Emma Roberts on Acting, Fashion and Why She Left College

Wonderwall, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 2:37pm (PDT)

By Chris Gardner

• Who needs college when you can still have spring break, right? Just ask Emma Roberts. The busy actress, who postponed her studies at New York's Sarah Lawrence College, may be skipping the whole dorm room and midterm thing this semester, but she's still about to jet off on vacation with a gaggle of pals like so many college co-eds do mid-March.

  Wonderwall caught up with Roberts on Tuesday during a sunny, patio-set luncheon at Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., where she was helping designer Tracy Reese and winemaker Clos du Bois celebrate the pair's debut of a new line of designer picnic baskets called Clos du Bois Chic Picnique by Tracy Reese. She discussed her upcoming vacation, her decision to leave college, and why she's so obsessed with fashion.

  Wonderwall: How rare is it for you to have lunch by the beach on a weekday?

  Roberts: It's so nice! I've been wanting to come down by the beach this whole week, and I just haven't had time, so I was like 'Oh, an excuse to go? Yes, I'm there!'

  WW: Are you happy with your decision to postpone your studies at Sarah Lawrence?

  ER: I'm really happy. I loved being in school and I hope that I can continue to take classes [someday], but it was really hard being there all the time. I was living in a dorm, and I just missed working, so I needed more time to focus on it.

  WW: I saw the photo you recently posted of yourself in a cap and gown on Instagram.

  ER: Oh, that was from a movie! Everyone took it really seriously and I was like, 'Obviously that's not real!'

  WW: Did wearing the ensemble make you think about your decision to leave college?

  ER: No, actually! (laughs) It was for a role opposite John Cusack in a movie called "Adult World" and it was literally a one-second scene where I had that outfit on and I thought it would be funny to take a picture.

  WW: How was it to work with John Cusack?

  ER: It was so fun. It's this really cool indie comedy about a girl who wants to be a poet, and she's obsessed with this old washed-up poet played by John Cusack, and she kind of wants him to take her under his wing and mentor her. In the meantime, she works in a porn shop, so it's a very quirky movie.

• WW: Do have your next project lined up?

  ER: I'm signed on to "Empire State" which I just attached to, which is a really cool heist movie set in the '80s with Liam Hemsworth, so I'm excited about that. I start shooting in May.

  WW: How are you balancing your personal life with work? Do you have any downtime at all?

  ER: Yeah, I've been traveling. I'm going on vacation tomorrow. I haven't been on vacation in forever! So that will be fun, and then I'm going to New York and then I'm coming back here. So I am going to be traveling and having some fun time, as well as work!

  WW: Is it rare for you to be able to take a real vacation?

  ER: I haven't been on a vacation in years -- I can't remember the last time I was on vacation!

  WW: Where are you going?

  ER: Oh, I don't know where I'm going! I'm just getting on a plane with my friends.

  WW: Oh really? How do you do that? Just show up to the airport and buy a ticket?

  ER: We're just gonna… (pauses) I can't tell you where I am going because I genuinely don't know.

  WW: Let's talk about something you do know about: fashion. What excites you the most about fashion?

  ER: I am obsessed with fashion. It's just so fun to get dressed up and do your hair and makeup and go out and feel confident and fun. It's a way to express your personality. I love reading all the fashion magazines. My favorite thing to do at the airport is to get all the magazines, European and American, and sit on the plane and read all of them.

  WW: You'll have some time for that on your trip! Aside from work and vacation, anything else you're excited to do this spring or summer?

  ER: I just want to make more movies to be honest, and then spend some time with my family and my friends. And hopefully spend some time at the beach! I really need a tan.