TEEN SPIRIT REAWAKENED
Run everywhere and behave like an animal – those instructions were buzzing around Lily James’s head as she filmed Linda’s teenage scenes. ‘Both Emily Beecham and I play characters who start out much younger – Linda is 17 – and that was a challenge,’ says Lily, 32. ‘The key to it was to be utterly committed to what you believe in, to be in the moment. You don’t walk anywhere, you run, you show enthusiasm. And as the young Radletts are quite feral there’s this animal quality that we harnessed too.’
Emily, 36, says she simply cast her mind back to her own teenage years in order to play the young Fanny Logan. ‘I found it so easy to get into the headspace of a young person – it felt like yesterday,’ she laughs. ‘The awkwardness, trepidation and excitement all mixed together. I remember being so excited about venturing out and experiencing life when I was her age.’