Dafne Keen: Child actors come in for fame, not art

Keen made her big-screen debut in 2017's Logan opposite Hugh Jackman

Read more...

By IANS

Published: Sun 19 Jul 2020, 9:59 AM

Last updated: Sun 19 Jul 2020, 2:08 PM

Fifteen-year-old British-Spanish star Dafne Keen says child actors enter showbiz for fame and not because of the art.

Her father Will Keen is a British actor while mother Maria Fernandez Ache is a Spanish actress. Asked how that lineage has shaped her approach as a performer, Dafne said: "I think that mostly child actors who come into this industry at a young age, come in for fame and not because of the art."

"But I think in my entire life I've been surrounded by two amazing artistes. I have seen that it is all about the process and then the end product, but mostly about how much love and work you put into it. I have seen my mum write and act and direct. Since my parents both are multitalented, I have spent tons of Christmases in rehearsal rooms and I think that has also helped me a lot from learning lines. So, all in all it has helped me appreciate the process - learn lines and understating that we got to do it not for the fame but for the art," the teenager added.

Dafne made her big-screen debut in 2017, playing the pivotal role of Laura in the global superhero hit, Logan. Now at 15, she is winning accolades for her role in the fantasy series, His Dark Materials.

Talking about the audition process, she said: "It was crazy. It was basically three years of wait. I did my first audition right after shooting Logan. And they didn't call me back, didn't let me know anything."

"But it turned out they had not gotten any funding and when I was filming Ana in 2017, they called me back and asked me to audition. I did a self-tape which they liked and the day when I was asked for the final tape, I was actually stung by a jellyfish on my face. So I was in Puerto Rico, in a hotel with some WiFi issues, with a swollen face. So I sent in my swollen face with terrible lighting audition tape and they said they want me to meet with Ruth Wilson," she recalled about meeting her co-star of the Star World show.

"So I met her and she told me, 'Hey I am Ruth, lovely to meet you. We have the same eyebrows'," she added.

IANS

Published: Sun 19 Jul 2020, 9:59 AM

Last updated: Sun 19 Jul 2020, 2:08 PM

Recommended for you