AnnaSophia Robb in "The Reaping"

It's quite a stretch from playing the new girl with the heart of gold in Bridge to Terabithia to a wild child accused of murder in the spooky supernatural thriller The Reaping but 13-year-old actress AnnaSophia Robb says "bring it on!"

When filming The Reaping with Hilary Swank in Louisiana, AnnaSophia had to deal with giant locusts tossed in her face, horrible heat and being evacuated to avoid two hurricanes to finish the film that deals with the ten plagues of Egypt striking again in the modern-day South. She was only 11 then but, as a "grown-up" 13-year-old, she can look back with a keener eye.

For our private chat with the young star, we were shown into her hotel suite in L.A.'s Century City and were charmed to hear her voice from the bedroom asking a publicist "Is the reporter a girl or a guy?" When she was assured we were female, AnnaSophia felt comfortable coming out to share some girltalk with us in big curlers, her pink gauze sweater, a long half-slip and no shoes. Hey, she was getting ready for an afternoon of television interviews.

Curling up in a chair with her bare feet tucked under her, the actress was ready to spill all on her impressive role, life on the set, dealing with the heat and what books she'd like to adapt to film and star in.

TeenHollywood: Okay, we see your pink skirt is over on the bed but who is it by?

AnnaSophia: Usually I wear Jigsaw but today is the only day in this whole press event that I'm not wearing Jigsaw. It is a Mona and Holly skirt that I got from a little boutique. I wear Abercrombie a lot but Jigsaw is my main fashion.

TeenHollywood: Hey, congratulations on "Terabithia" doing so well!

AnnaSophia: Thanks!

TeenHollywood: On to The Reaping. When you first read this script were you fascinated or was it scary to you?

AnnaSophia: I was very intrigued because I know Exodus and the ten plagues in the bible. I was pretty intrigued and a little scared. It's a scary story but I thought it was a really brilliant idea for a script and story. Really interesting and unique.

TeenHollywood: When you were shooting in Louisiana, did you have to evacuate for the hurricanes?

AnnaSophia: I was off for about four weeks and those were divided into two week segments and when Katrina and Rita hit, those were the weeks I was gone but I came back afterwards and you could sense in the air, the devastation with people on the crew. When you're on a film set, people bond and, on this one, people got really close because they had experienced so much loss together. It was nice for them because they had a job. They were excited about that. They had a place to live. Herb Gains [producer] paid for their hotel rooms.

TeenHollywood: It looked pretty hot and yucky there and you were running around outside a lot. How did you deal with that?

AnnaSophia: It was very hot. It was extremely humid. You want to wear as little as possible because you get so sweaty, dripping. I loved wearing that red dress because it was a very light cotton. I wore shorts under it. I was running around. I loved being barefoot. It got my feet to be kind of tough but I never hurt myself.

TeenHollywood: What was it like working with Hilary Swank? Did you have any expectations of her?

AnnaSophia: I didn't know what to expect at all. She was wonderful though. She's so kind and she taught me a lot about how to get in the moment but I didn't know what to expect. She was really funny, always upbeat and positive and very, very kind.

TeenHollywood: It was such a serious film. Was there any goofing off on the set?

AnnaSophia: With all movies, you kind of goof off with your friends, joke around. I'm pretty goofy on set.

TeenHollywood: You are in the film a lot but hardly have any dialogue in the movie. Did you make up for that between takes?

AnnaSophia: Well, I talked a lot on set messing around and playing with the big, huge locusts. [note: There is a scene in which AnnaSophia's character is surrounded by a huge swarm of locusts (grasshoppers)]

TeenHollywood: Tell me about that scene.

AnnaSophia: Well a lot of them were fake but the ones I was holding were real. They trained me with the locusts. My mom had the bright idea to throw the locusts on me and I wouldn't be able to flinch. But they were all right. I got used to them. If I was a big head of lettuce or something, that's the only way I would have been in danger. They were just normal. When they walk up your arm, they kind of make your hair lift up. You get all spooked out. I got used to them and played with them. I did give some of them names but they die pretty quick.

TeenHollywood: Yeah, don't want to make pets of them. So, not having too many lines, you had to act with your eyes, your face and body language. Was that easier than having a lot of dialogue or harder?

AnnaSophia: I find it's just different. I wasn't scared or hurt that I didn't have very many lines. I thought, 'well that's something totally different that I haven't done before'. That's interesting. That enticed me. I had to use my eyes and my body movements and I talked to Stephen [Hopkins the director] a lot about how I would portray my character. How would she act and react to things? We decided that Loren was a lot like a cat. I don't really relate to Loren but I know cats. She's very wild and is always very skittish, very elusive and kind of mysterious and will get close to you but then scamper off. As soon as you go to touch a cat, they'll run right away. You have to let them come to you.

TeenHollywood: Are you now trying to find more teenaged roles to make that transition from kid to teen? Like, in your next movie will you be dating somebody?

AnnaSophia: No! I just look for good, worthy scripts. I make my decisions when I look at the script or book, 'is it a good story? Could I help somebody in some way by just making them laugh to get them away from their misery? Or maybe it's so they know they have somebody to relate to'. Then it's who is involved with the project, the director, the actors. On this story it was how does my character benefit the story? Is it a good, interesting character? Also, I always think about, 'is it worth being away from my school, family and friends to do this film'?

TeenHollywood: So you would go back and play age 11 again or maybe age 14. It doesn't matter if the story is good?

AnnaSophia: Yeah, it's not about the age. There's always age-appropriate things out there. It depends on the story.

TeenHollywood: What is coming out next that we'll see you in?

AnnaSophia: Ferris Wheel with Charlize Theron, West Texas Children's Story, Doubting Thomas an independent as well and in Jumper, I have a small role. It's coming out probably in 2008.

TeenHollywood: Are you shooting anything right now?

AnnaSophia: No, I'm just looking at scripts that I might possibly want to be out of school for.

TeenHollywood: Are people sending you scripts a lot?

AnnaSophia: Not just right and left but I do turn down movies and scripts if they're just stories where I ask 'why would I even want to tell this story?'

TeenHollywood: I know that you read a lot. Is there a book that you've read that you would like to make into a film and star in it?

AnnaSophia: Yes! Many books. I read a lot of books and go 'oooo, this would make a really good movie'.

TeenHollywood: Have you optioned any of them?

AnnaSophia: Yes, I have. "Bloody Jack" is a series of books [about a young girl on a sailing ship as a ships' boy back in the pirate days] and then "Summer of Kings". [a story about a 14-year-old girl who starts a romance with a black teen accused of murder in the South] Those are two.

TeenHollywood: Sounds Great. Bye and thanks.

AnnaSophia: It was great seeing you again!

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