MAIKA MONROE

When I was living in the Dominican Republic, the local kids became a part of my family.

Acting is such a crazy industry, but kite boarding keeps me grounded.

I started kite boarding when I was 13. My dad was a kite boarder, and I begged him to teach me until he finally agreed. He made me wait because it can be dangerous.

My goal is to continue to act and still be a professional kiteboarder.

I'm working on a movie called 'Labor Day' with Kate Winslet while still balancing kite boarding. Being an actress and an athlete is a challenge, but I'm excited to see what happens.

I've seen so many scripts, and I want to do everything. Like with kiteboarding, you have to be fearless. I'm not scared.

With kiting, you have to land a trick, and in that instant you know whether you won or lost - I knew I could become the best in the world if I trained. But with acting, there are different variations; there's not a right or wrong way. It's so hard because it's so out of your hands. I have no idea what's going to happen!

Signing up for 'It Follows,' I didn't have any idea it was going to turn out the way it did, but seeing it, the music and the feel of it definitely was pretty amazing, getting that kind of throwback feel to classic horror movies.

I grew up watching horror movies with my dad. For as long as I can remember. I grew up loving being terrified. 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' at sleepovers. Hiding behind my fingers.

I love horror movies. It's so fun being absolutely terrified. It's damn hard to shoot, though. I didn't realize how difficult it was to make a horror movie as an actor. Physically and mentally, phew.

My dad took me to see James Brown live, and that's so cool, cause I don't think many people my age can say they saw James Brown. I'm pretty proud of that. That's the thing about me that no one really knows. I had to have been 6 or 7, but I remember it vividly.

Before acting took off, I was a professional kiteboarder training for the world circuit; with a sporting activity, you have to be determined, and it taught me to have a thick skin, which came in use after going to so many auditions and being told 'no.'

It's awesome when people respond to your movie and love it.

You learn so much on set; I don't know if you learn as much anywhere else as you do when you're on set, working.

I went from living in the Dominican Republic - every day, my mom and I would cook, or we'd go hang out with the kids - to flying a private jet to Chicago with Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid. People had champagne, and they were going to these amazing restaurants. It was a culture shock. It's important, I think, to have that. To see both sides.

It goes without saying that it's important to vote.

Cheerleader roles are really not my thing. I want things that are weird or not typical.

I guess becoming an adult and learning how to survive on your own is exciting.

I'm a huge fan of the first 'Independence Day.' It is amazing. When it came out in 1995, just how explosive and big it was... I loved it.

When you watch a film, a huge part of it is the music and the coloring and everything that comes together to create such a unique film. So, reading the script, I had no idea what it was gonna be.

At about 17, I decided I wanted to take kiteboarding seriously and compete, so my agents were like, 'Just keep sending in a few audition tapes anyway, just for good stuff.'

I've never experienced complete terror, knock on wood, or running for my life or any of that.

There is something so fun about scaring yourself.

For me, I grew up doing kiteboarding where no girls are doing it, and you had to prove yourself. You just had to know that you could do it, too. It's the mentality you had to have to make it. I work hard like anyone else.

My dad showed me loads of films when I was young, but I never thought I would be in movies. That didn't seem like a real job to me.