Starry Mag: What are some of the recent projects you have been working on?
Kristin: I've been audtioning for alot of roles. A movie called Freedom Writers is coming out in January and it's with Hilary Swank. It will be released January 12th. After I was on Freedom Writers I was on Without A Trace not too long ago. It just aired about two months ago, I would say.
Starry Mag: What can you tell us about the premise for Freedom Writers and about your character?
Kristin: Freedom Writers is about a young teacher and it is based on a true story. It's about a teacher named Erin Gruwell who is played by Hilary Swank. She comes to a new school and teaches for a freshman year class that is very disrespectful, into gangs and everyone is racially divided. She assigns the class to learn tolerance and apply themselves to education beyond high school and actually graduated. My character is based on a real life character, her name is Gloria. She's not one of the really bad, bad girls in the movie. She's more into fashion and a lot of people look down upon her and find her as probably being the first girl pregnant out of the class. She didn't really have a father growing up and so she takes her anger out on a lot of people. She doesn't really talk to a lot of people, or anyone in the class, none of them express their feelings to their teacher. Everyone has one image of our teacher which is white and trash.
Starry Mag: What made you want to be a party of the film?
Kristin: Because when I started to look into this, I knew in the real world that people had bad lives growing up, hard lives, and didn't have parents, didn't have a lot of money. For me, I didn't really get to experience that because I've always attended private school my whole entire life and my family is very, very close. When I started reading the script it opened up my eyes completely and I knew that there was a bad world out there but never knew it could be that bad. Meeting the people in the cast, they would tell me stories that happened to them and we got to meet the real people from the book Freedom Writers and the stories they told me were truly inspiring. It made me, as an actress, open my eyes more and I just wanted to put my character on the screen and let people see through my eyes how my character was, because it's my diary.
Starry Mag: What about the role was challenging for you?
Kristin: What was challenging for me was that like I said I didn't experience a hard life growing up. So, having to act very disrespectful to people and getting into fights with people, because we had a riot scene, that was probably the most challenging for me because I am playing a completely different character, a total opposite from who I am in real life.
Starry Mag: How did you prepare for that though? How did you prepare to play this character who is totally opposite than what you are?
Kristin: Like I said before we even filmed the movie we got to meet and hang out with the real life people. They told us their whole entire story of how they grew up. I also went to bad areas of towns, I saw how people act, I saw how people carry themselves just walking down the street. Everyone here in LA is all 'Hi! How are you? Good afternoon, good evening!' It's also based in the late 90s so we also had a completely different wardrobe. And everything that completely different. They trained us too, because the teacher also reads us the Diary of Anne Frank, and we also went to the Museum of Tolerance and learned about that, read the book. Like I said, the whole entire cast was together, literally, almost every single day before we even started filming. Just so we could get to know each other and get to know each other's life and how we grew up. It helped me a lot knowing my character's life and how she grew up. It put in my eyes how she grew was as a child and how could this affect me. It was stunning to see that, that there is a completely different world out there like that. And that's how I prepared myself, hanging out with people in real life and going to areas that I wouldn't normally go to.
Starry Mag: Do you have a really memorable moment from your time filming the movie?
Kristin: I remember one of our last scenes, we read from our diaries of our life, I remember it was one of our last days. Every single one of the main characters were reading from their diary and Hilary was standing on the side of the set watching all of this. At the end of all the character's speeches, everyone started to break down and cry because we became such a close family. It wasn't just the cast, it was really a family, and that was probably my most memorable moment on set.
Starry Mag: Do you think that once viewers get to see you in the film that it might open more doors for your career and take your career into a different direction?
Kristin: I definitely think that it will take my career in a different direction. Prior to this filml I was on a Nickelodeon TV show and I was series regular on that. To jump from a Nickelodeon series to movies has already opened so many doors. I already have people calling and I know it will be opening so many more doors for me.
Starry Mag: How was getting to work alongside Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey?
Kristin: I didn't actually get to meet Patrick because he played her husband in the film. The kids didn't get to meet Patrick but working with Hilary, oh my gosh, she's the most down to earth and most respectful woman I've ever met.
Starry Mag: Why should viewers take the time to check out the film when it does premieres?
Kristin: I think they should take the time to check it out because a lot of people can relate to this film. There are so many different characters, it's not just one kid and one way of how they act. It's so many different characters and I know kids can definitely relate to any of the main characters.
Starry Mag: There are a lot of fan sites out there now and I was wondering if you've taken notice of any of them?
Kristin: Yeah, I definitely take notice. Even my friends are like 'Oh my god, I didn't know you had so much for you!' I get fan letters all the time so I find it really surprising because I see myself as a completely normal person whereas others look up to me.
Starry Mag: I was looking at Kristin-Herrera.Net and there are alot of fans there as well. Obviously there have been fans generating from Zoey 101 and I think there will be a lot more fans now once they get to see you in the film.
Kristin: Oh yea. Most definitely. I've very thankful for every second of it.
Starry Mag: Do you feel like you are a role model?
Kristin: It's funny because I met a lot of people and people always come up to me and so many people know who you are, you're a star to people. When I get recognized I am so surprised, I see myself as a completely normal kid. That's how my friends see me as well. I have a completely normal life, I go to school, I have normal friends and I do what normal teenagers do. I find it rather weird actually that people see me as a star in their eyes.
Starry Mag: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Kristin: I love to snowboard, I absolutely love snowboarding. I love going surfing and what every other girl loves to do...shop.
Starry Mag: Do you something that is a latest obsession? Are you into some particular activity, book or music group?
Kristin: I'm really into music and my favorite band of all-time is Underoath. And I'm actually going to see them March 13th for the third time. And I'm really into music.
Starry Mag: What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
Kristin: I would say always live up to your dreams and never doubt yourself. Even when people put you down - don't listen to them. Do your own thing and do what you love.
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