One of the newbies in the Independence Day: Resurgence cast is Maika Monroe, a professional kitesurfer turned actress, who plays Patricia, the daughter of President Whitmore (Bill Pullman). Ask Monroe, best known for playing Jay Height in the supernatural cult favorite horror film, It Follows, and she’ll tell you that she can’t wait for audiences to see this summer’s blockbuster. Read on for more.

What are audiences going to be most stunned by in the film?

How massive it is. Roland [Emmerich] blew everyone away when the first film came out in the ‘90s with the technology he had then. Everything he is able to use now is crazier and bigger.

What did you love about your character?

She is kick-ass. She’s a secret service agent who not only works in the White House with President Lanford, but she’s also a fighter pilot. She’s smart, too. I think that’s always something that I really like in female characters. I grew up kitesurfing so the physical aspect of roles is always really fun for me, too.

Can you give us a behind-the scenes take on what shooting was like?

We had so much fun because everyone was so welcoming and Jeff [Goldblum] was especially so pleasant on set all the time. We would be shooting for 18 hours and we got tired. You get exhausted and you’re waiting around a lot, but Jeff was always having us play games and doing fun stuff and keeping everyone happy, which is really nice to have on set instead of hearing people complain.

What sorts of games?

We played a movie game. We did a lot of that where Jeff would name a movie and we’d name the actors and directors. He would have us singing songs and harmonizing, too. All of this makes everything much more pleasant.

So what’s next for you?

I’m about to go to Serbia to start shooting a science fiction thriller called Tau that’s directed by Federico D’Alessandro that I’m super excited about. Right after Independence Day, I shot this film The Tribe of Palos Verdes with Jennifer Garner. It’s a really cool story that should be coming out at the end of the year. I’m excited about it, too. It’s a way different pace from Independence Day!

How do you pick your projects?

For me, it’s first about the characters. I look for a character who is intriguing and challenging and different from what I’ve done before. I like challenges. I think that’s important. Next, I look at who is involved with the project, including the directors and other actors. If I think they’re doing cool work, I want to be part of it. That’s the part that’s so exciting for me.