Roberts feels the rom-com love in Little Italy
For Little Italy star Emma Roberts, rom-coms never went away.
“Rom-coms are something that everybody loves,” Roberts says, “and I feel that we need to have things that we can watch that are going to make us smile and make us laugh and aren’t so serious. Real life, right now, is serious enough.”
In the film, Roberts, 27, plays Nikki, a Cordon Bleu chef freshly returned to Toronto from England. She’s back in her parents’ pizzeria and rekindling her childhood crush with Leo (Hayden Christensen). But Nikki and Leo’s dads, once in business together, operate competing restaurants.
Directed by Donald Petrie (Mystic Pizza, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) from a script by Vinay Virmani and Steve Galluccio, the film also features Jane Seymour, Andrea Martin, Danny Aiello, Alyssa Milano, Linda Kash, Adam Ferrara, Gary Basaraba and Kim’s Convenience star Andrew Phung. Q Your director Donald Petrie, worked with your aunt Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza 30 years ago. What was that like?
A
It was totally amazing. It was fun because we got to throw in a couple of little winks to Mystic Pizza. In Little Italy, I wear a new version of the shirt my aunt wore in Mystic Pizza. Q Your character, Nikki, puts figs on pizza. Is that actually good?
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It’s delicious. But I put ranch dressing on my pizza. I can’t eat pizza without ranch. I won’t eat it if there’s no ranch. Q You’re a pretty good cook in the movie, but how are you in the kitchen in real life?
A
I am not a good cook. I’ve been known to store sweaters in my oven (laughs). Q The film is a love letter to Toronto. Did you find yourself falling in love with the city? A I love Toronto — and I’m not just saying that. My best friend came up here while I was shooting and we had the best time eating, shopping, sitting in the park, reading and just walking around. Q You’ve done TV and lots of movies. What else is on your acting bucket list?
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I would love to do more romantic comedies. Turning a Nicholas Sparks book into a movie is on my bucket list (laughs). Q And you’re not just into acting. You started your own book club, Belletrist. How did that come about?
A
I love to read. Books and storytelling have been something that has excited me since I was a kid. I really just wanted to create a place that curated books for people, especially young women. I feel like there are so many amazing books out there that you never hear of and I really wanted to not only showcase authors we all know, but authors you’ve never heard of … I truly believe that reading one book can change your life and to be curating a list for people in hopes of that is exciting for me. Q So what are your favourite books?
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Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates. It has a bit of a Gone Girl vibe to it. Blue Nights by Joan Didion. It’s just a heart wrenching, lyrical book. Then Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz. Q Why is Little Italy the perfect movie for a date?
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I feel we’re living in a difficult time right now. You should go and see a movie that’ll make you smile.