‘His Dark Materials’ Star Dafne Keen Read the Book Series Twice to Prepare for Her Role as Lyra
As His Dark Materials comes to an end, Dafne Keen is looking back at her time on the HBO series. And when talking about her initial preparation for the role of Lyra Belacqua, Keen revealed that she read Philip Pullman’s book series twice.
Dafne Keen read ‘His Dark Materials’ twice to prepare for her role
Keen was just 11 years old when she was cast in the highly coveted role of Lyra Belacqua. In a recent appearance on This Morning, she recalled being on the set of her 2017 Marvel movie when she got the part.
“I was on set for Logan at the time actually,” Keen said. “And I was kind of like doing my thing, just doing the self-tape. And then I got it and… I don’t think I clocked it until it came out.”
Keen wasn’t familiar with the His Dark Materials books when she was cast in the HBO series. But she read the books before filming the first season. And she continued to reread them every season.
“I read them once I got the part, but I hadn’t before,” Keen noted. “So what I did was I read all three books when I got it and then I’d reread the book of the season I was doing. So I’ve read most books twice, some of them more. I’ve read [book] three a bunch of times.”
But Keen’s dedication to the role didn’t stop there. She also spent countless hours rehearsing and working with the show’s creative team to ensure that her portrayal of Lyra was as authentic and faithful to the source material as possible.
“I think it’s very important because there’s so many book lovers that have read it,” Keen said. “And it’s about staying loyal to them and giving as accurate a depiction of what Philip wrote as possible. So we did stay quite loyal to the books. So I didn’t want to forget them at any point.”
Dafne Keen played Lyra Belacqua for three seasons of ‘His Dark Materials’
Keen’s hard work and dedication paid off. Her performance in His Dark Materials has been widely praised by both fans of the books and newcomers to the series. Now, as the series ends, and she moves on to new projects, the 17-year-old admits she’ll miss the cast and crew she’s grown so close to over the last six years.
“I’m actually quite sad that it’s ending,” Keen told the hosts of This Morning. “I’ve been working with basically the same crew and the same cast for the last five years or so. And it’s really sad to think that the thing that I’d go back to every year and that I’d spend eight months with them a year in Cardiff, I’m not going to do anymore.”
Keen also noted that she’s still good friends with her co-star Amir Wilson. Because he also lives in London, the two often find time to get together and hang out.
Dafne Keen steps into the world of ‘Star Wars’ next
Now that His Dark Materials has ended, Keen is moving on to her next big project. The actor has signed on to star in a new Disney+ original series called The Acolyte. The Lucasfilm show is set in the Star Wars universe.
Little is known about The Acolyte at this time. But it is expected to be an action-adventure series that explores Star Wars mythology from a new perspective. The mystery-thriller will follow a group of rebels as they seek to uncover a dark secret that has the potential to shake the foundations of the Star Wars universe.
Keen is set to play a lead role in The Acolyte. She will be joined by a talented cast that includes actors like Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Nick Frost. The series is being written and produced by Leslye Headland, who is best known for her work on the Netflix series Russian Doll and the HBO series Bored to Death.
