While Philips says that it’s nice to be part of an ensemble cast, she also enjoyed stepping into the spotlight with “Jeepers Creepers.” The film focuses on Philips’ character taking a road trip back home from college with her brother (Justin Long) when she unleashes a bloodthirsty creature that chases the two of them on their drive. While the plot could easily be dismissed as just another teen slasher movie, Philips assures the public that she would never take part in such a film.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love those ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’/’Scream’ films, but I love horror movies even more,” Philips said. “I’m a horror film fanatic so nothing ever scares me anymore. However, when I read the first thirty pages of “Jeepers Creepers” I was freaking out. It truly captures that Hitchcockian feel. That creepy feeling that made “The Omen” and the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” such classics is captured in this film and I just crossed my fingers and hoped I got the part.”
Not only did Philips land the lead role, she was the first person cast in the project. After reading with numerous other hopefuls competing for the role of her brother, Philips knew when the right person walked in—that being “ED”’s Justin Long.
“I read with many guys who wanted to land the role, but when Justin walked in I knew he had the part,” Philips recalled. “We just had that whole older sister/younger brother chemistry right from the start so I knew it would be easy to establish that relationship.”
Once Philips and Long were cast, the two spent a great deal of time working on developing their characters. Although Philips says that Long is the complete opposite of her own brother, she understood their own relationship fairly easy since her brother was the same age as Long’s character.
