IML: How much do you have in common with Mia from The Princess Diaries?

Anne: Well, we’re both goofy! I like to think we’re both really nice people, and I’ve been told I’m charming. So I think we share that, but I’m very different from her in a lot of ways. I think she’s more impulsive than I am. She engages in behavior that I never would.

IML: Mia is kind of clumsy. Are you?

Anne: The other day I was trying to get to the set of a film that I’m working on. I was walking down the stairs to my trailer and fell down the stairs, was caught by the back of my dress and was literally hanging by the back of my dress on a railing! It was really embarrassing!

IML: You’re in every scene in this movie. Is that exciting or pressure, or both?

Anne: It’s nerve-wracking. It’s hard. It’s a lot of pressure on you, especially the pressure you put on yourself to give a good performance and the pressure that other people put on you to rise to the challenge every single day. Also, you’re one of the leaders of the set, you set a tone, and that’s a lot of pressure as well. It’s a challenge but I’m really lucky. I have good people watching out for me. And if it gets overwhelming, you sort of deal with it. It’s fair to ask for time for yourself, as long as you’re not a diva about it.

IML: Was the mattress surfing fun?

Anne: Yeah. That’s from my childhood, actually. I used to mattress surf when I was a kid! And Garry Marshall, the director, turned it into this huge movie moment. It was pretty fun.

IML: How about the archery scenes? You had to shoot flaming arrows.

Anne: They were fun. Fortunately, I had professionals with me at all times who kept me from getting on fire.

IML: You get to wear some spectacular clothes in the movie. Did you feel like a princess in them?

Anne: The clothes are really, really great and they greatly aid in creating the illusion of what you’re trying to create. The red dress was really cool and fun, but the thing that I liked most about it was the shoes. The shoes were to die for. And I wore this adorable Dolce & Gabbana cap that was a favorite of mine.

IML: Would you wear any of it in real life?

Anne: Oh yeah, a lot of the casual pieces that Mia wore, not so much the more conservative princess-y things. There are a lot of coats that she wore that I would like to pair up with jeans. There were some classic pieces that were cut to fit. When things are custom made for you, they’re great.

IML: Girls seem to really love this movie. How do you feel about being a role model for them?

Anne: I never considered myself a role model but if who I am naturally helps people, that’s amazing. That’s great. But I certainly don’t conform myself to fit any standards of what I think a role model should be. I don’t base any of my decisions based on, “What are other people going to think about that?”

IML: Did the success of the first Princess Diaries surprise you?

Anne: I knew it would be a beloved film because it was too sweet and too well-made not to be. The thing that was so surprising about it is that people kept going back to see it, that there are Princess Diaries clubs. People have Princess Diaries sleepovers. Girls from age 6 to age 60 get together and put on tiaras and watch The Princess Diaries together! It’s always sold out at video stores. The hunger for it continues to be there and it’s a worldwide thing. But it’s kind of cool because I figure I can probably go anywhere, knock on a family’s door and be like, “Hey, can I stay here?”

IML: Do you keep a diary?

Anne: I do.

IML: How long have you kept one?

Anne: Since I was 14 or 15. I’ve filled up a few since then.

IML: Has anyone tried to read it?

Anne: No, they haven’t. I’ve read people passages from it but I would never give it to someone and say. “Hey, here’s my soul.”

IML: If you were a princess, what sort of traits would you look for in a “Prince Charming”?

Anne: The same exact ones that I would look for as a regular girl, which is somebody very smart, very compassionate, kind, funny, with an ability to laugh at life. Someone who kind of gets it.

IML: Have you ever met any real-life royalty?

Anne: Yeah. I spent a lot of time in Europe so I’ve met a lot of princes. They’re just down to earth, normal people.

IML: You’ve played a princess three times now. Do you worry about being locked into that?

Anne: I’m 21 years old and hopefully my career is going to be much longer and bigger than a tiara!

IML: How old were you when you started acting?

Anne: I started taking acting classes when I was very young as a hobby and started professionally when I was 10.

IML: Did you ever want to do anything else?

Anne: No. I can imagine my life branching off into different professions certainly, but I’ve enjoyed the route that I’ve gone so much that I’d never imagine something different or try to change it. I’ve never sat there and said, “What if this had never happened and I was a ‘normal’ girl?” I love my life.

IML: Who do you look to for inspiration?

Anne: I don’t look to anybody for inspiration, just good actors. People that I admire are Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Naomi Watts, Angelina Jolie. They’re all people who have incredible strength to them and they also have enormous talent.

IML: How are you juggling movies and college?

Anne: Well, I usually do a semester, do a film, do a semester, do a film, do a semester, do two films. I think I’m going to be transferring to a different school, somewhere in New York. It will be easier to work then because Vassar is so removed. You can’t get cell phone access up there! So I think I’m just going to go to school in the city. I’m a year and a half into it. I have two and a half years left so it’s only going to take me five years. There’s no reason for me not to be a college grad.

IML: What’s your major?

Anne: I’m going to be a double major, English and political science.

IML: Do you think you’ll be able to make the transition from teen to adult roles?

Anne: Yes. If I’m patient and smart, the opportunities will come my way. Hopefully I will rise to the challenge. If it doesn’t work out with film, I’ll do theater.

IML: What was the best bit of advice you’ve received?

Anne: Be brave and choose joy. My drama teacher gave me the advice “be brave” and my mother gave me the advice “choose joy.”

IML: What’s your favorite fairytale?

Anne: The Princess and the Pea. It was short, it was adorable and I also loved the idea of Once Upon a Mattress, the musical that resulted from it. I also liked The Fisherman and His Wife. That was heavy on symbolism, which I loved as a kid.

IML: For someone your age, you seem to have a lot figured out. But is there anything you’d like to change about yourself?

Anne: I don’t know about change…but there’s a lot that I want to learn about myself. I’d like to just continue to learn who I am, to learn to be less timid in emotional situations and be able to assert myself, but other than that I’m pretty happy!

IML: Sounds like it! Thanks, Anne!

Anne: Thank YOU!

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