Vanquish is out in select theaters today. The movie stars Ruby Rose and Morgan Freeman and also, young Juju Journey Brener as Ruby Rose’s daughter. In the movie, her character of Lily is kidnapped in order to force her Mom to carry out some orders/crimes for her return.
We sat down and spoke with the young stars about playing Lily, working with Hollywood royalty, and her career.
What attracted you to playing the role of Lily?
The role of Lily is cool to me, first and foremost because it was so awesome to get to play Ruby Rose’s daughter. I also liked that Lilly is very different than me. Lily is shy and quiet and a little introverted. I am very out there and big , loud and happy. I also thought it was interesting to play a character with an illness.
What was it like working with Ruby Rose and Morgan Freeman? What was the best piece of advice that they gave you in regards to acting?
It was so special to work with them. Morgan Freeman is a legend and one of the greatest actors ever. I think it’s absolutely amazing i got to work with him at 8 years old. Ruby has a special energy; she’s beautiful and has a lot of style. I noticed Morgan is very subtle and always calm when he’s acting. I def think it’s something i also strive for when I’m acting.
What is a typical day on set like for you?
There is no “typical” because i work in a several different types of things like movies, TV, commercials or voice–over or modeling. That’s what i love the most that every day is different and each project has its own unique schedule and vibe. It makes each day a different and fun adventure. Typically you have a call time and then you go to hair and makeup and wardrobe. For kids you have to fit 3 hours of school so you either do it prior to shooting or some in between and after with the studio teacher. Then you have a schedule and in between when you shoot you hang out in your trailer, work on your script, go grab food, or get snacks at the crafty (my favorite! Loll!) Sometimes you’re in a studio and sometimes you’re on location. With modeling there is no script obviously, with voiceover it’s in a recording booth and the days are typically shorter.
How are you like Lily? What parts of yourself did you put into your performance of Lily?
I’m not similar to Lily, but i do have a sensitive and inquisitive side and that i used because Lily has that. The movie is an action thriller with an out of the ordinary situation kind of like Taken or Bourne Identity. I watched those movies to research the genre. I just tried to play Lily as real as possible. The dir George Gallo, who also wrote the script, explained to me that all 3 characters are broken characters each in their own way.
You are multi-talented – act, dance, model, music. What advice would you give to young actors that want to get into these careers?
The advice i would give is it’s a lot of hard work and persistence but also a lot of fun. I think getting into a good acting class and seeing if you’re willing to put the work into scenes and scripts and create characters. I think a lot of people just want to be famous. They don’t realize how much work it is. There is also a lot of “no’s” you go to a lot of auditions and many of them you don’t get. You have to really love it and have a good positive attitude otherwise it can be tough. Same with music and dance you have to put hours and hours into practicing and rehearsing to be good. The next step is to get good agents and manager. I’m lucky i have such a great team of people who help with my career. And also a family that supports, that is so important for kid actors.
What is the hardest part of acting? What do you enjoy most about it?
The hard parts is having to balance school and acting and having to read and work on a – lot of scripts for auditions and sometimes there is very little time to do it. I enjoy the most when i book cool jobs i really wanted and meeting and working with talented people on sets in all departments, then making friendships for a lifetime. Getting to be creative with other creative people is the best. Getting to travel that’s also fun.
What do you fangirl over?
Billie Eilish and Candy esp Kinder, Push Pops, & Trolly
