Zoey Deutch Vampire Academy Interview

The world might not need another vampire movie, but trust us--you're going to want to see Vampire Academy. As the brainchild of Mark Waters (the director of Mean Girls) and Daniel Waters (the writer of Heathers), this coming-of-comedy has cool girl snark in its blood...literally. 

Based on the eponymous YA novel, the film follows half-vampire Rose Hathaway (played by Zoey Deutch) who's practicing to serve as a bodyguard for her best friend, the vampire Lissa (Lucy Fry). Co-starring Sarah Hyland as a dorky classmate as well as Gabriel Byrne, the flick just might be smart enough to make us rethink the undead genre all together. 

At least that's what Deutch told us earlier this week, when we chatted with the actress about the film's awesome one-liners and underlying irony. It opens today in theaters, so before you see it, check out our interview with Deutch below.  

OK, so we have to ask--what sets this vampire movie apart from the rest?

This definitely isn't Twilight, don't worry. [Laughing] The dialogue in this film is really unique; if you've ever seen any of Dan Waters' films, he has a very unique voice that captures the mind of a teenage girl so brilliantly...even though he's certainly not. I think that was the first thing that drew me to the movie.

Even just from the trailer, you can tell that the dialogue is super quick, snappy, and smart.

Totally, and I hope there's going to be another trailer soon, because the tone of the film is really special. I understand that people my age might be over vampires--they might be overdone--but I think the most important part of the film is the fact that it's humorous and it pokes fun at itself. It's not something you go to cry your eyes out to or something. You laugh and you fall in love with the characters. 

What was filming like?

It was great! We shot in London and around there; it was so fun. I can't lie and say it wasn't exhausting, though, because we were doing night shoots and were freezing cold, but luckily we had each other to entertain ourselves. 

What did you guys do when you weren't shooting, in between takes?

The amount of sugar and coffee we consumed was sad and depressing. But yeah, mostly we would just hang out. I'd knit a lot because that's how cool I am [Laughing]. I have a hard time focusing on anything else! I'm bad at multitasking. 

When you're not working, what do you like to do?

I'm a 45-year-old soccer mom at heart, really. I love yoga, hiking, cooking, painting....I'm such a homebody. I also have a lot of pets, so I just hang out with them.

What kinds of pets? 

I basically have a zoo. Well, I have a tortoise named Tortuga, some dogs, chickens. My new thing though is to try and find a Silkie Chicken because they're the cutest thing ever. Google it right now! [Ed note: Googled, and she's right--they're adorable]. 

Vampire Academy has great music. What are you into?

I love going to concerts, that's actually one activity I'm really into. I went to this Elvis tribute concert a few days ago for Elvis' birthday--I like old music!--and it was amazing. I go to The Echo in LA sometimes, and I love bands like Arcade Fire, Daft Punk, and Kanye West. Oh, and I went to Beyonce!

So jealous. How was she?

She was phenomenal. I kept turning to my sister, like, "Not only is her body amazing, but holy s***she's not lip-synching! She's the real deal."

Vampire Academy opens today.