Gossip Teen

With her new film Hotel for Dogs aimed at a younger audience, Emma Roberts is experiencing that in-between stage lots of actors and actresses face: do you continue with teen oriented films for as long as you can, or do you make the break for it and try to move into more grown-up themed films?

Roberts recently finished shooting the independent film “The Winning Season” from writer-director James Strouse (”Grace Is Gone”). It’s the kind of role that suggests a transition away from tween material is in the works. “It’s happened naturally, which is what I wanted. I could definitely play younger and I could definitely play older, which is what’s good about being 17,” Roberts said.

The young actress - last year picked by Vanity Fair among “Hollywood’s New Wave” - has been home-schooled her entire life. (”I’ve only been to high school in a movie,” she says.) She’s now, though, applying to colleges, where she hopes to study literature. She says that while she wouldn’t be able to turn down a “great project” if it came along, she does want to focus on college.

I really like Emma and can’t wait to see what she does next.

Hotel for Dogs opens Friday january 16th.