Oona Laurence has spent most of her adolescence working. At 11, she originated the role of Matilda in the Broadway musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book. At 13, she played Jake Gyllenhaal’s daughter in 2015’s Southpaw, about a professional boxer fighting to gain back custody and revive his flagging career. At 14, she played Mila Kunis’ daughter in 2016’s Bad Moms, and co-starred alongside Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard and Oakes Fegley in Pete’s Dragon. And at 15, she appeared with Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell in Sofia Coppola’s 2017 film The Beguiled.
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Her role in Big Time Adolescence is the closest Laurence has come to a regular teenage girl experience on-screen. Jason Orley’s feature directorial debut centers around 16-year-old Mo (Griffin Gluck), whose perception of a “normal” high school experience is distorted by his co-dependent friendship with 23-year-old college drop-out Zeke (Pete Davidson). Laurence plays Sophie, Mo’s no-nonsense high school crush, who isn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit, especially as Zeke’s romantic advice leads him severely astray.
“I really appreciated how Sophie was such a well-rounded female character,” Laurence told Refinery29 over the phone. “She’s not just a love interest. She's like truly her own person. I don't always see that in a lot of the parts that I audition for.”
Intensely charismatic, Laurence stands out against bigger-name talents like Davidson, Sydney Sweeney and Machine Gun Kelly (born Colson Baker). Sophie is the voice of maturity — and the timing couldn’t be better.
Now nearly 18, the movie marks Laurence’s transition into more grown-up fare. She’s also currently starring in Liz Garbus’ Lost Girls on Netflix, and is set to star opposite Tom Felton and Indya Moore in Rachel Talalay’s A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting.
With Big Time Adolescence now streaming on Hulu, now’s the perfect time to get to know its rising star.
Refinery29: You started acting quite young. Do you feel like you’re finally getting scripts that reflect where you’re at now, in terms of maturity?
“100%. This was kind of the first role where I played a romantic teenage part. A lot of the other things that I've done have been like the daughter . I'm about to turn 18 [and] t it’s an awkward time because as an actor, you’re auditioning for 13-year-old kids but you’re also auditioning for 20-year-old parts. But I can see it changing.”
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In Big Time Adolescence you were actually playing your own age. What was that like?
“It was weird because you're kind of going through the same stuff that she's going through! I was growing up at the same time as Sophie was growing up. She was one of the easier parts that I've had to play just because it felt very authentic and very true to me and my friends.”
What was the vibe like on-set?
“So fun. Griffin is so great. Everyone gets along with him. And Pete is so funny and he kept things so light. It was such a community on-set and everybody was friends. I like high-pressure environments where everything has to be done in a couple of weeks because it really just motivates everyone to try their best. We'd go until like 4:00 AM some nights. It felt like high school, honestly.”
You and Griffin have a kissing scene together. As a woman in a mostly male cast, how did you navigate that?
“That was actually my first shooting day! I had never met Griffin before. But it wasn't very high pressure and at the end of the day, it's a job. I remember Jason was like, ‘Do you wanted me to hype up music before you go at it?’ We played “My Neck, My Back” [by Khia]. It was fun and silly.”
At some point in the movie Sophie tells Mo that she’s watching The Wire, which definitely resonates now that everyone seems to be revisiting overlooked classics from home. What are you watching right now?
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“I keep a list of movies that I watch because I’m trying to educate myself. I don't watch a lot of TV, but recently I watched Lost in Translation. I watched Uncut Gems — which I loved. I kind of went on a Safdie brothers binge. I also watched Good Time. I watched Annihilation, and I watched Suspiria, which was really creepy. I love watching movies that just remind me how much I love being an actor.”
You’ve prioritized working with women directors. As a young woman rising in the industry, how do you feel about the struggle for representation?
“I think it's super important [to work with women directors]. As a woman it's so hard to move up in any kind of industry because of the immediate biases that people have against you. One of my dream directors to work with is Greta Gerwig. I'm literally in love with her. Working on a female set is great because the director will always hire so many women within the crew, and make sure that it's a very female-oriented environment. It's so comforting and there's just such a sense of unity within it. I would totally prioritize that. And if Greta Gerwig is reading this, I’m here, I’m ready! Call me up!”
Are there other people in the industry that you look up to?
“Kirsten Dunst! She’s been doing this for such a long time and she’s done such a variety of comedies and dramas. I want to be as well-versed as I can be and I think she’s a really good model for that. She makes every single set feel like home because she has such a dry sense of humor.”
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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