One of the favorite actors for Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” franchise, Emma Roberts has been cut into two parts, playing a ruthless witch and a final girl facing a serial killer. Most recently she was a pregnant actress targeted by a cult.
When she was offered the opportunity to play a college dropout who becomes a NASA intern in the romantic comedy “Space Cadet,” she embraced the change.
“This movie is kind of nostalgic, like the early 2000s, but also fresh and fun,” Roberts said in an interview.
Roberts executive produces and stars in the film, which premieres Thursday on Prime Video. She plays Rex, a young woman who grew up with big dreams of becoming an astronaut but has a different path as an adult. She is working as a bartender when Rex is accepted into NASA’s intern program. The film also stars Tom Hopper, “Hacks”‘s Poppy Liu and Gabrielle Union.
The script reminded Roberts of “Private Benjamin” and “Legally Blonde”, and she was excited to play an “underrated female character” who surprises people in unexpected ways.
His previous work on “American Horror Story” is what convinced writer, director Liz W. Garcia that Roberts could play Rex.
“Even though the genre is horror, she always has a flair to it,” Garcia said. “It’s the Hollywood blonde thing and playing with that archetype. Emma was really into the idea of getting herself a Goldie Hawn-like moment by doing physical comedy and something a little more risqué. She was really brilliant, as it turns out.”
In the Q&A session, Roberts talked about “Space Cadet” and other topics, including being a mom to a boy, creating and her book club. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
ROBERTS: Yeah, I think we’re feeling the effects of the strikes more now than we were last year, which is ironic. Between the strikes and COVID, we’re living in such unprecedented, strange times. I’m so grateful for the TV show “Tell Me Lies,” which I’m an executive producer of, which just finished filming its second season. With “Space Cadet,” I’m excited to put out something that I think will make people smile and laugh and hopefully feel a little inspired.
Roberts: I’m so excited for people to see Season 2. It’s a lot more unpredictable than people think. Our showrunner, Meghan Oppenheimer, is incredible. She’s really taken this show to a new level. With TV shows, that’s fun, especially in the second season – to turn everything upside-down. I think we’ve definitely done that and I’m looking forward to seeing people’s reactions.
Roberts: We love space. Our thing is he puts on his pajamas and then we go outside and look at the stars before he goes to sleep, and he says, “There are so many stars.” There’s a childlike wonder about space at any age, but I don’t hear a lot of young girls say they want to be astronauts. I’d love to hear more young girls, or even young people in general, say that.
Roberts: My mom has a sister. I have a sister too. Like, we’re all like sisters, moms, daughters. There are so many girls around us. I was sure I was going to have a girl. I was like, “I know it. It’s my intuition. I’m going to have a girl.” They said it would be a boy, and I was like, “Huh?” But I love it. I definitely had to hone my basketball and soccer skills. I was a little underage, so I’m trying to get into it. I will say I’ve saved a lot of money on clothes being a boy’s mom, because you just wear them wherever you want. I see little girls’ clothes and I’m like, “Oh my god.” If I had a daughter I would break down because everything is so cute.
ROBERTS: I was really impressed with her. I still am impressed with her. I mean, everything she does is impressive. She’s a mom. She’s a businesswoman and now an actress. She also has “The Kardashians,” which I watch. If we’re being honest, my bodysuit under my dress is SKIMS. I love her so much. We’re creating a show called “Calabasas” with I. Marlene King, and we’re all executive producers. We’re both from Calabasas, which is so fun. She’s so funny. She’s up for anything, I’m really excited to work with her some more.
Roberts: It’s funny. You never know when he’s going to ask you to do something — that’s what I love about him — and then you see his name on your phone and you think, ‘Okay, what are we doing?’ For Ryan it’s always a yes. His stuff is always so inspiring and the worlds he creates are completely his own.
Roberts: It’s been seven years now, and it’s amazing to watch the community grow. I get really happy when people stop me on the street and say, “Emma!” and think, “What would they say?” And they say, “What should I read?” I love curating, even for my friends, especially in the summer or when they’re going on long trips. I say, “Okay, where are you going? How are you feeling? How long is the flight? I’ll recommend three books for you to read.” That makes me really happy.
ROBERTS: You know, I would do that. I’ve thought about it, maybe short stories or something. Maybe when I’m 70, and I don’t care what people think, I’ll write a memoir. Yeah, that’s something I would love to do. I want to write children’s books. My mom and I have talked about doing that together, and I think it would be really fun, especially now that I have a son who loves to read.
Roberts: He can read “Goodnight Moon” from start to finish, and I’m very proud of that. My greatest accomplishment so far is that he loves to read. That makes me happy.
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