Celebrity Interview: Y/A Actress Pearl Amanda Dickson Talks Making Lucy in the Sky, Legend Energy and Memorable Moments

Details: Category: Celebrity News, Interviews, Pictures; Published on Thursday, 10 October 2019 07:11; Written by Janet Walker

Pearl Amanda Dickson, the young adult actress cast opposite Natalie Portman in the just released Lucy in the Sky, recently participated in the media day and sat down with Haute-Lifestyle.com Publisher, Janet Walker, for a one on one chat.

Having the opportunity to meet with Dickson, she is unassuming and still at a time in her career, where her "real" life is very present and her childhood, growing up in Hawaii, is not that far removed. Living in L.A. for the majority of each year, she returns home for the holidays as part of her family still lives on the island.

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She spoke in depth on her early childhood, when she discovered, as she said, that "acting was something that could be done as a profession." From there she was in full throttle forward convincing her parents that moving to L.A. was important and acting was not a passing phase. Her performance in Lucy in the Sky proves that she can work with the best and hold her own.

Janet Walker: Hello Again. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. Congratulations on your performance as Blue Iris. It definitely stands out alongside Natalie Portman and the scenes with Ellen Burstyn and Jon Hamm all stand out. Describe how the role of Blue Iris came to you and the casting process?

Pearl Amanda Dickson: So, I got an audition for it and the only thing (information) I received was to play 13, Natalie's niece, and that was like it. I thought "oh my god," what is this. But I knew Noah (Hawly, the Director) was attached and I had just done Legion. So, I was like 'I hope so.' And I went to the casting and there was a bunch of ten-year-old's and I was like I have no chance at this. And then I got a call back like a month or so later and I had a meeting with Noah. And we talked, my Legion episode had just aired so we talked about that and then I went into it and then about a week or so later I found out I booked it.

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JW: So other than just talking with Noah did you have to read with Natalie or were there any types . .

Dickson: No, I just met with Noah and we talked about it and I had read the script they had sent it over for the callback. There were different sides, I think.

JW: So, you said the first scene you had was at the school, the end of it {the film} essentially, so tell me about that day.

Dickson: So that day was crazy. It was like one of the hottest days in LA. I had to go and basically stand in front of a bunch of extra's who are all the same age as me, just staring at me. It was kind of a crazy experience, but it was the most I had ever said on camera and I did it like. I nailed it the first couple of times, and then I started slipping up, and then I got nervous and it was hot, and I started slipping up, and Noah took me aside, and said, "let's just look out the window and think about what's going on" and he gave me a couple of notes, and then I'd go back and I'd do it again.

JW: So how many takes was that?

Dickson: I don't know. It's weird. It doesn't feel like it's a lot of takes when you're doing it and then you hear someone say, "Take 15" and you're thinking we've done this fifteen times? I don't know if it was 15 times, probably around ten just to get all the angles.

JW: It is an emotional role – so how did you prepare emotionally for it, I mean broken family, the entire road trip. So how do you prepare for all that?

Dickson: So, yea, Noah gave me a book to read, "Jesus' Son" by Dennis Johnson, so I read that which is a bunch of short stories basically talking about . . . (Interrupted by waiter). And he gave me a composition notebook for a journal for Iris so I was able to write down and do some doodle teenage drawings in there and I think the way I like to work, especially with something like this is just take it scene by scene and find where I'm at this point and react to what the other scene partners are giving me, if that makes sense. It's a very real experience.

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JW: But you had the butterflies, the cocoon, was that something that was written in for you?

Dickson: Yes. That was written in and I'm like the worst script reader ever and so when I met up with Noah after I booked it, and I had read the scripts like four times, and I said, I just put it together that put it together, the cocoon is like a transformation, a representation, and he was like "yea." So that's kind of how I prepared for Iris. I just ruminated on the whole thing because it could be very intimidating.

JW: You mentioned you had some scenes with Ellen Burstyn also as well so describe that?

Dickson: Oh, I mean, I think that the tone changed dramatically when she walked on set, it's just like legend energy if that makes sense. She was just so smart and so like present. It was crazy. She would know all the driver's names, and a lot of those were late nights too and she was such a trooper. She had the craziest stories. So even just like sitting at the lunch table with her and hearing her stories were fricking crazy. Like a really fun experience. I mean she would tease me I was lying in the back just experiencing that scene in the car with both of them. She smart as a whip and just a cool lady.

JW: So, we did talk about a memorable moment so as we are talking about things and reliving them in your mind. Do you have any other kind of moment that you are thinking about that this is first feature so it sticks with you so . . .

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Dickson: So, I'm a, well I wouldn't call myself a photographer, but I like taking pictures. So, I bought a little disposable camera with me. Its less intimidating that a giant actual camera. So, I got take pictures of everyone on set so definitely a lot of fun. I think the gas station scene was really fun, and that was our last day so just running around this gas station where there were so many wired things. We culminated a lot of stray animals, just working nights, these stray neighborhood dogs would come and sit with us. It was like the weirdest thing. Not to be like every moment was very memorable, but every moment was very memorable.

JW: What's next for you?

Dickson: I'm doing the pre-production process for a short that I wrote and directed. I just did a crowd funding thing for it and we just finished with a 100% which is awesome. So, I'm doing that and then I'm going out on callbacks and audition and that kind of thing.

Pearl Amanda Dickson can be seen in Lucy in the Sky, which is playing at theaters everywhere. Check local listings.

Image of Pearl Amanda Dickson courtesy of her Twitter Page and under copyright protection.

Image of Lucy in the Sky movie poster courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures and used with permission.