AGW: How did you get involved in doing this movie?

Dakota: I was doing a movie for Dreamworks and they wanted me to be in War of the Worlds and I was like ‘of course, sure!’. They didn’t even have to ask. I wanted to be in it immediately because I wanted to work with Steven so bad and both of them (Cruise) in the same movie and also Tim Robbins and Miranda Otto and Justin [Chatwin]; all of them in the same film was like all this creativity in this one big movie.

AGW: What was the experience like filming this big summer movie?

Dakota: It was so cool. When we were in New York we had like a thousand extras every day! And, when we were doing all the big sequences, it was just so much fun seeing how Steven was going to put it all together. At the center of this big movie is Steven. He really created all the aliens and special effects. Most of the stuff wasn’t there when we were filming and it’s so weird to think how he created that afterwards.

AGW: You were in “Taken”, the TV series about aliens that Spielberg did. Did that get you ready for this one?

Dakota: Well, in “Taken” Steven was just a producer and he wasn’t directing. On War of the Worlds, he was the director so I’d never really worked with Steven before at all. There were different directors on “Taken”. So, with this, I really saw how Steven works because this movie is the kind of movie that he and Tom like to do together.

AGW: Not too much is actually around when you are shooting. What did Steven do to help you imagine the aliens?

Dakota: Steven was so great about that. He would explain to us about the aliens and what they looked like and how big they were and where they were gonna be on the big, green screen and stuff so Steven really helped me a lot with that. It’s good he told us what they were going to look like because I had no clue at all.

AGW: What did you think when you finally saw them?

Dakota: That was one of my favorite parts of seeing the movie was getting to see what Steven was talking about during shooting. To see them for the first time ever was amazing. I felt like I knew these aliens and what they were going to be like but I really didn’t because I had never seen it before. When you see the cover of the book and the poster of the original movie they’re kind of on there so I kind of based my vision on those pictures but Steven put his own spin on the aliens.

AGW: Did you feel the need to go back and watch the old [George Pal] movie?

Dakota: I really didn’t because it’s a completely different kind of War of the Worlds so I didn’t watch the original movie because it’s so different. I’d want to watch the original movie because it’s a great movie but not because I needed to watch it to make this movie. I’m going to read the book and watch the original movie after all this.

AGW: You do a lot of terrified screaming in this. Was it hard to keep that emotion that high?

Dakota: When I did it, when we were filming, it didn’t seem like I screamed that much but after I saw it, I realized I did scream a lot. Sometimes Steven would make everything seem so real that it would be natural to scream, like Dakota would scream, not Rachel.

AGW: What was it like working with Tom?

Dakota: He’s like a big kid and kind of a father figure at the same time. When we were doing all the stunts and stuff, he made you feel so comfortable and every day, he was just so much fun. Even though the set was intense, Steven and Tom made it light and fun. Even though it was scary and sad and dark, we still had a great time.

AGW: Was all the physical activity hard?

Dakota: I’d never done a movie like this, physically. We were running up hills and jumping in water. It was snowing and raining and cold so that was cool to do because I’d never done anything like that before and never experienced anything like it in my life.

AGW: It looked like you spent a lot of the film either dirty or damp or both.

Dakota: [laughs] Pretty much both. But, I think that was one of the most fun parts of it because everybody was dirty and damp; Tom and Steven and Justin and Tim. Miranda was the only clean one in the film.

AGW: What was it like the first time you met Steven and Tom?

Dakota: I had met Steven before for “Taken” but I had never met Tom. When I met Tom for the first time on set, I couldn’t wait to meet him. I was so excited and he came out and grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me and going ‘we’re making War of the Worlds, baby!’. That’s when I started to realize that I was actually going to be in the movie.

AGW: You’ve worked with some big Hollywood names. Is it still exciting?

Dakota: Every movie still feels like the first movie I’ve ever done. I’m excited to meet everybody and every movie is different, all the characters are different so every movie is as exciting as the first one I ever did.

AGW: How does it feel to be part of a big summer blockbuster?

Dakota: I feel so privileged to be in War of the Worlds and I’m so grateful to Steven and Tom for letting me be in their movie. I still can’t believe I’m actually in it.

AGW: Do you ever see a movie in a regular theater with regular people?

Dakota: I go to the movies a lot. My friends and I, we go to the movies. We did for my birthday. I still like normal things. Even though I’m an actress and like to be in movies, I still like them. I homeschool and I have lots of friends and go horseback riding and stuff.

AGW: What do you think when you see yourself on screen?

Dakota: The first time, I couldn’t believe I was actually on the screen. Now, it’s still weird to think of my face really big on the big screen.

AGW: Do you have enough time off for yourself?

Dakota: I had the whole summer off last year and I have this summer off and we’re gong to Hawaii on vacation. I still have lots of time to do things. Even when we’re on the set, when we’re working, it doesn’t seem like work. It’s just so much fun to be around all these people.

AGW: What was your favorite set from this movie?

Dakota: One of my favorite sets was the [crashed] airplane set. We were only there for a day but that was the coolest one in my opinion.

AGW: Favorite scene?

Dakota: I love the scene where you see the aliens come up (from the ground) for the first time. I was there that day. It was the first day I ever came to the set to meet Tom and Steven.

AGW: How was acting with Justin Chatwin as your brother?

Dakota: Well, my character and his character have a really good relationship so some of my preparation for playing this character was just getting to know Justin. I got to know him really well and he was like my brother. Justin’s amazing and he’s really fun and cool. We had a blast working together.

AGW: Have you finished Charlotte’s Web yet?

Dakota: Yes, it comes out next June.

AGW: Are you are also doing Alice in Wonderland? Those are such classics.

Dakota: Well, Alice in Wonderland, the script isn’t even written yet so it’ll be a while for that. But, Dreamer is coming out in October.

AGW: Did you read the “Charlotte’s Web” book?

Dakota: Yes. It’s one of my favorite books and the director and I would joke because in Hide and Seek, when I knock all the books off the table, “Charlotte’s Web” is one of those books. I loved the animated movie and this live action movie is very true to the book.

AGW: How do you choose your projects? Something different each time?

Dakota: I think it’s mostly trying to do very different characters and different genres of films. For this movie, I just couldn’t wait to work with Steven and Tom and to be in this kind of sci-fi action thriller with a story kind of movie. E.T. is a sci-fi move and I love E.T.

AGW: Would you like to direct some day?

Dakota: I would love to be a director. Watching Steven, he made it look so easy and fun, his job, but you know it’s hard and challenging but I would love to be a director.

AGW: Difference and similarities in you and your character Rachel?

Dakota: Well, we both horseback ride and we’re very close to our moms but her parents are divorced. My parents are not. She has a brother and I don’t.

AGW: Who is on your ‘must work with’ list?

Dakota: I’d love to work with Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank and Kate Blanchett and Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep. There are tons of people I’d love to work with.

AGW: Favorite movies?

Dakota: I love Gone with the Wind and Titanic and Awakenings too.

AGW: Do you like the music for War of the Worlds?

Dakota: The music is amazing and I got to meet John Williams. He came when we were doing the basement scene one day and I was like ‘oh, it’s John Williams!’ I had gone to the re-release of E.T. and he was actually there live conducting the music when we were watching it. Steven really taught me a lot about music in film and how important it is.

AGW: Did you keep anything from the movie?

Dakota: The tape that they use for your marks. You get to pick your color and mine’s always pink so the camera department gave me my pink mark all signed. That’s my favorite thing. And my horse that I would wear in the movie, the costume designer is going to send me one of those because I spent a lot of time with it. We named it Wilson, the lavender felt zebra.