The allure of an Australian accent is strong. Especially when it belongs to Teresa Palmer. On the brink of two movie releases, I Am Number Four and ’80s romcom Take Me Home Tonight, she sat down with us to share some sweet nothings on dating, being a cheerleader and the occasional case of mistaken identity.

UD: Welcome to Atlanta... So when did you actually get into town?
TP: Um, tonight. We went to the Georgia Tech game. Is it Georgia Tech?

UD: Yes, Georgia Tech.
TP: We did a little halftime thing. We did this race on a bouncy... what are those bouncy rabbit things?

UD: Oh, you’re talking about those little balls with the handles...
TP: Yeah, the rabbit. You jump along. I had a really great head start, but the second guy in the relay, he let the team down.

UD: Very sorry for your loss. Have you ever performed at halftime before?
TP: When I was younger I always wanted to be a cheerleader.

UD: So what happened, you just decided to become a famous actress instead?
TP: [laughing] Yeah, that was my fallback, I guess.

UD: Do people recognize you yet?
TP: I don’t think I have a very recognizable face...

UD: Agree to disagree.
TP: I always get recognized for other actresses. Kristen Stewart is number one. A guy was sitting next to me for five hours on the flight and he just kept looking over at me. And then at the end he was like, “I really loved you in Twilight.” I was like... that’s a bummer.

UD: So you’re not a teenage vampire?
TP: In I Am Number Four, I’m this kick-butt alien from Planet Lorian, who’s like this Angelina Jolie character. And then in Take Me Home Tonight, I’m the bubbly, happy-go-lucky girlfriend. So it’s very different...

UD: Any crazy moments on the set?
TP: In terms of my Australian accent, we have different meanings for different words. We were doing a scene, dancing ’80s-style. And Topher’s pulling all these strange facial expressions. So I said to him, “Oh my God I love your facials.” The entire group of extras just started laaaughing, so I was like, oh, I’m obviously doing a good job. And I was like, “Your facials are amaaazing.” I was very embarrassed to hear what the actual meaning of facials was.

UD: Hey, don’t beat yourself up. But does that make it hard to date American guys?
TP: I’m not prejudiced. I’ve dated both Australian and American men. I really just look for an old soul. The look of the guy I always like is a little bit scruffy, imperfect looking, I don’t like too handsome. I like a bit of facial hair.

UD: Are we talking full-on beard here?
TP: I do like full-on beards.

UD: All right, we have to ask because of the movie: favorite ’80s song?
TP: Ahh. I would probably say “Come On Eileen.”

UD: We thought you’d go with an Eddie Money song.
TP: Ohh no no. “Come On Eileen”... I love that song so much. It’s such a feel-good song.

UD: We won’t tell Eddie.