Q:  What sort of films would you, as you get older and you do get to make more of your own choices, what sort of films would you like to do, what sort of roles would you like to stay away from?
A:  Well I don't want to do any Victoria's Secret commercials.  [ laughter, applause ] Um, I think, just anything, really, that's worthwhile. I want to do stuff that kids can watch, but sometimes I think it's a good thing that kids can't watch stuff, because there's stuff that's made for adults, and there's stuff that's made for children. I mean, I want to be in adult films, when I get to be an adult, because I don't want to be in Barney videos, you know.  I can be in kid movies and I love kid movies because they usually have really good morals.

Q:  If you could pick one or two actresses to model your career after, if you had to pick a career path of type of movies you wanted to do, who would those actresses be?
A:  I'd like to do, uh, be with Nicole Kidman, she's my role model, and Meryl Streep.

Q:  You obviously have a different kind of life, but the whole moving from one community to the next is a very real thing, not just for preachers’ kids, but for a whole bunch of other kids. What would you say to kids who feel lonely and isolated?  Do you have any kind of advice to kids your age about how to cope? 
A:  I think you should, um, don't be afraid of other kids, because some of them are kind of mean, but if you really try to love them and be kind to them, they'll be nice to you, like Opal was to the Dewberry boys, and Opal was to Amanda, and that's all you have to do, and just don't be shy, because, I mean it's okay if you're shy, but you have to make SOME friends, and I think having a dog is a good way to start – unless you're allergic to one.


20th Century Fox's "Because of Winn-Dixie" stars AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Elle Fanning, Dave Matthews, Cicely Tyson and Eva Marie Saint and releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 18, 2005.

Photos © 20th Century Fox