photo courtesy of Lions Gate Films Tara Reid in "Alone in the Dark" - Tara Reid stars in the new "action-sci-fi-thriller-horror" movie "Alone in the Dark." Look at that gun! Holy shit, it's on fire.

Tara Reid is embarrassed.

"It was a mistake," the actress said from New York Tuesday when asked about her now infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at P. Diddy's 35th birthday party. The mood change caused by bringing the incident up is evident in her tone and the brevity of the 29-year-old actress' responses.

"Accidents happen," she said.

In fact, the media's portrayal of Reid's partying is perplexing to her.

"I think my whole party-girl image is definitely taken way out of control," she said. "I've gone out and had a good time, but I also work really hard too."

With 24 movies and countless magazine covers under her belt, it seems likely that she's telling the truth.

However, it is Tara's drunken tabloid photos and association with (in)famous party girl Paris Hilton that have become media fodder recently. Tara, though, claims to be "calming down a lot" and hopes to show a more focused self-image in the future.

Her latest flick, "Alone In the Dark," is described by the actress as "an action sci-fi-thriller-horror movie." And it stars Christian Slater.

"I never got a chance to play an anthropologist before," she said about her role in the film that opens Friday.

Reid plays Aline Cedrac, a brilliant young anthropologist, who must assist Edward Carnby (Slater), a paranormal detective and her ex-flame, in his greatest case.

"He's such a professional," Reid said about her co-star. "Working with someone who's such a pro inspires you to be the same way."

The film itself did not present any particularly challenging difficulties for the actress.

"I learned how to shoot a gun and physically I had to be in shape for it," she said. "But that just goes along with the job."

While a Slater/Reid film may not blow up the box office this weekend, Reid is optimistic about her future. As she ages, new roles and opportunities are constantly presenting themselves.

"I'm getting different opportunities to play an anthropologist, a doctor, a mother. The older I get the more different roles you'll see me doing."

Already Reid's plate is fairly full with three upcoming films and her own TV sitcom in the works. The films range from another installment in "The Crow" series to an independent comedy.

The sitcom is a return to her other favorite genre, comedy, which Tara is equally excited and nervous about. She finds comedy harder to pull off convincingly than horror or drama.

"It's harder to tell a joke," she said. "It's harder to act funny than it is to be scared or mad."

The role itself hits close to home as Tara plays an actress who gets in trouble with the tabloids. The actress realizes the wealth of humor the premise allows and relishes the opportunity to fight back in her own way.

"It's kind of like me having the last laugh," she said. "People will think a little bit more before they start writing bad things about me."