Britt Robertson On Her Rise To Fame, How ‘Life Unexpected’ Prepared Her For ‘Tomorrowland’

Remember this name: Britt Robertson. You might have seen her in now-defunct television shows such as the CW’s “Life Unexpected” and “The Secret Circle” and CBS’ “Under the Dome,” but in recent months, the 25-year-old North Carolina native has skyrocketed to movie star status. Her latest film, “The Longest Ride,” premiered in April, and now ahead of the blockbuster summer season comes her second film of 2015, “Tomorrowland,” alongside Oscar winner George Clooney.

During a press conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas last month for CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, Robertson, there to accept her win for CinemaCon’s 2015 Big Screen Achievement Awards' 2015 Star of Tomorrow, revealed her thoughts on fame, her plans for her career and how working in television prepared her for the big screen.

After several years in television, Robertson landed a role in a feature film alongside comedic actor Steve Carell in 2007. In “Dan in Real Life,” she played a teenager who wanted nothing to do with her widowed father (Carell). In reality, the actress said, she was afraid to even look at her co-star. “I couldn’t even speak and it was awful because it was my job!” Robertson said of the experience, describing herself as utterly “star-struck.”

Despite her initial trepidation about working alongside some of the biggest names in show business, Robertson, who has since worked with Jennifer Aniston (“Cake”) and Vince Vaughn (“Delivery Man”), is now more comfortable with stardom. “Now, it’s much easier because I’ve been doing it longer,” she said. “It’s become a part of my life.”

While the world of celebrity may now be familiar territory, Robertson said that hasn't been what's boosted her career in recent years. She claims it was her work on small network shows that really helped her prepare for the big time. “It is a lot of pressure… It can be hard when you are sort of the forefront of big movies,” she said. “I’m just doing the best that I can and hopefully respond to that. I think ‘Life Unexpected’ and shows like that prepared me for this, so I’m really lucky in that way.”

And while her work – and her personal life, she is currently dating “Teen Wolf” and “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” star Dylan O’Brien – have recently resulted in increased recongition, Robertson said her ultimate goal is not to be famous but to tell stories. "My expectations are pretty much the same. They haven’t really changed. I just want to do movies that I’m proud of… You can’t really expect too much.”

Despite her openness about her dreams and aspirations, Robertson shut down when it came time to dish about her role in Disney’s “Tomorrowland," which hit theaters Friday. (She kept quiet because she said she “couldn’t afford” to be in a lawsuit with the Mouse House.) In the film, Robertson stars as Casey Newton, a teenager who travels to the future, with the help of a special pin, alongside Clooney’s character Frank, a Tomorrowland exile. “There are definitely some moments in ‘Tomorrowland’ got that me choked up,” Robertson teased of the feature, revealing one script read left her “sobbing.”

While specific plot points may have been off-limits for Disney’s newest leading lady, she didn’t mind talking about the film’s noticeably expansive use of CGI. “That was tricky because it was new to me,” she said of the feature’s critically acclaimed visual effects. While Robertson’s short-lived role on “Under the Dome” had given her some knowledge of CGI, she said “Tomorrowland” was a completely different arena of movie magic.

“I had a little bit of knowledge, but that scale is just beyond my mind. I can’t even conceptualize the movie idea. It was just a learning experience," she said. "I’m still just as confused as I was when I started the movie, but now that I’ve seen the movie it’s a little easier to understand.”

With two big-screen features already under her belt for 2015, you might think Robertson would want to take a break, but the blonde beauty is just getting started. While Robertson admitted she isn’t crazy about the idea of playing a superhero (she feels more comfortable playing "average-person parts") een though the genre has been hot in recent years, she did reveal a forthcoming project with Eddie Murphy called “Cook.”

No matter what the future brings for Robertson, she said she is going to enjoy the ride. “I’m a 25-year-old woman and I’m trying to figure out who I am and being thrown out into this world. It’s little intimating, but I’m finding my way and hopefully just everything else stays the same.” As for any mistakes she may make along the way, she says she just hopes they’ll be "charming."