She's only 9, but Scarlett Pomers has already guest-starred on The Secret World of Alex Mack, Step by Step, and Touched By An Angel, and played Suzi in The Babysitter's Club. This time, she's starring in Slappy and the Stinkers, a new movie about a group of friends who just can't seem to stay out of trouble at stuff Dartmoor Academy.

Girls' Life: Tell us about the character you play in The Stinkers. What's she like?
Scarlett: Her name is Lucy O'Hara. She's kind of a tomboy-the only girl tough enough to put up with the boys.

Are you anything like Lucy?
I like playing with boys as well, because they're rowdy like me.

Do your real-life friends get in as much trouble as the Stinkers?
No, not my friends. My friends are pretty normal.

Slappy the sea lion is smelly but seemed like lots of fun. What was your favorite scene with Slappy?
Probably the one where we were supposed to be in Morgan Brenway's backyard, and we were playing with the sea lion and feeding him fish. That was fun. And then the dog fell in the water with the sea lion! We all just stood there while somebody had to get the dog back out.

How would you feel about having a sea lion as a pet?
I like sea animals and stuff, so I guess I would like a sea lion as a pet. I already have a dog, and I would like to have another dog.

There are some really cool inventons in the movie, like the ejection seat, the potato gun and the flying desk chair. Did you take any fun contraptions from the movie home with you?
No, most of them they made out of regular things, and they put gadgets over it. Sometimes, if you'd pick them up, they would break! So we didn't take any of that stuff home. But we did get to take home our bikes.

When Witz saved your life, you planted quite a kiss. Was that your first kiss?
Yes. But it wasn't as scary as kissing my brother! Aaaahhhh!

You rode in the getaway bathtub like a pro. On screen, it looks really scary. Were any of the action scenes scary for you?
No, there was only one thing that was just a little scary. We were at the top of this flume and we had to go all the way down it and stop at the bottom before we fell in the water.

Have you made any lifetime friends with the cast or crew?
All the boys. I usually see them a lot, and we talk on the phone.

What other movies or TV shows have you been in?
I've been in The Babysitters Club, the sequel to The Secret World of Alex Mack, Touched By an Angel, the TV show Step By Step, and a few other ones, too.

You look really confindent on screen. How long ahve you been acting?
I've been working for about three years in all.

Does your acting ever interfere with your schoolwork?
When I'm doing a job and I have to bring schoolwork to the set, sometimes I might get a little behind. But mostly I get caught up. I get straight A's, so I'm pretty happy.

Do you want to be a professional actress with you grow up, or do you have another career in mind?
I want to be an actress, but I really want to be in the Olympics in horseback riding. That's one of my favorite hobbies. My horse's name is Salem. She's a thoroughbred, and she was a race horse for two years.

What actress do you admire most?
Kirsten Dunst. She was in Little Women-one of my favorite movies. Well, that's my second favorite movie. My favorite movie is Black Beatury, about the horse. I love that movie.

What new movies or TV shows can we look forward to seeing you in?
I was just in a movie called Mighty Joe Young, which will come out next year. I have a radio show called Adventures in Odyssey, and I play a little girl named Sarah. And I'm also in a radio commercial for Starbuck's Coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I do like Starbucks' Frappuccinos!