Before a big-budget movie is released in Hollywood, the studio that produced it usually hosts a press junket to give journalists the opportunity to interview the stars of the film.

But how does a studio promote a film when the star dies six months before the picture is scheduled for release?

Entertainment reporters got the answer to that question recently when Warner Brothers sent them videotapes containing footage of late pop singer Aaliyah talking about her role in "Queen of the Damned," the eagerly awaited follow-up to the 1994 hit "Interview with the Vampire."

The publicity interview was conducted during production of the film. Although roundly panned by the critiques, audiences packed theaters this weekend and made Aaliyah's last film No. 1 at the box office.

On the videotape, called an electronic press kit, the bright, soft-spoken singer/actress expresses her joy at having been chosen for such a coveted role and speaks of her love of music and desire for a long, creative career.

"I love music with my heart," said the woman who plays Akasha, the mother of all vampires and the titular queen of the damned. "I love acting as well. There are some similarities, yet a lot of differences. I like doing both and the fact that I get to explore a different side of myself and it's the same as music. I don't want to abandon one for the other. I want to try and do both as long as I can."