She mesmerized film buffs in her breakout role as a precocious teen in 1991's Cape Fear by notoriously -- and improvisationally -- sucking dangerous convict Robert De Niro's thumb. She let loose as the deranged Mallory Knox opposite Woody Harrelson in Oliver Stone's gleefully violent farce Natural Born Killers. And she plays roller-derby girl Iron Maven in Drew Barrymore's new directorial debut Whip It, which opens Oct. 2.

But actress Juliette Lewis leads a double life. For the past few years, she's moonlighted as a slinky banshee lead singer, channeling her inner Patti Smith, Janis Joplin and Grace Slick. Lewis, seemingly always the energetic wild child, hits Fort Lauderdale's Culture Room Sunday night in support of the new solo album Terra Incognita, her first after splitting with her band The Licks.

If it sounds sacrilegious to compare Lewis' voice to such greats, just listen to the new album. Although her melodies might not match up with the classics, she can belt it out with the best. Her voice is the real deal. Lewis talked to The Miami Herald about her coming show, the creative difference between acting and music and what attracted her to Scientology.

Q. How's the tour going?

A. It's going great. I mean, we're just barely into it, but we just played New York City, and it's always a great show over there, and it was just amazing. And I feel so good, because I figured out a really strong set, merging the past, present and the future.

Q. Does it draw mostly from Terra Incognita?

A. Yeah, it's mostly new songs, and Licks stuff. We even have new songs that are brand new and on no record. I open the show with that.

Q. You've been acting since you were young. When did your musical side show itself?

A. It was all the same equation when I was young. I was like the little dreamer.There was no segregation in my little art form. I was always singing and being onstage and using theater and drama, because I always dreamt of fairy tales and dramatic scenarios. So I was always a deeply emotional kid connected to my imagination and to music. I was always a musical tweaker, where you listen to stuff and tweak out on basslines and guitar hooks and melodies, like you listen to songs over and over for that one part. Then, in my teenage years when I was thinking of an actual profession, I went into acting, and I got successful. So there I was, and I got more complacent, moving further away from any musical dreams. I relate to artists like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins or Tom Waits, people who are more theatrical in a sense.

Q. Do you go to a different creative place for music as opposed to acting?

A. I can only explain it that acting is more cerebral and analytical, and music is more guttural and kind of visceral and spiritual. So all those songs are mine. They came from me. So if I write about disillusionment or longing or lust or joy or something angry, this is an expression. Whether I write in metaphor or second person or whatever, I'm the writer. In acting, I imbue something with an emotional core, but it's just more complicated because you're dealing with a writer and a director and a visual medium.

Q. Was it difficult to get respect as a singer?

A. What's hilarious is that as an artist, I'm not looking for respect. I'm looking for response and connection. I think people you move emotionally and that go with you in a groove, you naturally get their respect, because you connected together. Even in acting, I'm just sort of looking at what moved me initially and what I wanted to explore and connect with. I'm not really into playing it safe, and I've put myself out there, so you can make fun of me, you could laugh, you could love it, you could be moved, you could tell your friends . . . whatever. But to my surprise, even in my earlier endeavor with The Licks, which is a much more simple, more familiar guitar-rock sound, I was accepted a lot with decent reviews more than bad.

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