Joey King has been dazzling the screen with her goofy presence and quirky charm since she was four years old. From her first few roles in TV commercials through her first major role opposite Selena Gomez in Ramona and Beezus through to her most recent roles in The Kissing Booth and Slenderman, King has done nothing but prove she is an actress to be reckoned with. We got the opportunity to speak with her about her upcoming roles, what it was like working on her recent movies, and some of her favorite parts of acting in our Fall 2018 issue.
Let’s start by talking about your recent and upcoming projects! Tell me a little bit about Slenderman and your character, Wren.
I would say she’s pretty feisty. She’s sarcastic; she’s got a quick wit and a sense of humor about her that not everyone finds charming. She thinks she’s the most charming person on the planet but no one else does. But I think what’s crazy about Wren is that she uses her humor as a defense mechanism and really just a troubled girl. She makes a lot of mistakes and hurts a lot of people. Even though she thinks she’s helping people, she has to go through a lot In the movie before she realizes what she’s done but by then it’s already too late.
What was it like playing such a dynamic character?
Wren was so much fun to play. There are so many layers and emotional things that had to come through her and I was so excited that I got to be the one to do that. I think she’s really special.
Did you have nightmares after working with a “real-life” Slenderman every day?
Well the guy that played Slenderman, his name is Javier Botet. He is just the funniest man and everyone loved him so much. And when he would suit up as and it would really freak me out but he was just such a nice guy. But when I would go back to my hotel room after a day on set, I would sleep with my lights on because, you know of course I would play with my lights on after filming Slenderman. I would check my closet every night before I went to sleep.
That is amazing. So let’s talk a bit about the other projects you have coming up!
Gosh, I am so excited for all of them. The In-Between is going to be amazing. We just sold it, and it’s such a great story. It’s basically like the movie Ghost for teenagers. It’s a love story honestly, and it’s really heartbreaking, and it’s going to be so awesome. I can’t wait to start making it.
I’m so excited for Summer ‘03 to come out. I love that movie so much, and I had so much fun making it. It’s so wild and inappropriate and hilarious. I cannot wait. I think that people will have very strong feelings about it, and I hope that they love it because I love it so much. It’s just such a wild movie.
Then I have another film coming out called The Lie. That movie is going to be such a transition for me. It’s such a contrast between Summer ‘03 and The Kissing Booth because I play such a dark, just sad, sad girl and so many horrible things happen in this movie. It’s going to be crazy to watch everything unfold. I’m so excited for that to come out, too.
Full interview: pulsespikes.com
