We just met with gorgeous young Aussie actress Teresa Palmer, who gets to help save the world, even without magic or superpowers, in the new movie The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Teresa is totally moving on from her breakthrough role a few years back as Daniel Radcliffe's beachside "fling" in the indie film December Boys.
Teresa PalmerCourtesy of Lynn Barker
On a break from shooting the sci-fi flick I Am Number Four, Teresa sat down with Kidzworld in Beverly Hills to chat about dating nerds, getting advice from Dan Radcliffe, doing stunts and hanging out on the Sorcerer's set with costar Jay Baruchel.
Kidzworld: We gather from something you said earlier that you are really homesick. Why is it so bad for you right now?
- Teresa: I just miss my family. I haven't seen them for six months. I miss my mom especially. She looks after my Nana who is like 91, so mom can't come here.
Kidzworld: Awww, well, you'll get a break in work and go visit her soon we hope. You knew Jay from working on Justice League of America. Did you guys hang out off the Sorcerer's set?
- Teresa: I would go hang out at his house and he would have pizza everywhere and candy and he ate really unhealthily and plays video games. We're so different (she laughs). Then he'd come over to my house and I'd have my books and my scripts and I had my little dog there. We spent a lot of time together outside of the movie as well which was great. It's so nice to have a friend on set, too.
Kidzworld: Would you date a so-called nerd like Jay's character Dave in the movie?
- Teresa: I feel like the certain 'nerds' that I've met are endearing. Most boys have got such egos and they want to be the cool guy or the "footie" (football) guy or the jock. That's not appealing to me at all. What's appealing to me is someone who loves who they are and if they are dorky and into physics or math, so be it. That is the most refreshing thing.
Kidzworld: If you're a dork, own it!
- Teresa: Exactly!
Kidzworld: You are the female lead of this movie and your character Becky is smart and strong. Did you feel a responsibility to set a good example for girls?
- Teresa: I definitely always feel a responsibility because I know that young girls and teens will be looking at my character and saying 'What will Becky do in this situation?' She was written in the script originally as being very standoffish with Dave (Jay's character) at the start and I wanted to be true to that but show that she has vulnerabilities and insecurities too.
Kidzworld: And she is kind and open to Dave's attraction to her.
- Teresa: Yeah. There is something about Dave that touches her heart. That's important because a lot of girls these days have a very particular idea about the sort of guys they go for. I don't really think that's healthy. Women should be open to dating all types of different guys. Had she not been open to it, she would not have been in this relationship with Dave and never fallen in love like that.
Kidzworld: Or gotten to fly to Paris on an iron eagle! (you'll understand when you see the movie).
- Teresa: Yes! Exactly.
Kidzworld: You had instant popularity after working with Dan Radcliffe on December Boys. Was that a career booster or were fans just mad at you for "hooking up" with Harry Potter?
- Teresa: (laughs) I still get asked questions about it but, December Boys was a pivotal point in my career. It opened up a lot of doors because of the exposure that came with Daniel Radcliffe being attached to the film. Daniel was like 'Get ready. It's gonna get worse from now on in. The girls will probably hate you but it's funny. You just have to laugh it off, and I did. I know there were a lot of people upset out there because I was kissing their Harry.
Kidzworld: Growing up way down under, were you familiar with Fantasia and the magical mop scene with Mickey Mouse that is recreated here with Jay as the apprentice?
- Teresa: Of course, yeah. I loved [kwlink ]Fantasia[/kwlink]. Especially I remember the music. It really stuck with me. I was really happy to see that they kept the classical music in the film and sort of made the modern version of it. It's a special, iconic scene and I'm almost in it. I'm standing at the door trying to get in!
Kidzworld: Did you enjoy taking on an action role.. or at least climbing a tower and running and saving the day along with the sorcerers?
- Teresa: I love being physically challenged in a role and especially in this movie. I felt like 'Oh, the boys get to do all this cool stuff. When does Becky get to do the cool fun stuff?' Then I got told I got to do that scene and had a stunt double for me that day but I was like 'No! Let me do it. Please let me do it! I don't have a magical power but I want to be able to climb up something and save the world'. And she does.
Lynn Barker, an editor and entertainment journalist for several websites, magazines and newspapers, has been active in the entertainment industry for many years.
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