Getting to Know a Young Hollywood Star: Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts doesn't have a typical summer job.

But hey, being a movie star beats working at the mall.

On June 15, Emma Roberts will star in Nancy Drew, about the young female detective who follows her dad to Los Angeles and tries to solve a murder.

So what's it like to be a 16-year-old movie star - and the niece of Julia Roberts? Here are some clues to that mystery, from Emma Roberts herself:

• The highlight of her "sweet 16" party was mugging in a photo booth with pals.
• She flunked the driver's test.
• Her curfew is midnight â€" and mom waits up.

In other words, she's a typical teen.

People had a few more questions for Miss Roberts, on the fun subjects of dating, kissing her co-stars and mean girls (we're talking about actal mean chicks, not the movie Mean Girls) and caught up with her at the Washington, D.C.

Have you ever solved any real-life mysteries?
I wish a mystery would fall into my lap like Nancy Drew!

THG NOTE: We're got one, E-Rob - how about investigating the missing weight of Nicole Richie? We've been trying to get to the bottom of that for 51 weeks now.

So when you're not out sleuthing, what do you like to do with your friends?
I don't work on the weekends, so I get to see them every weekend and have sleepovers and hang out and go to the movies.

Do you like to hang out at the mall?
I used to do it a lot when I was younger. I never found it fun. Me and my friends don't understand why people just hang out at the mall. They don't shop or eat or go to the movies; They just hang around. That doesn't sound like fun. I'd rather be at my friends' house. Most of the time a bunch of friends come over and we hang out and go swimming and do nothing.

THG NOTE: Sorry, Hayden Panettiere and Rumer Willis - it doesn't sound like Emma wants to be your little shopping companion!

Did filming Nancy Drew's high school scenes make you miss going to a regular school instead of being home schooled?
I miss school a little bit, the whole being with your friends. But I like what I do and a lot of schools wouldn't let you leave [to work.]

THG NOTE: You can always watch High School Musical ...

At least you don't have to deal with mean girls and cliques, right?
[During filming] I was dressed in my Nancy Drew clothes and we were shooting in Long Beach. I was walking around ... and nobody really knew I was shooting a movie there. These girls were laughing at me. I turned around to see why they were laughing at and they gave me a mean look. So I turned back around and walked into a trailer. I smacked my face into it. And then they laughed even harder. It was really funny.

How did you celebrate turning 16 in February?
I had a sweet 16 party in L.A. We had photo booths and a DJ. I have all the pictures. We had a Tarot Card reader, a psychic there. It was really, really cool. We hung out and ate and danced and talked.

And what about that other rite of passage, getting your driver's license?
I took the test a month and a half ago and I failed! I blocked a turn lane. I haven't gone back. It was, like, during rush hour traffic and I was very nervous! After I get my license, I'll get a car.

Maybe a flashy red convertible?
I have to get something safe. I really like the Volkswagon Toureg.

Do you date?
Yes. My curfew is like midnight. I have to be back in the house and in bed. My mom is usually up. I feel like she never goes to bed!

Does that mean you have a boyfriend?
Um, yeah ... But I'm not going to talk about it.

In Nancy Drew, you kiss Ned [Max Thieriot] What was that like?
It was my second screen kiss. It was a little weird at first because it was really embarrassing. It's kind of embarrassing but after the tenth take it was like, okay. We did almost 30 [takes] because we did something like seven different angles. A lot of times you get so worried about the kiss you forget the lines. Then you'll lean in for the kiss and everyone is like, 'You have a line,' and then you're all embarrassed. That happened a lot.

Do you feel pressure to be thin or look a certain way because you're a celebrity?
I don't. I'm very happy with myself. I don't really fall into the peer pressure or media pressure. I don't diet. I probably should exercise more for my health. I do just anything with my friends, run on the treadmill or do yoga or go to a dance class. And I take tennis.

Is there anyone in Hollywood you look at as a role model?
I really like Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon. Both of them are really great actresses and have had great careers and have been acting since they were younger. It would be cool to work with them.

THG NOTE: Not Britney Spears? Really? Shocking! Lindsay Lohan? Eh?

Other young stars make headlines for their partying. Ever worry it could happen to you?
It doesn't freak me out. I'm not the kind of person who would fall into that kind of stuff.

But we do hear there's something wild in your future?
I'm going to England in June to shoot Wild Child. It's about a spoiled California girl who gets shipped off to a boarding school because her parents can't handle it any more. She has attitude. She's sassy.

THG NOTE: So it's a Paris Hilton bio-pic? Interesting...