Columbus State grad acts along with Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack in Stephen King thriller

A Columbus State University graduate and former Miss Georgia contestant acts along with movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack in a sci-fi thriller whose screenplay Stephen King cowrote.

“Cell” is scheduled to be released in theaters July 8. The film, based on King’s novel with the same title, already has been available on websites Amazon Video, iTunes and On Demand.

Erin Elizabeth Burns, a native of Atchison, Kan., earned a bachelor’s degree in voice and opera from CSU’s Schwob School of Music in 2004. She was Miss Columbus State University when she competed in the 2001 Miss Georgia Pageant in Columbus.

The movie website fandango.com says “Cell,” directed by Ted Williams (“Paranormal Activity 2” and “The Door in the Floor”), follows “a desperate New England artist (Cusack) as he searches for his son following the broadcast of a mysterious cellphone signal that transforms people into rampaging maniacs. In time, he and two other survivors (Jackson and Isabelle Furhman) attempt to find safety as society disintegrates.”

Burns’ character in “Cell” is Denise. In an interview with Candace Morrow of CSU’s University Relations, Burns explained, “without giving too much plot away,” the characters played by Jackson and Cusack “find me in the woods surviving from the phoners’ attacks on the human race.”

Her other acting credits include supporting roles in “Allegiant,” the March 2016 installment in the “Divergent” film series, and “Satisfaction,” the USA Network drama that ran for two seasons (2014-16). Local theatergoers might remember Burns from her roles in two shows at the Springer Opera House: as Luisa in “The Fantasticks” and as a Red Rat Girl in “Jekyll & Hyde.”

To read Burns’ complete interview with CSU, click here. For a link to the “Cell” movie trailer, click here. And to visit her website, click here.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Columbus State grad acts along with Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack in Stephen King thriller."