Actress Liv Tyler, who stars in the new film “Robot and Frank” and spent much of her youth in Portland, praises her home state in the Aug. 19 New York Times Magazine.

Telling the Times her summer drives to and from the Pine Tree State allow her to observe the shifting manners along the way, Tyler said, “When you leave Maine, everyone’s going a little under the speed limit. And when you go through the toll they’re like, ‘Hi, how are you today?’ “

But once she crosses into New York, the attitude changes. Tyler said, “they just glance at you, but I’m always excited to get there, because the Maine part can be too good.”

Tyler attended Waynflete School in Portland until sixth grade. She is the daughter of Aerosmith’s lead singer, Steven Tyler, and model and singer Bebe Buell. Her film credits include “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Incredible Hulk.”

Her maternal grandmother Dorothea Johnson, who lives in Falmouth, is the etiquette expert for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Johnson is currently writing her latest book called “Modern Manners,” which will feature a foreword written by Tyler. The book is due to be released in May 2013.