You’re starring as Stacey Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim’s sister, in the new movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. The film is based on a graphic novel, were you a fan of that?

I was sent the graphic novel in preparation [for the movie], but I was a fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (also directed by Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright). So I knew from reading the novel and knowing that it was in Edgar’s hands that it was going to be something special.

And what did you love about Shaun of the Dead?

Well, I was initially hooked on [action comedy] Hot Fuzz…I’m more of an action girl than a horror fan so I just felt like the film was just this amazing love letter to action.

Do you tend to always look at the original source material?

Definitely. I think with Scott Pilgrim probably more so, because Natalie (character played by Kendrick) was actually not in the book Up in the Air, and Jessica in the Twilight series is a little bit more bitchy and a little less awkward in the book, and I have a fun time playing her as a little more desperate and awkward than she is on the page. But with Stacey, I actually got to meet Brian Lee O’Malley’s [creator of Scott Pilgrim] sister (on whom the character was based).

Is Scott Pilgrim an unusual leading man?

Yeah. Scott Pilgrim actually has some kind of cocky, pretty-boy qualities that can be annoying. But Michael Cera is one of the most likable actors [in the industry] and he just brings a kind of lovability to the character who is sort of dating two girls at once and you want to be able to forgive him. I think Michael has got that inherent charm that allows you to root for him.

You started in the industry at a young age. What initially got you interested in acting?

I really kind of started getting into film when I was twelve, when I was doing a show on Broadway. I was living with my dad at that point and he showed me a bunch of classic films and we watched Casablanca and The African Queen and North by Northwest and The Women, which is also my favourite film. And I don’t know if that affected me in terms of acting, but it definitely made me fall in love with films. But I guess when you start acting at five you don’t really know where it comes from!

What’s been the most surreal moment of the past 18 months?

I talked to Helen Mirren for a while at an after party and that really freaked me out. I felt like I had to say something really profound to her or tell her what a credit she is to the craft, and I ended up just talking about how much my shoes hurt and she told me that’s why she was wearing flats that day.