SM: Who is your Team Christy?
Christy Carlson Romano: It’s mostly my family. I dedicated my book to them because they are the ones that are there at the end of the day. I was sitting in bed last night realizing I can’t do this alone. There are times when I don’t think about the stuff that I’ve accomplished, but about the stuff that I have to accomplish in order to be up there with girls like Scarlett [Johansson]. There’s a lot of pressure.

SM: Your accomplishments are amazing—you’re 22 years old—and you’re comparing yourself to other people. Will you ever reach your goal?
Christy Carlson Romano: That’s what I’m working on in my acting class. They teach you how to have a positive outlook because it’s such a negative industry. You have to have a positive attitude because if you don’t, you’re never going to go anywhere. I struggle with that, I know that much. But there’s nothing you can do at the end of the day but be talented and have confidence in the fact that you’ve gotten this far. What I’ve been taught through the Disney experience is that once you find out what you’re about, you make that a brand and something you can sell and mass produce. There’s going to be some huge changes in terms of how I approach work and projects. My fans have grown up with me, so they expect something different and new to excite them.

SM: So you’re opening a new door.
Christy Carlson Romano: Yeah and I was so scared for such a long time, but it’s actually been a good journey. My manager just told me, “Just so you know, we have a couple of scripts that Anna Paquin and Natalie Portman passed on and you’re going to start going on these auditions.” It’s intimidating, but I’m welcoming the challenge. It’s a different level and when you’re on this playing field you have to buckle down and not think about guys. You can’t be weighed down by distractions, you have to be all about your career.