"Stayin" Alive with Samaire Armstrong

No, we're not talking about an old John Travolta movie. Stay Alive, opening March 24th, is a creepy new horror/thriller starring Frankie Muniz, Sophia Bush, Jon Foster, Adam Goldberg, Jimmi Simpson and Milo Ventimiglia among others. Samaire (pronounced Sah-mee-rah – means 'dawning sun' in Gaelic) Armstrong, who plays stylish Anna Stern on "The O.C.", plays Abigail, a non-gamer drawn into a deadly video game in which she and her friends must survive or die in real life.

Samaire, a veteran of TV dramas like "Party of Five", "Freaks and Geeks", "The X-Files" and "Entourage" showed her big screen comic talents in the 2001 hit film Not Another Teen Movie. Born in Japan, the cute, blonde actress got the bug for clothing design and studied fashion in college until the acting bug proved stronger. She still designs for her own line of Oriental-influenced duds. We checked in with the busy actress recently for the scoop on Stay Alive, fun in Pre-Katrina New Orleans while shooting, Samaire's return to "The O.C." and her costarring role with Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck.

TeenHollywood: Are you a gamer or did you have to learn how to play?

Samaire: No I haven't been a gamer. I didn't have to learn how to play because my character is not a gamer either. That worked out just fine. Abigail's a newcomer to this group of friends and they find this videogame and you have to keep playing to stay alive. It's difficult for her because she has no interest in videogames but she has to play it to save her life.

TeenHollywood: What is the basic background of the film's story?

Samaire: There was this actual person in our history, this countess, a crazy lady back in the day in Transylvania who was obsessed with looking youthful and staying young. She would lure young girls to her home and kill them and bathe in their blood. This woman's soul is kept inside this video game.

TeenHollywood: Ewwww. Creepy and intriguing. Where did you shoot the film?

Samaire: New Orleans before Katrina. We were the last film out before. Nobody had heard anything about it. I had gone on a cab ride with this woman who asked me 'have you asked for forgiveness? We're going to be struck by...' she predicted it and a month later I was like 'are you kidding me?'

TeenHollywood: Way too weird! Who in the cast was the jokester and who was the peacekeeper or the more "serious", let's get to work person?

Samaire: Jimmi Simpson was so funny and a great actor. He always kept it light and charming. To see him bloody was really invoking my senses. He'd always flash a Jimmi Simpson smile and he'd make it okay. And Frankie [Muniz] was so much fun. We'd go buy toys at "Toys R Us" and dance in our trailers. Sophia Bush was the mother hen. She took care of us all very well.

TeenHollywood: Did you do anything else while in New Orleans?

Samaire: We didn't have much time to party but we'd hang out always. We stayed in the same hotel so we were in each other's rooms day and night. But, there was a lot of fun going through New Orleans thrift store shopping and shopping on the streets. The characters are supposed to live in New Orleans so I would go with Sophia and go research the kind of Goth chicks that lived there and hang with them and that was really fun.

TeenHollywood: What scary movie scares you? Do you have a favorite?

Samaire: Nightmare on Elm Street. That was scary, getting into your dreams.

TeenHollywood: What, in real life scares you?

Samaire: When I get really exhausted, my mind warps reality. You'll hear a noise. It might just be the porch outside but, when you're tired, something's on the porch coming for you. But I have a lot of dogs and a lot of friends who are always with me. And I'm sword-trained so I have a lot of swords.

TeenHollywood: Whoa, don't mess with you! That's great. Did you learn to do that when you lived in Japan?

Samaire: Exactly.

TeenHollywood: Do you want to play an action hero then?

Samaire: Why not? I've got all the training for it. I like tough girls in films.

TeenHollywood: You have your own clothing label? NARU. Is there an oriental influence?

Samaire: I guess you could say that. It means 'becoming' in Japanese. It's always evolving because like people, they are always becoming. It started out just one of a kind pieces in stores. Right now, it's at a stand still.

TeenHollywood: Well, you can whip out another design when you are ready. Are you still on "The O.C."?

Samaire: I will be returning in April.

TeenHollywood: Cool ! How was working on "Entourage"? Do you keep in touch with anybody from the show?

Samaire: I run into them. Work on "Entourage" was difficult because it's very male chauvinistic. The scripts were that way but the people were very nice. Jeremy Piven is really a very cool guy.

TeenHollywood: Are you a singer/songwriter?

Samaire: I am. I've spent many a day with my garage band on my computer, on my laptop especially when I'm filming between set ups. I'll be putting out a record.

TeenHollywood: What genre of music do you play?

Samaire: I'm uncategorizable. I really like things you can dance to and [songs about] feelings, like Tory Amos, the more you listen to her you're like 'oh, I get it'. Different layers.

TeenHollywood: Who are your favorite musical artists?

Samaire: I like Lauren Hill, The Kills, Mars, Woven and a lot more.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about who you play in upcoming films Just My Luck, Rise and It's a Boy Girl Thing?

Samaire: In Just My Luck I play Lindsay Lohan's best friend. She's the luckiest girl in the world. In Rise, Lucy Liu is a vampire and I'm a hopeful young girl in Hollywood who gets into the wrong hands for the right reasons. [Note: It's a Boy Girl Thing is about boy and girl enemies who find themselves in each other's bodies and use this to ruin each other's lives].

TeenHollywood: What was your big break and who gave it to you?

Samaire: Oh, "The O.C." Josh Schwartz gave me my big break on "The O.C." and Mc G produced Stay Alive and "The O.C." so that was consistently a giving group of people.

TeenHollywood: What is the best advice you've been given and who gave it to you?

Samaire: Do not be afraid to make mistakes. My mom and my dad said that.

TeenHollywood: What is your idea of the perfect first date activity?

Samaire: Shopping for furniture. I like to buy old furniture and alter furniture. I have a house that is constantly in flux. It's fun to go into old and new furniture stores IKEA. That kind of thing I really like.

TeenHollywood: Any interesting fan encounters yet?

Samaire: Most people are really supportive. I was in London and I couldn't get my ATM to work and strange men were standing way too close and these really sweet young kids came up and asked for my autograph and I was in such a flustered moment that I felt bad because I couldn't give full attention to them. People come up and give support and I really appreciate that. Some strange guy told me he loved me last night.

TeenHollywood: Hey, better than somebody saying they hate ya! Who are you dying to work with?

Samaire: I'd like to work with Robert DeNiro.

TeenHollywood: Any words to teen horror fans about why they should see this film?

Samaire: Do not see this film if you are afraid at all. Do not. I couldn't watch the entire film. It was too scary. If you like seeking thrills and you sleep very close to your parents' room, then see it. If you're not scared of the dark, see it. If you have a date that you want to bring who will grab you very tightly, see it. It's not for wary hearts. This is scary.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.