Katie Cassidy: Monte Carlo was a piece of cake

In the table scene in Texas where my character is eating,it was my choice to have her eating a bunch of cake, Cassidy says. I actually ate two full sheet cakes while we shot that over eight hours. Im the only one during the scene whos shovelling cake into my mouth. It was disgusting.

Monte Carlo is a comedy that follows three friendsGrace (Gomez),Emma (Cassidy) and Meg (Meester)who travel from Texas to France on vacation. Soon after arriving,Grace is mistaken for a British heiress and the girls wind up in Monte Carlo enjoying the adventure of a lifetime.

Its a coming-of-age story, Cassidy says. These three girls live this glamorous lifestyle,and then they come full circle and realise that everything they wanted in life has always been right in front of them. They realise that their normal,life back in small-town Texas is really whats important,because its the people they love.

Cassidy describes Emma as a character with a huge appetiteall sheet-cake jokes asidefor life. She wants everything and,having spent years in a small Texas town,considers the trip with Grace and Meg her best chance to take in the world. She wants to go out there and find her Prince Charming and live this fabulous lifestyle, Cassidy says. Cassidy spent most of her time on and off the Monte Carlo set in the company of Gomez and Meester. Gomez,of course,is the Disney Channel queen who has been in the news lately for dating tween pop sensation Justin Bieber. Meester and Cassidy had previously worked together on the television series Gossip Girl (2010).

If her name reminds you of the famous Cassidy family,that is no accident. Katie is the daughter of David Cassidy,from his relationship with model Sherry Williams. She didnt emulate her father or uncle by exploding right out of the box. Instead she has steadily climbed the Hollywood food chain with films and television shows such as Seventh Heaven (2005),When a Stranger Calls (2006) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010).

The slow climb for me was a really good thing. It made me appreciate it more. I appreciate every second that I get, she continues. If Id gotten everything in an instant,I dont know if I would have appreciated it as much. Being from a well-known family is a double-edged sword,she says. Being a Cassidy helps get her into auditions,but it also can foster unfair expectations.I definitely think its a little of opening doors and a lot of expectation. I actually think,in a way,its hurt me. Will it get you in the room? Yes. But,at the end of the day,theyre not going to hire you because youre someones daughter, she says.

Having my dad be who he is,and me having that last name,it just holds me under a microscope, Cassidy concludes. Is there an expectation? Sure. I walk into a room and,hopefully,its a pleasant surprise,what I can do,because I have worked really hard on my own. I hope people can appreciate that and understand that.