Lyra on Lyra: The Golden Compass star talks His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is one of HBO’s most-hyped series of the fall television season. Fans of Philip Pullman’s books, which follow a young girl named Lyra Belacqua as she uncovers a conspiracy that threatens both her world and many others, are particularly excited. They’ve been looking forward to seeing an accurate interpretation of the novels since 2007, when New Line Cinema adapted the first book as The Golden Compass…with less than stellar results.
Long story short, fans weren’t enthusiastic about the movie version; the story just lost too much during the transition from book trilogy to big screen Lord of the Rings-style blockbuster. As proven by Game of Thrones, television may be a better fit for this kind of story, which is why there’s so much excitement for His Dark Materials.
Dakota Blue Richards played Lyra in The Golden Compass. Appearing on the His Darker Materials podcast, she compared her take on the character to that of Dafne Keen, who plays her in the HBO show. “I think the biggest difference for me watching it [His Dark Materials] between myself and Dafne is she… firstly, she’s a little bit older than I was at that age,” Richards explained. “She’s 14. I was like 11 or 12, and at that age, a couple of years makes a world of a difference.”
Anyone who recalls their shift from childhood to their teenage years can likely agree with that sentiment. But there’s also another big reason Richards thinks that Keen has had an easier time capturing the character than she did: Keen is already a professional actress.
"So her approach to it is much more considered, and there’s a maturity to her portrayal of Lyra that probably wasn’t in mine. But I think that’s because I was younger, but I had no acting experience and I had no sense of the world I was getting myself into."
Given that Keen has already starred in a major blockbuster — Logan — Richards’ perspective holds some weight. Keen already understands how to properly get into character — and having been in a superhero film, she has some experience with fan expectation and working on a major production.
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Whatever the differences, we’re enjoying HBO’s take on Pullman’s work so far. We’re covering the show every Monday after each episode. Feel free to join in!
Next. His Dark Materials is trying to be Game of Thrones, and it’s not working. dark
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h/t Digital Spy