Starlet follows in aunt Julia's footsteps

Julia Roberts has been Hollywood royalty for a long time but it looks like she may be passing her crown to the next in line.

Julia's 16-year-old niece Emma Roberts - who not only shares the Pretty Woman's surname but also her dazzling smile - has launched into the movie world with her British film debut.

Emma has landed the starring role in Wild Child, the latest film from Working Title, the company behind Four Weddings And A Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill.

She plays a rebellious American teenager whose despairing dad packs her off to a strict all-girls boarding school in Britain.

Emma explained: "It's about a spoiled Malibu princess who gets shipped off to boarding school in England. She's the only American girl at this boarding school and everyone's just giving her a hard time and she's giving everyone a hard time, and it's really fun."

The flick is being filmed in Haworth, West Yorkshire and co-stars Shaun of the Dead actor Nick Frost.

Emma is the daughter of Julia's brother, Eric, and has been acting since the age of ten.

It looks like Emma is already used to the luxurious lifestyle of a star as her Oscar-winning auntie often took her on to the sets of her films.

"I just always liked acting and it seemed really, really fun.

"I liked going to movie sets with my aunt Julia. I started doing that when I was younger and I would just sit there and watch everyone do their job. I would run around and see how everything was done."

Young Roberts is set to play teen sleuth Nancy Drew later on this year whilst Wild Child will hit the big screen in 2008.

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