TORONTO — Whatever the cliche is about the lonely screenwriter toiling away for years in anonymity, it doesn't fit Diablo Cody.

She spent a year as a stripper. The first screenplay she wrote, for "Juno," won an Oscar. She created the television show "United States of Tara." And she's as famous as the stars and directors of her movies.

Tired after a midnight showing of "Jennifer's Body," which opens Friday and for which she wrote the screenplay, Cody reclined on a hotel couch and talked about sudden success, why she wrote a horror film, why she doesn't direct and more.

Q: Megan Fox seems perfectly cast as the sexually precocious title character in "Jennifer's Body." Do you write with specific actors in mind?

A: Never. I am way too much of a pessimist for that to ever happen. I don't ever believe that anything is going to get made, and in fact most scripts end up in a drawer. So yeah, in this case certainly not. I just wanted to tell a story. And I feel like we were the luckiest bastards in the world in that we were able to get Megan and (co-star) Amanda (Seyfried).

Megan wasn't on my radar when I wrote this. I wrote this in 2005 or 2006. I wrote it just after I'd written "Juno," and we hadn't shot "Juno" yet. It was a pretty long time ago. I don't even think I was aware of Megan at the time. But when I met her, it was immediately clear that she was the perfect Jennifer.

The funny thing is, Amanda is also extremely outspoken. Perhaps not as publicly as Megan. They're both members of the bad-girls club.

Why write a straight-up horror film?

When you finally have the privilege to create things like this, your first instinct is to make things that you would want to see. I like horror movies, so it was a no-brainer.

How do you make sure what you write is scary enough?

When you're shooting, it's so hard to tell if something is scary. Because you're on a set, a hundred people there, it's the middle of the day. It's not scary, you're acting, there's craft services nearby with, like, ham sandwiches. Whereas with comedy, you can tell things are going to be funny.

It's easier to gauge standing by the monitor to see if comedy is working.

When you're on set, is it difficult to see a director interpret your work?

I'm very laid back. I wouldn't want to be in control of the set. That's why I don't direct. I like to sit back and watch people work their magic.

Do you feel pressure to replicate the success of "Juno?"

There is no other "Juno." Having the experience of winning the Academy Award, it was an important moment for me, because that was the morning it occurred to me that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most people build to that. I had it happen right away, which was very surreal and shocking. But I could never set that as the bar for myself. That was a freak incident. I don't expect to be bringing home more Oscars. I don't expect to ever have an experience that intense again. So I can't sit around going, "How do I repeat that?" It doesn't happen.

It's like being the mayor of a small town and then the next day being told that you get to be president. On one hand, you're like, "Amazing! How lucky am I?" On the other hand, you're like, "Oh no, I can't do this. I'm not qualified."