BH Interview: 'Project X' Star Says Actors at Disadvantage in Found Footage Films

When actress Kirby Bliss Blanton auditioned for the new film “Project X” her acting resume actually worked against her.

The film’s producers wanted unknowns for the key roles in the “found footage” comedy to enhance its docu-reality feel.

Twelve auditions later, and Blanton was cast as the woman the film’s hero pines for in the midst of the wildest party … ever.

“Project X” follows three high school students who decide to throw a party to improve their social standing. Little do they suspect their modest plan would evolve into the kind of inebriated free-for-all every parent fears.

Blanton, who previously appeared on “Entourage” and “Hannah Montana,” says the producers were looking for performers who weren’t “trying to overact.”

“Actors … we’re so used to doing this that you can tell when we try,” Blanton tells Big Hollywood. The auditions involved plenty of tomfoolery with other potential “Project X” castmates.

“Whoever made them laugh, that’s how they cut us down,” she recalls.

The set had plenty of good teen vibrations, but the tone changed when producer Todd Phillips, the director of such R-rated comedies as “The Hangover” and “Old School,” appeared.

“He’s got this aura about him,” she says. “Todd knows so much about these films. When he was around everyone just shut up and listened.”

Blanton didn’t always see eye-to-eye with the fashion choices made for her during the production – “most of the producers on the film are men” she says with a smile. But she didn’t have to swallow hard while reciting the dialogue.

“These guys have a good idea of our generation and what we sound like,” she says.

“Project X” earned a hearty $21 million during its opening weekend, and Blanton understands why. Found footage movies speak to today’s movie goers in a way traditional films often can’t.

“It’s like a club,” she says. “You’re watching these people and feeling like you’re a part of their lives.”