Aly Michalka has never had a roommate in her 21 years, and after being a part of the new thriller The Roommate (in theaters today), she’s not in a hurry to find one. She stars as Tracy, the hard-partying friend of fellow coed Sara (Minka Kelly) who becomes one of the people targeted by Sara’s psychotically clingy roommate Rebecca (Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl). “This movie definitely inspired me not to want to room with anyone who’s slightly crazy,” says Michalka, the Hellcats star who also is in the band 78violet with her sister AJ. “The only person I would want to room with would be my sister, and I know she’s not psycho.” I caught up with Michalka yesterday when she was on break from the set of Hellcats, on which she plays law student/cheeleader Marti Perkins, and the one-time Disney Channel regular talked about the new movie (beware a few spoilers ahead), what’s coming up on her freshman CW show and what important piece of jewelry she added after filming The Roommate two years ago.

This was a more intense project than your fans normally see you in.
It was. The energy was definitely different than any other shoot that I had done before because it had that suspenseful vibe on set. But it was a really different experience and we all had fun as girls hanging out.

So how did you go from girls hanging out to girls (maybe) trying to kill each other?
We never really were scared on set. We all laughed about it. We would see the process right there in front of our eyes, see what they were doing and how they were making certain things look scary. So it was a fun experience more than it was actually being physically, mentally scared.

Now, I don’t have a belly ring, but I winced when your character’s belly ring is viciously ripped out. Was that a stunt belly hopefully?
Well, that was my belly button and everything. What’s really funny is I actually have a belly button ring in real life, but I didn’t at the time. They had to do a fake ring, and it was difficult actually because we had to make sure it could come out. It was a bit of an ordeal. But at the end of the day, we were able to shoot it really well where it looked like that was my belly button and it was getting ripped out. [Laughs]

That whole sequence is pretty rough, with Tracy getting attacked in the dorm shower. What was that day like?
Ugh, that was a long day! They built it — it wasn’t even an actual shower. I was in there for like 13 hours just wet. It was a great day. [Laughs] It was one of those days that wouldn’t end, but it was really fun. The water was warm, which was nice, so I was in just a hot shower all day basically.

Have you had friends over the years relay horror stories of roommates who were a little off?
Yeah, totally. And people who are too clingy or want to eat weird food and their room smells, but not anything that’s dangerous thankfully.

Your role in Easy A was pretty well-received this past fall. Do you feel you’re starting to make a name for yourself in Hollywood now?
I do. The projects that I’ve chosen have been very strategic and not by chance. That’s always an important decision to make when you’re doing a film, to think about, OK, how is this going to be perceived by my audience? What are they going to think of this film? I do appreciate that people have enjoyed the movies I’ve done so far and that hopefully they’ll continue with.

The movie is full of CW stars, from you and Leighton to The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev and 90210’s Matt Lanter. Did you know any of them, even though you hadn’t been cast in Hellcats yet?
No, I didn’t know any of them. It’s interesting because I remember Katerina Graham had just booked Vampire Diaries, so we were all on set together hanging out and she was like, “Yeah, I’m really nervous because I have to actually move and everything.” I was like, “Oh wow, that’s gonna be a crazy experience.” And then, hah! Little did I know, a year later I’d be booking Hellcats.

Speaking of, how is Hellcats going?
We wrap the first season March 17, so that’ll be a nice reward for the end of the season just to know that we had a great first season and we really were able to establish some great characters. I’m just looking forward to the next one.

Do you feel in tune with Marti’s mindset enough where you can just naturally inhabit that character?
I do. For me, it’s just easy being able to play her now because I know her instincts and her feelings so well. It feels like they’re a bit of my own. I’ve gotten into this real rhythm, this groove, with her as a character.

What of note will be happening in upcoming episodes?
There’s going to be a lot more drama when it comes to Marti and her mom [played by Gail O’Grady]. We’re going to get back into that world again, which I’m really excited about just because I love the scenes with Marti and Wanda. You’ll see a lot more of that and you’re going to see a reunion with Marti and Dan [Matt Barr] again and them trying to form their relationship even with this weird stuff that has affected them in the past.

You guys seem to play well off each other. Do you have a strong friendship off-screen?
Me and Matt are really close. There was this instant chemistry we had as actors when we first actually read together for the show. There was this instant bond, this click, where it seems like we would be best friends. The writers were really stoked about that. They were like, “Oh yes! Perfect! They do get along and they do look like their friends.” That was a cool thing for the two of us.

Do you have something lined up for the hiatus yet?
I’m going to be doing the new 78violet record with my sister, so I’m really looking forward to that. That’s basically what my main focus is going to be on. And then maybe if I can do a film that doesn’t shoot super long, because I don’t have a ton of time, but is something I’m passionate about, I’d love to do that as well. It’s important to just continue to have good intentions when it comes to booking your next film, and not doing it for any other reason but “I want to do this and I’m passionate about it.” And its important to keep variety in your work, so most likely my next movie would be completely different from The Roommate or Easy A.

Source: USAWeekend

This entry was posted on Friday, February 4th, 2011 at 21:01 and is filed under Alyson, Easy A, Hellcats, Interviews, Music, New Album, Projects, The Roommate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.