The Knockturnal was on the scene last Thursday for the New York carpet and premiere of “Carrie Pilby.”
Based on the novel of the same name, Carrie Pilby retells the classic story of teen angst and self-discovery through Carrie (played by Bel Powley) a precocious prodigy who graduated Harvard at 18. Carrie struggles with relationships, both romantic and platonic, society’s acceptance of moral relativism, and not being a hermit. Navigating through high school and university already includes a number of challenges, but throw in an added age difference of 3 years and an accelerated IQ for added anxiety. Post-Harvard life leaves Carrie an anti-social hermit, but with a bucket list prescribed to her by her therapist Dr. Petrov (played by Nathan Lane) we see Carrie step outside her comfort zone. The cast also includes SNL’s Vanessa Bayer, You’re The Worst’s Desmin Borges, Once Upon a Time’s Colin O’Donoghue, The Royal’s William Moseley, Jason Ritter and Gabriel Byrne. Check out our interview with the cast below:
Bel Powley
What is it about teenage / coming of age films that you find appealing or keeps drawing you back those roles?
I think teenagers are really undiscovered in a truthful way. I think society is really afraid of teenagers, we don’t actually want to admit what they’re really like and how teenage angst really is.
Did filming this movie make you feel nostalgic or remind you of your teenage years?
I guess a little bit. I was a little geeky in high school kind of the same way that Carrie was.
What was the most challenging part of this role?
Probably learning her lines because she’s so smart that her lines – she speaks in a super quick and very precise way, which I don’t so it was kind of hard.
What was it like working with Nathan Lane?
Loved my scenes with him, he’s an amazing person and was great to work with, he’s so smart and funny and it was a lovely happy set.
What’s something you learned from playing this role?
The specific formula for alcohol, like the actual chemical breakdown.
Vanessa Bayer
What was it like working with such an amazing cast?
Bel is the sweetest, I love her so much. What’s funny in this movie is that I play her cool friend who’s trying to make her cooler, but in real life she’s just so much cooler than me so I was like I don’t know if people are buying this.
What drew you to the film?
I think it’s a very relatable story. Not everyone is in that extreme of a position, but I think everyone can relate in that they don’t know exactly what they want to do to become a grownup so I think it really hits on that stuff which is very relatable.
What was your favorite scene to film?
I really liked this scene where Bel and I are at the bar because it was such a fun night and I think we were fake drinking in it, but then I think we had real drinks too that we were sneaking so it felt like going out but we were actually filming it was so fun.
William Mosely
Can you tell us about your character?
He seems like he’s a homeless weirdo from the street, but he’s actually a very bright guy who plays for the philharmonic, he’s a sweet person and he’s someone who has real chemistry with Carrie.
What drew you to the role?
I went in for the audition and connected with the character. It was a really long scene that I did that lasted for 7 minutes.
Can you tell us which scene it was?
It was a big walk talk that ends underneath the empire state building at Christmas.
What was it like working with Bel?
I loved it. I loved her in Diary of a Teenage Girl so I was really excited to work with her. She’s very natural, but there’s always something behind her eyes. There’s a depth in her character
Susan Johnson – Director
What inspired you to adapt the book into a film?
I responded to the message of learning to find happiness and not judging other people, which is what Carrie’s journey is.
What was the process of casting like?
We took a year, and it was about figuring out the right chemistry between the actors, but we knew if we didn’t find the right Carrie we wouldn’t shoot the movie. We reached out to Bel Powley, she auditioned for us and we basically hired her after the first audition immediately.
What was your favorite part about directing the film?
Directing the film. It was really nice to not be producing for a change.
The Orchard will release CARRIE PILBY in theaters March 31st, 2017 and on demand April 4th, 2017.
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