A little hocus pocus can create a little magic that can last youinto early adulthood.

Or at least that is the case with actress Thora Birch, whoco-starred with Bette Midler in 1993’s Hocus Pocusabout the power of magic.

The 21-year-old Los Angeles native is best known for her role asKevin Spacey and Annette Bening’s misfit daughter in2000’s Academy Award winning American Beauty.

She was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for best leadactress in a mini-series or a movie for her role in Homeless toHarvard about the real life of Liz Murray, who went from livingon the streets of New York to graduating at the top of her highschool class and winning a scholarship to attend college fromThe New York Times.

The Melrose Hotel in Dallas was a welcome refuge from the heatof this summer’s heat wave for our interview.

Birch is in town to promote the 5th annual Deep Ellum FilmFestival, which collaborates with the Santa Monica Film Festivaland Cinema Fighting Cancer that directly funds patients by helpingthem pay off medical bills.

A combination of box office magic and a passion for her work arewhat have kept this young actress in the spotlight and on the bigscreen.

She sat down with The Daily Campus to dish the scoop onwhat it’s like being a part of young Hollywood.

DC: What CD is in your car right now?

Radiohead and 50 Cent

DC: What’s it like to be in that crowd oftwenty-somethings who have already made it?

I think if you spend a lot of time analyzing it and thinkingabout it, it wouldn’t seem that… the pressure wouldseem more than it really it is.

Because you’re young, even if I was doing anything else, Ithink the rest of the world would look at me and sort of say,‘Hey you’re really young. You’re pretty raw rightnow. You gotta ripen up a little bit. What are you going to showthe world?’ It’s mostly about paying attention to whatyou plan to do tomorrow, because you have a lot of them.Hopefully.

DC: You graduated from high school with honors, are youplanning on going to college?

Maybe eventually in the future. I think education is a personalresponsibility after a certain point.

DC: What do you do for fun?

I read, and I love movies, music and traveling. I also have alittle brother, and he keeps me in tune with that generation justunder me. He keeps me down, but he keeps me up too.

DC: You ever do the spring break thing?

I wanted to go to the one in Germany where they have the balmgarden. It’s like Mardis Gras but times 10 with a musicfestival.

DC: You have your own production company. What gave you theidea to start your own production company?

I think you reach a certain point as an actor where you realizethat maybe the filmmakers are looking at you saying like why wouldyou question our choice of editor, why would you question ourchoice of this—because you’re just an actor playingthis one part, not that they would say.

As a producer you’re more in on the ground level as far asbeing able to speak about the film on a more tonal level instead ofjust how I relate to the one character.

You’re more involved with the story and story telling andcreating the tone.

DC: Who is the coolest person you have met inside or outsidethe entertainment industry?

I’ve been really lucky. I’ve met a lot of reallycool people. In terms of historically speaking, Muhammad Ali. Heworks with an organization that I work with that works with thementally handicapped. It was pretty amazing.

The 5th annual Deep Ellum Film Festival takes place from Oct. 22- 30. For more information go to www.def2.org or call them at (214)752-6759.�