New York ? Tara Reid wants to prove she’s a great actress instead of a party girl.

The actress says the media has unfairly represented her and that she just needs a good movie to break the stereotype.

“I think there must be a journalist school where students are taught how to kill Tara Reid,” the 29-year-old actress says in a Steppin’ Out magazine issue on newsstands Oct. 12.

“The one thing I want to say about American journalists is: Why is partying and having a good time bad?” Reid says. “And how come when someone else gets messed up or is a junkie or gets DUI’d and goes to rehab and is considered a hero again?”

Reid says she doesn’t plan to go that route because she’d be “admitting guilt for something I’m not guilty of.” Instead, she has fired her publicist and hopes to find a good role because the “wild girl” reputation is hurting her career.

“I need one more great movie role so they say, ‘Wow, she can act! She’s a great actress.’ Then I think they’ll leave me alone.”

Reid’s film credits include “My Boss’s Daughter,” “American Pie” and “Van Wilder.” She recently hosted “Taradise” on the E! Network, a version of the “Wild On” series.