There are a couple of makeout scenes in this film, with Macy and with the girl who plays your lover. Did you know Macy and the other actress before? What's that like, in general, kissing someone you don't know very well?

I hadn't met either one of them before. What can I say? It's always a strange experience, whether they're male or female. You're kissing someone in front of 60 crew members. (Laughs) It's not intimate at all. But I don't get too nervous anymore. I used to, but now, as long as I'm feeling the characters, I just do it and get it done. You feel better if you don't think about it too much.

There were moments during this film where it seemed as if things were building to a nude scene, and then it didn't happen. Do you have a policy on doing nude scenes and was that an issue in this film?

It wasn't really an issue on this film. I told the director, Henry Bromell, how far we should go. But Henry didn't have any expectations and didn't feel the need for any kind of nudity in the film. It wasn't about that.

I don't have any strict rules on nudity. I haven't really done a nude scene. If I think it's for the art of the film or cinematically it's going to make it beautiful or if the character's so incredibly free that it's going to be necessary to see that, then maybe I would do it. But if it's only for box office draw, or titillation, then I wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

Is that something you get all the time, the request to disrobe for a film?

Sure, I think all female actors do. Fortunately, I'm in a place in my career where my name means something to the film, so I'm able to say, "Well, I'm going to do your film, but I'm not going to take my clothes off." For actors in the beginning of their careers, it's harder for them to do that.

By contrast, though, you have done same-sex love scenes, like in this film and "Wild Things."

It doesn't scare me that much because once you get into a character and you're in their psyche, you're them. It's also the times. Since "Wild Things" came out, people have seen that that sort of relationship is exciting to audiences, and they've started putting it in other scripts. Luckily with this, that's not what it's about. It's about this character who was experimenting. But there are a lot of female-female relationships in scripts at the moment. I think it's OK. It's at least opening the door for people to be more understanding toward others who may be bisexual or homosexual.

Will there be a "Scream 4"?

If there is, I won't be part of it. I think Sidney would be in an insane asylum by now if she were in another movie. In "Scream 3," I did like the fact that she had taken her life and turned it to counseling others who go through problems. But as an actor, you want to play different roles, and I really don't want to be typecast as Sidney, which I'm already struggling with a bit in the industry.

Do you consider yourself to be a big risk taker?

In my career, yeah. I've never been afraid to leave something when I feel it's time to leave, even if it was a really secure situation, like "Party of Five." Even when I got a role in "Phantom of the Opera" in Toronto when I was 15, all the other performers were like, "Neve, you gotta realize that this could be the biggest thing you ever do." They were right. It could have been. For them to get that project after years of just doing off-Broadway was a really big deal. But I felt there was going to be more. So I chose to leave after two years, while most of the cast stayed on. It's just knowing when to jump.

Most folks think good-looking women have it made. Are there any pitfalls to being a "beautiful woman" in Hollywood?

The hurdle for an attractive woman is being taken seriously. Being judged on your talent rather than your looks. I've always felt like more of a character actor. I'm drawn to those roles. And I've had certain circumstances where my looks have worked against me. Then it's a matter of convincing the director that you can change your look. In "Wild Things," she's a punker-girl. I had to convince the director John McNaughton that I could do that. I think he was looking for someone who looked more like the character. So it's proving that your talent will get beyond that.

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