Eliza Scanlen grew up watching Enchanted, so it’s surreal for her to be in Sharp Objects with Amy Adams
Oscar-nominated actresses Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson may be the faces of HBO’s upcoming psychological thriller Sharp Objects, but after its premiere on Sunday, all eyes will be on Eliza Scanlen.
The 19-year-old Australian actress, who is making her U.S. debut in the limited series, stars as Amma Preaker, the younger half-sister to Adams’ Camille and daughter to Clarkson’s Adora. The series follows Camille, a local journalist returning to her Missouri hometown to cover two grisly murders, prompting a reunion with her estranged mother and teenage sister. But while Sharp Objects is framed around the murders that led Camille home, the linchpin is the unsettling dynamic between the Preaker women.
Based on Gillian Flynn’s sinister debut novel of the same name, the series — which was created by UnReal’s Marti Noxon and directed by Big Little Lie’s Jean-Marc Vallée — is already being heralded as this year’s BLL. But while Adams already drumming up awards buzz for her role and as the haunted Camille, Scanlen is poised to be the series biggest breakouts.
Opening up to Vanity Fair about working alongside her on-screen idols, Scanlen revealed that while “initially intimidating,” it couldn’t have been a better experience.
"I grew up watching Amy in Enchanted; I was told that if you had to meet your first famous person you’d be lucky if it were Amy Adams." Scanlen said of working opposite Adams and Clarkson. "I’m proud, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Amy and Patricia."
Calling her casting a “whirlwind” experience, Scanlen added that she was already a massive fan of Gone Girl, Flynn’s best-selling thriller novel, which she adapted into the David Fincher-directed 2014 film starring Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, and Carrie Coon. She said, “I was a fan of Gone Girl, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I put myself on tape anyway and they flew me to L.A.—it was a whirlwind, but I got the part.”
Watch the trailer for Sharp Objects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asX53aeBPJE?feature=oembed
Chris Messina, Elizabeth Perkins, Madison Davenport, Taylor John Smith, and Matt Craven also star in the series.
We cannot wait to see Scanlen on-screen when Sharp Objects premieres on HBO on July 8th.
