Celebrity Buzz: Ashley Greene Calls 'Skateland' A 'Departure From Alice Cullen'

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ashley Greene Calls 'Skateland' A 'Departure From Alice Cullen'

'Twilight' star was still an unknown when she auditioned for '80s-set flick.
By Amy Wilkinson

Ashley Greene in "Skateland"
Photo: Freestyle Releasing

After the major box-office bite of three "Twilight Saga" films (and counting), it's hard to imagine any Hollywood casting director is unfamiliar with Ashley Greene. But when the 24-year-old actress auditioned for the part of Michelle Burkham in her upcoming '80s-set flick "Skateland," she was simply that girl from that vampire movie.

"It was right before 'New Moon.' No one really knew who I was," she recalled of the audition process. "We had done 'Twilight,' and I think maybe it had just come out. ... Actually, I feel like it came out while ['Skateland'] was filming. And, of course, I got the news of how big it was. No one really knew who I was at that point, so I was just a girl who was in this movie that was buzzed about. I really had to work for it."

After a long gestation period, audiences will finally get to see Greene in her first non-"Twilight" role — one she said is very different from her vampire alter ego.

"I was really excited, because it was definitely a departure from Alice Cullen. I think it was two years ago, so I'm excited it's finally coming out," she told MTV News. "I basically read the script, and I was really drawn to the character because Michelle — she's strong and she's vulnerable, and I feel like you don't get that a lot with female roles in films. She's kind of the headstrong girl in the movie, and she knows what she wants and she's confident and, you know, a no-bull kind of girl."

"Skateland" stars Shiloh Fernandez as a small-town Texas skating-rink manager who's forced to grow up after a series of dramatic events unfold in his life.

Check out everything we've got on "Skateland."

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