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When was the last time you auditioned? Do you still go for screen tests or do you get sent scripts and be able to pick and choose what you want to appear in? Hannah

I get sent scripts and pick and choose, although there was a movie that I really wanted to do about a year ago that you wouldn't have expected me to be in. I went in and auditioned for it and it didn't work out. Sorry, I can't name the film.

Was there any other job besides acting that you have always wanted to do? Fatima

Yeah, I wanted to be a painter. I like the visual arts.

You've said you love painting in your free time. Who are your favourite painters? Laetitia

Favourite painters - it's almost impossible to answer. I really like Van Gogh and of course I love Picasso and Matisse and all those people, but also Modigliani, Jean Miro and I don't know... Those who are now considered the classic modern artists like this guy Boetti - this Italian guy. I also like a lot of what they call "poor art", or art from Third World countries that doesn't take anything but the very least of means, you know? I like all sorts of artists.

How do you go about resolving creative differences you may have with a director - or actor - during a scene? Sofia

Usually thumb wars [laughs]. No, seriously, you just discuss it. You try and find a way to make everybody happy, and if that's not possible then it's the director's call. I mean, it's the director's medium so the director should have the final say.

What's your opinion on actors having cast or director approval? Elena

Well I think... hmm, it's a good thing [laughs].

What has been your favourite movie role so far, and why? Laura

This movie I just finished called Mozart And The Whale. I got to play this character who's autistic - he has Asperger's syndrome. It's my favourite because it was really challenging and rewarding. You know, when you get to be a part of a world that you otherwise wouldn't have the chance to learn about, it's rewarding. I spent a lot of time with people who suffer with the syndrome.

How much do you see your role in Mozart And The Whale as a responsibility to a community of under-represented people? Kate

I see it as a huge responsibility, but at the same time I only have a responsibility to the character that I'm playing. You cannot play a syndrome, and anyone who thinks you can is sorely mistaken. You play a character and if you know anything about autism, it's that it's a spectrum disorder and there are as many types of people with autism as there are people without. I just had to be true to the character that I was playing, especially because it's real life. It's based on a true story about a real guy, and I had to make sure that I was diagnosable, you know? I had to make sure I didn't deviate from what is considered Asperger's. But yes, it's a huge responsibility.

What would you say to people who reckon you're trying to pull a Rain Man and bag an Oscar for Mozart And The Whale? Jenny

It's nothing like that. It's written by the same guy who wrote Rain Man, but that's because the guy who it's about wrote to Ron Bass saying how much Rain Man meant to him and how, when he saw it, it changed his life because he didn't know he had autism - he thought he was just eccentric. His life was tearing him apart because he couldn't understand why he couldn't relate to someone and he was angry and feeling like he wasn't going to make it much longer. Then when he saw Rain Man it struck a chord with him and he went to a doctor and got diagnosed. Anyway, if people want to say that I'm doing this just to get some sort of award out of the deal, then that's a very, very... quite a cynical view. I already got out of it everything that I wanted to get out of it and I met some of the coolest people that I know through making that film. So whatever.

You've said you want to move away from the heartthrob image. How do you intend to do that? Kate

I don't know if I really said that. If I did, I must have been tired [laughs]. That's not something specifically that I think about. What I always wanted to do was play good roles and different types of roles - I wanted to be a character actor, you know? A lot of people in Hollywood get caught up in playing the same thing over and over again. That's a good way to make a ton of money and become very famous because people tend to like certain actors who feel familiar - someone they can rely on to be portrayed in a certain light. But that's not why I got into acting or into anything that I do. People that I respect are always innovative, and so I try to be innovative.

If you could give advice to all of us who want to make it big in Hollywood, what would it be? Hibba

Keep your head on straight. Be honest with yourself about what you're getting into because it's a really difficult business to break into - don't expect it to happen overnight. But if you really, really, really want it, if it's the only thing you want to do and you must do it, then do it. Go for it. Take the time and put in all the effort you can and focus on the acting first. I mean, it doesn't always work like that, you know what I mean? Certain people out in Hollywood can't act worth a damn but they're very successful because they're just either lucky or have been pushed along by the right people. But you can't count on that happening, so you just have to be yourself and do the work. Most of all, don't let other people tell you what to do. Do it your own way.

Which director would you most like to work with? Anita

I'm going to work with Brian De Palma [on Black Dahlia], so I'm looking forward to that, and also Bruce Robinson [replacing Benicio Del Toro as director of The Rum Diary]. Out of the giant pool of directors out there in the world, I'd love to work with [Rushmore helmer] Wes Anderson.

A lot of actors are expressing their political standpoint on the coming US Presidential election. Are you likely to be making your views known? And do you think it's entirely ethical that someone like yourself could influence young voters? Jocasta

It's entirely ethical because any person with an opinion is allowed to speak. That's the point of democracy. If a person who has influence in a certain realm wasn't allowed to say what they wanted to say, then they are literally taken out of the system of democracy. Our freedom of speech is very necessary. Everybody who's interested knows my views - I'm pretty far left wing. My point about this is that, they're my views and I'm not trying to influence people to vote in any particular way. What I want people to do is look at the issues for themselves and see how each candidate's political agenda would affect their lives. I want people to make their own decisions.

What would be the perfect film role for you? Hannah

I always wanted to play Bob Dylan, just because I love Bob Dylan.

What do you love about acting? Jason

To be able to get outside of myself and just to think about someone else's problems and someone else's life for a change.

Do you feel a lot of pressure being so famous so young? Sharon

I do sometimes but I try not to let it eat me up, you know? I stay away from a lot of the stuff that young actors usually feed off - you know, they try and make a stir with who they date and who they spend their time with, and where they go, and what they're wearing and stuff. I don't live in LA. I live in Minnesota and New York, and my friends aren't famous - they're writers, and musicians, and painters, and schoolteachers and just normal people. I'm surrounded by good people, great people, and I have a great life, so I don't feel the pressure as much as those actors who are basing their entire life on the Hollywood scene.

Have you ever worked on a film that changed your outlook on life? Rini

I think that Mozart And The Whale did. I know that Black Hawk Down did. Spending five months in Morocco in this slum outside of Rabat called Sidi Moussa - that changed my life and my perspective completely. But I have to say that each movie has changed my life for a different reason, but those two are probably the most influential.

How do you deal with criticism? Jason

Well I try not to read the critics. I made the mistake of reading a review of one of my films recently and the guy obviously didn't like me much. I've also made the mistake of reading reviews that are overly flattering and you lose track of what you believe. It's like, "Really? Was I that good? But I know I didn't do this, or think of that, so how could it be that good? Or how could it be that bad?" Of course it's always just one person's opinion but a lot of time critics are driven by emotion and really have no criteria for their criticism - instead they're just going by what they're feeling on any given day. I don't know what to say about critics except that there's obviously a need for them. The problem is they have so much influence.

Now see Josh's thoughts on working on Wicker Park: read the interview here.