In the span of a few months, Kaitlyn Dever has proven she’s got serious range.
Earlier this year, the young actress triumphed opposite Beanie Feldstein in the critically hailed high-school comedyBooksmart.
Throughout, it’s an intense storyline that Dever plays with respect, nuance, and emotional power.
Credit: Beth Dubber/Netflix
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did this project come to you?
How familiar were you with this story?
KAITLYN DEVER:I knew that there wasthe ProPublica articleand I’d listened tothe podcast.
But it was all a new story when it came to me.
I was on the set ofBooksmart.
This came to my email and I immediately read it and fell in love with this story.
It’s an issue that’s been going on forever.
That’s initially what attracted me to the project.
It came into my hands very quickly and the process itself very happened as well.
I’m so happy.
I’m so excited.
What kind of research did you do?
Going into anything I do, I want to know the story like the back of my hand.
That was the first thing that I did.
Immediately when I got it I went into prep.
Like, “This is all I really need.”
We weren’t trying to do a carbon copy of who Marie was in real life, or is.
I’m not trying to do the exact mannerisms and copy her accent.
I was really focused on her emotional journey and state of mind throughout the process.
I had just so much sympathy for her, and so much empathy.
I needed to forget about myself.
It wasn’t about me, Kaitlyn, as a person anymore.
It was about Marie and her story.
I imagine it was quite a difficult process and an emotionally challenging one as well.
It was definitely emotional.
It’s a thing that really drains you.
Luckily the producers were really supportive.
I always felt support.
The prop department and costume department people were women, so that automatically made me feel comfortable on set.
It was also a closed set [during filming of all of the assault scenes].
We had just the camera operator, boom operator, and then the actor.
That was always very helpful.
But I can’t really compare it to what these people went through in real life.
It’s not even close to what they went through.
Did you feel there was a sense of mission on set?
There’s such a sense of justice to this show, and in telling Marie’s story.
Everyone was always on a mission on set to make this the best story possible.
They’re just telling truth and people’s sides of it.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on Marie.
It just broke my heart the entire time.
Even before her assault, she had a very tough life.
My heart was aching for her during and in the aftermath of this show.
That is something that makes me feel proud to be an actor.
To be a small part in shedding light on stories that were buried.
