I’d imagine that red carpets and back-to-back interviews could get a little exhausting for an actress. Reporters are asking the same questions and repeating yourself over and over isn’t… well, fun. If that’s the case, I didn’t get that vibe from Emma Roberts. She and her fiancé, Evan Peters, are in town for the Maui Film Festival. The couple work together on “American Horror Story” and they seem to have a really amazing partnership off screen as well. At one point Emma asked Evan for fashion advice – lei or no lei? He replied, “You should wear the lei.” They are adorable together… he even carried her purse! Ai-yah da cute! Here are a few seconds of behind the scenes footage I captured on my iPhone.

Here is the full interview I did for MAUIWatch:

Emma is gorgeous in person. She is down to earth and instantly puts those around her at ease with her peppy personality and sweet demeanor. She wore a vibrant red cocktail dress by DSquared and white pumps, which she instantly regretted wearing since the entire event is on the lawn! I was barefoot and she joked about joining me. The 23-year-old was named this year’s “Shining Star” for being “a film artist who dares to dream big dreams and delivers brilliantly charismatic and revelatory performances every time that opportunity knocks.” She humbly reacted to this honor by saying “I need to come to Maui more! The compliments I’ve been getting are just crazy. I know where to come if I’m ever feeling down.”

The actress, who admits this is only her first time to Hawaii, said “I’m in love with Maui. I’m already planning my next trip here and I haven’t even left yet. It’s like nowhere I’ve ever been.” Emma was really interested in the lifestyle and culture of Hawaii. One of the first things she did was compliment my shell jewelry! I was so thrilled! Earlier I had given “ho’okupu” to her fiancé Evan. I made him a polynesian roped hook necklace and a sunrise shell necklace for Emma explaining where the shells came from and that I had made the pieces myself. Later in the night I was floored that Evan had actually wore it! PS – It looked awesome on him! Emma also wanted to know what type of flowers the leis were made of, asked about shell-picking and even flashed a shaka. Of course it was accompanied with the “tourist shake” so I showed her how to be loose and cool with it. She and Evan had already learned a bit of pidgin throwing a shaka as we parted ways saying “Shaka brah,” then it was off to the award ceremony.

The Seaside Cinema at the Grand Wailea

The venue at the Grand Wailea is stunning. It feels more intimate than the grandiose Celestial Cinema location. You experience the sun setting over the ocean and Seaside Cinema’s giant movie screen comes to life as darkness falls. Barry Rivers, the founder of the Maui Film Festival, greeted Emma with a warm hug escorting her on stage to present the glistening silver “Shining Star” plaque. In attendance were the director and screenwriter of the film that was being shown, Guy Nattiv with his actress wife, Jaime Ray Newman. The film, “Magic Men,” is a drama about a father and son. The storyline is based on the true story of Nattiv’s own father. Guy and Jaime were so down to earth and sweet. They were so cute, after getting a photo with them, they asked me to be sure to tag them on my social media sites. We walked down from the “red carpet” area to the screening location together talking about films and our life stories the entire time. Really interesting people and so amazing to see how “real” all of these celebrities have been so far.

From “Magic Men” to “Magic Mike,” I’m sure everyone was pleased to see Joe Manganiello, also being honored this year, sneak in to take a seat in the audience. He’s HUGE. I spotted him right away and quickly introduced myself and said that I would be interviewing him tomorrow all while Jackson squirmed and squealed in my arms. It was time to go. lol Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Good night!!

**In case you’re wondering… Dress: Blacksheep Swimwear / Jewelry: Surfer Girl Jewelry (of course!)**