’d love to meet David Bowie.  The cast of Trueblood, maybe they’ll be there.  Vampires need to stick together!  It’s always a treat.  I grew up in a family that was completely removed from the entertainment industry, and I was like the black sheep of the family.  I was raised in a house that has always viewed it from the way that normal people would, so it’s very easy to get sucked up into thinking it’s normal to get on the phone talking to random people about your job and talking about yourself.  But it’s really not, and it’s very peculiar.  So every time I go to one of these events, I try to view it through the eyes of how my parents would view it, and just be humble about it.  You are so lucky to be able to walk out there and shake hands with some very talented people, and I’ll never get over that.  I’ll always be grateful for that, and I love doing it as well.

Kenn> You talk about being a fan of some of these people, but you’ve probably got fans out there now too who would feel the same away about you.  Is that kind of a weird situation to find yourself in?

Kirsten> I’m a big blusher.  The other day when I got recognized, I was with a friend of mine, and he started making fun of me because I go so red.  I don’t really know what to say.  I’m like, “Thank you!”.  I feel like I should be saying something really inspirational or saying something really cool.  But at my heart, I like to cook and travel, and I’m a very normal kind of person, so it’s very strange for people to be looking at me like I’m special.  And they don’t really know what to say to you either.  Meeting me, you should do the talking, because I don’t really know what to say.  “Yeah, my works pretty awesome, thanks very much, I know.”  You don’t really say that.  I’m just on a TV show, and I drive to work everyday.  I put in my hours, then go home and live my life.

Jamie> If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?  Would it be something in literature?

Kirsten> Definitely.  I love to learn, and everyday of my life.  That is why I read so much.  I like putting myself in the shoes of other people, and I love story telling.  When I went to school for English Literature, I was wrapped up in the poetry!  I love the classics and I love exploring new styles of writing.  I wouldn’t be anything in Hollywood if I wasn’t an actress.  I could never be an agent or casting director.  The reason I’m in the industry is because I love playing characters.  That’s what I love doing.

Kenn> I think the last time we talked to you it was maybe a day or two after we’d learned that Kyle XY wasn’t coming back.  What did you think about the way the show ended?  We couldn’t get into any specifics or spoilers last time we talked about it. 

Kirsten> You know, I was kind of disappointed to be honest with you.  I think everyone felt that it was in the lurch.  It was this cliffhanger, and Amanda and Jesse are sitting at a computer and we discover something.  Then Kyle gets that bomb dropped on him.  It’s really a shame that a show that we put our heart and souls into for three years ended on a note that was like reading a story, then halfway through the book, someone tears out the last few pages. 

Kenn> Is there any talk about a movie at some point, to wrap it up?

Kirsten> I haven’t heard anything about it.  The way Hollywood is kind of funny.  You will hear things in talk and hear rumors about it, but I really haven’t heard anything.  Who really knows.  For me, the worst experience was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I remember the season finale, and I was furious for the longest time.  Somebody would bring it up, and I’d get in a bad mood.  That drove me nuts.  Spike was giving up his life for Buffy, and she was just like, “Peace Out!”.  Then Angel, I watched that as well, but Spike was still in love with Buffy and she was refusing to see him.  I was like, “Finish off the love story.”

Kenn> I think the only show that has ever done it right was Everwood over on the WB.  They gave them an hour after they cancelled it to wrap things up.  You kind of wish they would just do that for everything that gets cancelled. 

Kirsten> Yeah, shows never do that.  It’s sad because you get invested in a series.  You are really attached to characters and a story line and it almost feels like you are robbed of something when it ends, and that is the frustrating thing about television, that ability to wrap things up.  In a movie, you know you are going to get to the ending.  But in TV, it’s so uncertain.