After watching Emily Barclaystrut and pout her waythrough her new filmSuburban Mayhem withthick eye make-up, slutty outfitsand a sociopathic personality, it's arelief to hear the Kiwi actor sounding sowell-adjusted. Particularly since she hasrecently moved to the home of neurosis,Los Angeles.

There's a long pause while her UnitedStates agent puts the call through, thenthe 22 year old's relaxed baby-doll voicecomes on the line and she cheerfullyadmits that this interview had slipped hermind.

It's a hot, languid, spring afternoon inLA, and she's at her West Hollywoodhome with her flatmates, one of whominterrupts the conversation to ask if heshould put Emily's clothes in the dryer.

"I'm having a lot of fun, it feels likebeing at home," she says. "I have a lifehere and it's not like I'm over here just sittingaround all day stressing out aboutgetting a job. LA is such a strange city andit can be a really tough city if you don'thave people and stuff to do to take yourmind off the fact that you're one of a millionpeople in this city trying to get a job."

But Barclay, who made her name andwon a British film award for playingtroubled tomboy Celia in the 2004 Kiwifilm In My Father's Den, is not just oneof a crowd of wannabe actors.

Her performanceas 19-year-old self-obsessedsex vixen Katrina Skinner in the PaulGoldman-directed Suburban Mayhem, isa stunning career turn. She snorts speed,swigs bourbon and does burn-outs in fastcars like she was born to.

The challengingrole won her an Australian Film Instituteaward for best lead actress against toughcompetition from Australian actor AbbieCornish and experienced American actressLaura Linney. She has since signedwith Hollywood's United Talent Agency,which represents big-name actors includingJohnny Depp and Owen Wilson.

When Barclay explains what attractedher to playing bogan femme fataleKatrina, it's clear that the characterappealed, at least partly, for being polesapart from Celia.

"I was drawn to her because she's sucha completely lawless character. She doeswhat she wants, when she wants, and hasno regard for the consequences of heractions. I knew it would be a lot of funplaying a character like that and itwould be the complete opposite of InMy Father's Den and Celia."

Initially, she doubted her ability toplay such a dark, warped personality."But once I got over my initial fear itwas really liberating in many ways. Justplaying a character like that and beingable to just let yourself go and do whatyou want and be a horrible person wasquite fun for a while."

It was Katrina's vampish sexuality thatintimidated Barclay, who insists she is"quite possibly the least sexy person onthe face of the earth", despite beingnamed last month in a FHM magazinepoll as one of New Zealand's top 10 "sexiestbabes".

"I'm the furthest thing from a sex goddess.I have no idea how that happened;my friends give me somuch grief for it.I don't thinkpeople findme attractive, I think they find Katrinaattractive. I'm still completely uselesswith relationships and guys, so it hasn'tmade much difference. God, I'm positivearen't I", she says in her rapid stream-of consciousnesschat.

The confronting nude sex scene in thefilm was a major hurdle for the youngactor. She came close to bottling out anddeciding to cover up her top half after"freaking out" in the make-up trailer justbefore filming started. "Then I went, youknow, Katrina has no problem with herbody or the way she looks, she isn't inthe least shy about anything, and Ijust had to approach it from thatangle and do it. No holds barred,because that's how she would'vedone it.

"We shot that scene for a wholeday and that's the first time inmy life where I've been actingand I have thought, 'Okaythis has stopped beingfun and become work'.Because it's horrible.It's not fun doingthose scenes."

Barclay inhabitsthe acting roles shetakes on, and she had tofind ways to empathisewith Katrina, whocomes across as cruel,amoral and an uncaringmother to her toddler Bailee.

"I got to the point where I believed thatshe was a good person and she was doingthe right thing, which was ridiculous. Iwatch the film now and I loathe her."

Barclay seems unaffected by successand her long, drifting sentences are punctuatedby teenager-ish self-deprecatingcomments such as, "God, I'm the mostinarticulate person in the world!"

Her impressive forthcoming film projectsare mentioned almost as an after thought,showing a very Kiwi reticenceabout talking up her achievements. She issigned to play Anne Bronte in the Britishfilm Bronte with Brokeback Mountainstar Michelle Williams in the lead role ofCharlotte Bronte.

In July she will return to Australia tostart work on a new film by Idiot Box andDirty Deeds director David Caesar.In the meantime, Barclay will keepgoing to auditions a few times a week,mainly for small, independent films. Shehas realised that America is "a whole differentworld" and a tough market to breakinto as an outsider. "It's all about Americaand Americans and if you're not fromthis country it's really hard".

But Hollywood blockbusters aren't onher agenda and she is determined to hangon to her integrity. "I only want to do stuffthat I love and that might mean that Inever get another job in my life. But Iwould rather it was like that than I wasjust making a film to make money or justfor the hell of it."

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