The Starling Girl may be writer and director Laurel Parmet’s feature film debut, but its long gestation period led to a thoughtful and mature piece that has already garnered critical acclaim on the festival circuit and in its current limited theatrical run. The film centers on the life of teenage Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen, Little Women), whose fundamentalist Christian upbringing in Kentucky means her only outlet is worship dance.
That is until she reconnects with youth pastor Owen Taylor (Lewis Pullman, Top Gun: Maverick), who has just returned from an extended trip. Despite her youth and his marriage, the two find themselves drawn to each other in a way that blurs the lines between her personal agency and his responsibility as an adult. Though The Starling Girl is told through Jem’s perspective, the ensemble cast is made up of brilliant performances who know how to tell a story without much screentime, including For All Mankind‘s Wrenn Schmidt as Jem’s mother, Pachinko‘s Jimmi Simpson as her father, and Euphoria‘s Austin Abram’s as Owen’s brother and Jem’s intended suitor.
Screen Rant spoke to Scanlen about her rehearsal process for The Starling Girl, which is unusual for an indie film, as well as how she practiced her accent and Jem’s worship dance.
Eliza Scanlen Talks The Starling Girl
Screen Rant: I really love how the worship dance is used to help tell Jem’s story and is a reflection of her faith in herself. What was it like for you to connect to her through dance, and how did you learn the dance?
Eliza Scanlen: Hmm, that’s a really good question. And I am the same; I loved the dancing part of the film. I think it was such a genius storytelling tool. It’s such a visual way to represent someone’s devotion to God, and I think it really was an interesting way to signpost Jem’s self-discovery. As she gets into this relationship with Owen and has a sexual awakening, her dance moves become more expressive and sensual.
I’m not a dancer, so I had to practice that and work at it. One of the girls in the dance troupe actually was the choreographer for the dance, and she was incredible. It was two Saturdays that we learned it, I’m pretty sure. I was just practicing in my apartment every night before the following day, and I loved it. It’s really fun to learn something physical for a role, other than learning lines and stuff.
Speaking of learning lines, you have done many a role without your own accent. What is your approach to different accents?
Eliza Scanlen: My approach is: fail, fail, fail until it kind of gets better. [Laughs] I also just love accents. I love learning a new accent, and I have an amazing dialect coach [named] Victoria. We went over it together, and I actually find it really helpful having accents to get into a character. It just feels quite immersive for me.
The Starling Girl really focuses on Jem’s perspective and her desires, so what is it that you think draws Jem to Owen? What does she see in him that she’s not getting elsewhere?
Eliza Scanlen: Yeah, I think Owen represents possibility for Jem. They’re both questioning their faith, and they both feel somewhat like an outsider as a result of questioning their faith. They find a friend in each other, and they’re able to have candid conversations about God with each other that are direct.
I think Jim’s never had this deep connection with anyone before, and I don’t think Owen has either. He feels very unheard by his church, and especially his dad, so I think they see possibility in each other, and they don’t feel judged by each other. And that’s a really powerful thing.
On the other hand, we have poor Ben Taylor, and Austin Abrams just playing him like the saddest boy alive. What was that dynamic like for you? I love that scene where Jem’s parents are like, “You’re gonna marry into the pastor’s family!” And you’re like, “I don’t know him…”
Eliza Scanlen: Oh, my God. I think that was honestly the comic relief of the whole film. I remember shooting that scene with Austin of Jem and Ben on the swings. Ben just goes on this rant about chickens pooping, and I can’t believe that she’s gonna marry this person and spend the rest of her life with them. That was the first day I met Austin, actually, and he pretty much stayed in character the whole day. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I met the real Austin.
I know it’s an indie film, and there’s not that much time, but I believe you guys had some amount of rehearsal before. Or Did you have discussions with Laurel to really get into the characters and block certain things? How did that change your perspective on Jim and the story?
Eliza Scanlen: Yeah, we were so lucky to have rehearsals, and we made it a priority. Lewis and I really wanted that time, and so did Laurel. This film has been with Laurel for a long time, so she knew exactly what she wanted from every scene. She had thought about it so much that she knew exactly what she needed to say for us to understand where she wanted us to go with the characters. And she’s really good at talking to actors. She knows how to translate the results she wants into a workable direction. Because often, directors might tell you what they want, but not tell you how to get there. Laurel does a really, really good job of that.
Last but not least, you will be in Caddo with Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Ambrose coming up soon. What is the status of that? What can you tell me?
Eliza Scanlen: I don’t really know the status on that one yet. I think the film was finished, but I’m very excited about that one. I still haven’t seen it. I’m dying to see it. I wish I knew.
About The Starling Girl
Seventeen-year-old Jem Starling struggles to define her place in rural Kentucky’s fundamentalist Christian community. Even her greatest joy of dancing with the church group is tempered by worry that her actions are sinful and she is caught between a burgeoning awareness of her own sexuality and her religious devotion. With the return of Owen, an enigmatic youth pastor, Jem soon finds herself attracted to his worldliness and charm. Slowly, he draws her into a dangerous relationship that could upend their entire community.
Check out our other The Starling Girl interviews here:
The Starling Girl is currently playing in NYC and LA theaters and will expand to additional cities on May 19.
