Emma Roberts knew instantly that she wanted to star in 'Space Cadet'.

The 33-year-old star plays the lead role of Rex Simpson in the new movie about a party girl who falsifies her qualifications to achieve her dream of becoming an astronaut and was interested in the role as soon as she heard the film's title.

Speaking to Collider, Emma said: "First of all, the title was 'Space Cadet'. I was like, 'I know I'm gonna love this.' It spoke to me already.

"I love any story that is a fish out of water story, or about a young woman being underestimated, and then proving everybody wrong in an unconventional way. And I feel like I hadn't really seen a movie like that in a while, especially something that, after I read it, I felt inspired and uplifted."

Emma is credited as an executive producer on the film – something that gave her an enormous sense of pride.

The 'We're the Millers' actress said: "Initially, I was coming on as an actress, but then they actually extended that to me, also being a producer on the movie. That really meant a lot to me and made me feel more empowered and like I was really a part of the team.

"I'm really proud to have brought Rex to life as an actress, but to also have that credit on there meant a lot to me, as well. It's not something that I expect on every movie, or I want on every movie, but with this one, I was really excited and proud to have that."

Emma explained that she enjoyed putting her problem-solving skills to good use in her work as a producer.

She said: "I'm a problem solver at heart, and I love to problem-solve.

"Sometimes being an actress, you're just sitting in your trailer waiting for people to solve problems all day, so it's nice to get involved in the problem-solving sometimes because things inevitably come up."