You and Chris O’Dowd were cast first. Did you do any chemistry testing together? Or with Jason Momoa?
I did a chemistry [test] with Jason but not with Chris. I got lucky because Chris and I just clicked on set, which is weird because our characters don’t click immediately in the movie. But we got along really well.
The chemistry test with Jason was on Zoom, and at first, I was really nervous because this was my first time meeting him. But again, he made me feel very comfortable. I had a really fun time reading our scenes together because he actually got up in the middle of our scene to quiet down his dog that was barking. That moment brought me back down to earth, and I was like, “Oh, he’s a real person.” It immediately took away all the stress and ended up being really easy.
Knowing that you’re early in your career, why do you think it’s important to tell these kinds of complex coming-of-age stories? Or is it more about the character that you’re looking to play?
After reading the script, I told the director, Francis Lawrence, during my audition that, even if I don’t get this role, I’ll still watch the movie because I felt very connected to Nemo. Her coming-of-age story, as I was filming it, felt like it was my own coming-of-age story. I felt like I was going on this big journey with Nemo. The things that she realizes in the movie have helped me in real life—to be patient with people and be more aware of my surroundings.
I noticed that you spend a lot of time underwater in Slumberland. But I assume that’s all CGI and special effects, right? What was it like acting through such imagination?
It was pretty insane. Some parts were terrifying. Some parts were thrilling. I think I was so terrified that it became thrilling for some of the scenes. But it has always been my dream to do stunts. So getting to do a lot of my own stunts was really cool. We filmed a lot in a pool, so I was underwater for water scenes.
Oh, wow! I didn’t realize you were really in the water. I thought that was all special effects.
Yes, but the crew was very calm about it. And they were like, “If you ever need a break, just let us know.” So I felt calmer filming those scenes. But there was just one stunt that I did that I was very nervous for (it was when I fell off the boat), and when I was practicing and the waves started going, I was like, “I can’t. I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” My stunt double Giuliana comes up, and she’s like, “You know what? I’m going to show you it’s totally okay. If you can’t do it, let me know, and we’ll put your face on my body.” So she demonstrated it and was talking me through it step by step. Then we started the waves at 50% speed and then 75% and then 100%, and it just became a lot easier.
Well, kudos to you. I’m blown away. I thought that was the magic of cinema, but really, it’s the magic of acting. That’s amazing. You have a lot of solid acting experience under your belt now. You are obviously very multitalented—musicals and stunts now, of course. What kinds of roles are you looking to pursue next?
I really want to be in a horror movie. I’m a scaredy-cat, and I cannot watch horror movies. They freak me out unless I’m with a good group of people. But I would love, love, love to be in a horror movie. I want one that’s like super graphic, a lot of fun makeup. I want a cool fight scene where my nose is bleeding and I’ve got this big injury or I play a monster or I’m possessed. That would be so much fun because I’d get to see what it’s like behind the scenes. … In Slumberland, there was not a lot of big, crazy, bloody action/scary stuff, so it’d be cool to see how horror movies work.
