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(like, God, dont do this to me again in Levis.
Whats up with you and Levis?)
And Ill be like, Its true.
I really cant.)
But the thing is shes funny and quirky and straightforward enough to make me believe it.
When you bled into the jeans fromBooksmart,did they let you keep them?
If you want to give them to me, I wouldnt mind.
If you want to keep em, Godspeed.
Where is the coat from?
People will be asking you this from now on.
Its the perfect high-school-cool-girl coat.Its vintage!
There was this moment when we were filming and I was like, I have an idea.
And they were like, Yes!
And I was like, Im not even an actress.
Im just like a vintage-leather-coat model.
No one in my high school would have had a coat like that.
In high school, I was more of an Amy [Deverss character].
I dont believe you.I was not cool.
I was in orchestra playing the cello with my brother.
And I was in choir.
And I was on the tennis team.
I was a nerd.
People thought I was, like, really weird.
Which is, you know, true.
Ill show you my old drivers-license photo.
I used to hide my upper lip because people called me duck lips.
So I was very insecure and now all the girls have big lips.
[Laughs]
When did you finally feel comfortable with yourself?Throughout my second year of college.
I moved to New York, and I was able to just be myself.
I didnt have to deal with mean girls.
NYU was very difficult and not cooperative.
Im definitely not a fan.
My dad lives in Ojai, or lived in Ojai, and my house burned down.
So I flew home to be with my family.
So you never finished school?No.
I was just unhappy [in New York], I dont know.
The city, its a lot.
I started to really get homesick.
The weather was getting me down.
I kept getting big fat nos.
But New York drew me back.
Im fully convinced the love of my life is in New York.
Why do you think that?Because they cannot be in L.A., because L.A. sucks.
Everyone in L.A. is a jerk!
Glad youre living here now, then!
So your first movie roles happen to be coming out around the same time.
Which did you book first,BooksmartorMa?
And howd it happen?It was really crazy.
I was like, I can Method act I just need to believe Im five-eight.
I didnt ask her to; she just did it.
I gotta be in the zone all the time!
But when I was done, I looked at it again, and I was like,Wow.
And I was like, Im not Ryan.
Im not going to get Ryan.
You know what I mean.
Its a thing for everyone on all ends of the spectrum.
You all get put into a nice box.
When I went in, I read for Hope, and they were like, ShessoHope.
And then I got the chemistry read with Kaitlyn, which went really well.
I was kind of nervous I wasnt going to get it because I was so much taller than her.
I was like, I am a giant, and she is a normal-size human being.
But when I was there, everyone treated me as if I was there the whole time.
I was afraid because they all seemed so cool.
I felt like I was in high school.
[Booksmartspoilers follow.]
I want to talk about the sex scene, which I found so refreshing for so many reasons.
It felt groundbreaking to me.
I think she was more nervous than I was.
I was like,Were doing it, everybody is going to see me [half-naked].
It was exciting, you know?
We both agreed that we were not going to kiss until the cameras were rolling.
Every time they called cut, we would just break down laughing.
How did you read their dynamic?
Then we find out Hopes down for it.
That, I think, was a shock because you dont really know what to expect from her.
And I didnt particularly think about it until that moment.
But I was like, Wait, yeah.
Actually, people kind of want me to be mean because then its easier to hate me.
I think Im genuinely okay.
I went to school for it.
Ill fit the category if thats what you want from me.
I want people to like me.
I think this movie might turn you into a bit of a queer icon.
How do you feel about that?Im into it.
I dont know how to word this, but who cares how people swing?
Why does it make someone more or less interesting if they prefer one thing or another?
I cant say with certainty Im one thing [sexuality-wise] or the other.
I have not experienced enough to be like, I know 100 percent, I amthis.
And I think thats whats cool about Hope, too.
I dont think you’re able to say with certainty what she is.
Its never defined, which is really cool.Exactly.
I think playing that role helped me understand my own sexuality better.
I cant say for certain what I am or what Im not.
Ive had crushes on Tilda Swinton.
What does that say about me?
And I dont know, who cares?
Its just part of the story.Exactly.
Im a prude I havent even been with many guys.
How on earth would I know anything about my sexuality?
Maybe some joke about the whole mess.
When you walked in, you mentioned you went out forOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodbut didnt get it.
Which role?Kitty Kat.
I think Im not dark enough for them.
Its a pretty dark world.
And I think thats what Quentin [Tarantino] said: She is not scary enough.
And Im like, Wait till you see me on my period, man.
I really hope you get those pants back fromBooksmart.They really did fit my butt really nicely.
My butt does not look that good in anything else.
