'Juno' scribe Diablo Cody in director's 'Paradise'

Diablo Cody can officially add director to her impressive, Oscar-winning resume.

The “Juno” screenwriter’s debut behind the camera, “Paradise,” hits theaters Friday.

amNewYork spoke with Cody about the film, which follows a young woman (Julianne Hough) from a religious background who experiences Las Vegas for the first time after surviving a terrible accident.

Why direct this one?

I don’t think I ever really felt that I was ready to do it and I still, in retrospect, don’t really feel that I was ready to do it. ... I wanted to know what it would be like to take the script to screen.

What surprised you about the experience?

I didn’t really understand the actors’ process. ... As a director, you have to get in there and figure out what makes them tick.

I bet the cast, including Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer, made it easier.

Big time. I couldn’t have done better with the actors. They made my life easier every day.