Emma Roberts Adult World

If there's anything three seasons of Girls have taught us, it's that millennial existential angst is exhausting. But it's also downright annoying, and nobody gets this better than Emma Roberts, who embodies that post-college malaise perfectly in her new movie Adult World. 

Roberts' character Amy is an aspiring poet who truly, deep down, believes she's destined for literary success. But when it doesn't come quite as easily as she'd hoped, she's forced to take a job at--wait for it-- an adult book store. Needless to say, she gets a major reality check, and eventually learns her lesson--mostly in thanks to her shaggy-haired coworker Alex (Evan Peters) and a reclusive poet Rat Billings (John Cusack).

After being the talk of Tribeca Film Festival last year, the movie finally lands in theaters and VOD tomorrow. Just in time for the release, Roberts called us to chat about her literary obsessions, filming with friends, and why playing annoying characters is sometimes just more fun.

You just had a birthday! How was it? 

It was good...pretty mellow. I just went to dinner and hung out; nothing too crazy. I'm not a big birthday person. Well, I guess I am in theory, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather just stay in [laughing]. 

So your new movie Adult World opens this weekend. How was it filming?

It was so fun filming the movie--the script was what drew me in initially. But we filmed in Syracuse, which was basically the coldest place on earth.

I was going to say, it looked really...cold. 

Yeah, it was! I mean, it was a good backdrop for the movie, seeing this snowing kind of desolate-looking landscape. Especially with the characters having all of these inner problems. But the worst part is, we couldn't even really bundle up that much. Our characters walked around in long-sleeved shirts and light jackets, so we had hand warmers on us all the time! 

Your character is one of those that a lot of us can relate to. She's selfish and not the most likeable at times. What drew you to her?

I actually loved that about her. She goes through so many things in the movie, and sometimes she's annoying and sometimes you just want to be, like, "Oh my God, stop!" But she does become very likeable, and I think that she's just trying to figure herself out. I know from experience that your late teens and early twenties are such transitional times, and you're just trying to get ahold of everything.

You're a big reader--what books are you into now?

Right now I'm reading Dr. Sleep, the Stephen King book. It's really long, though, so I'm only halfway through. I just got James Franco's new book Actors Anonymous, but I haven't read that one quite yet. I just read The Shining for the first time, and it's so great--very different than the movie, which I liked.

You should start a book club! 

I think that I would love to be in a book club, but the thing is, nobody would want to be in a book club with me! I'd only want to read the books that I picked out and nobody else's. [Laughing] 

Speaking of James Franco, how was it filming Palo Alto? 

Gia [Coppola] is one of my good friends--we've been friends for a while--so I loved working with her. I was in love with the script and had been a fan of the book, so I was excited to do it. The whole thing very quick, though--we filmed it in about a month! I wanted it to last song.

On a day off, what do you like to do?

I'm probably reading, seeing friends, catching up on blogs and email. I feel like I always look at stuff on my phone, so it's nice to see it on a computer every once and a while.

What are three websites that you check everyday?

Hm..I'm on my computer now so I'll pull it up! I check Domaine Home,  the Wildfox blog, and the blog 4th and Bleeker. She's so pretty, and there's so much fashion inspiration.

Finally, which movie do you hope wins Best Picture at the Oscars?!

Oh that's so hard! I haven't seen a bunch of the ones nominated yet, but I loved 12 Years a Slave. I was crying through that whole movie. I really want to see Dallas Buyers Club...everybody's been talking about it, so I need to see it before the Oscars. 

Adult World opens in theaters tomorrow.