British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones has stepped away from the heavy melancholy of Marianne, embracing roles that lean lighter in tone. Over recent years she has explored a broader spectrum, alternating between suspenseful thrillers, romantic comedies, and action-lue features. In her upcoming project Wild Girl she portrays a born survivor navigating peril with resilience. Earlier, she surprised audiences as a fearless figure amid dangerous religious extremism in the mini-series By Heaven’s Bequest, available on Disney Plus, scheduled for release midweek.
We’ve seen her adopt a handful of American accents lately, even a surprising informality in Wild Girl. Is it fun to learn them, or a challenge to wrestle with?
It can be frustrating, especially when surrounded by native speakers. A compliment here, a joke there, and suddenly you’re worried about every syllable. Yet adopting an American voice is also a powerful tool for shaping a character. It helps create distance from one’s own self and invites the audience to connect with a different identity. The hardest part, honestly, is performing with one’s natural accent while remaining authentic to the role. The aim is to disappear into the character rather than forcing the audience to notice the accent itself.
Has she always sought American projects, or did she simply gravitate toward compelling stories set there as a personal preference?
Her approach blends both. She grew up watching a steady stream of American cinema, which naturally influenced her interests. At the same time, the storytelling quality and the people involved in a project drive her choices. The opportunity to collaborate with American directors and performers has always been appealing, provided the narrative has truth and depth.
What figures sit on her wish list for future collaborations?
There are countless names she admires, and she confesses that the list is long. She loves the imaginative world of Wes Anderson and would relish the chance to work in his distinctive universe. Greta Gerwig is another dream collaboration, given her bold storytelling sensibilities and keen eye for character. In short, the possibilities feel abundant and exciting.
By Mandate of Heaven unfolds in Utah, featuring a cast that includes English, Irish, and Scottish actors, under the direction of David Mackenzie who hails from Scotland.
David is a remarkable director, known for a process that defies many conventions. His experience in documentary work brings a rare sense of freedom to the set, where the crew often improvises in real time. There are no pre-scripted positions to hold over the actors; the energy feels almost like play. This approach proves especially effective in large-scale sequences where a host of characters converges, such as pivotal moments when Brenda encounters the Lafferty family. The atmosphere is immediate, the participants living in the moment, and tracking becomes irrelevant because the action unfolds naturally and spontaneously.
There is a memorable moment in every project where the fear of failing looms large, as shared by the performer to her friend Phoebe Bridgers during a candid interview. In the series For God’s Sake, that moment centers on a life-and-death scene that demands careful storytelling to retain Brenda’s power. The goal is to honor her life as a person, not just the tragedy that surrounds her final chapter. The show’s voice rests in the vitality Brenda embodies, ensuring that her legacy remains central even as the climactic events unfold.
Although the arc following Normal People points toward a life of lighter energy and party-like vitality at the outset, the actress continues to push against any single typecasting. Each new role becomes a chance to explore a different facet of humanity, and she embraces the challenge of shifting identities with curiosity and honesty. The driving impulse behind her choices is not a preference for mood alone but a longing to inhabit a wide range of experiences and emotions on screen. The actors she admires most tend to be versatile, able to disappear into varied characters while still leaving a recognizable sense of truth in their work.