Original-Cin Q&A: The Secret Garden's Dixie Egerickx on the joy of shooting in a real garden and acting with kids instead of adults
Dixie Egerickx is a busy 14-year-old. The British actress is currently starring as Mary Lennox in the updated 2020 film version of The Secret Garden — directed by Marc Munden, and adapted by Jack Thorne from the Frances Hodgson Burnett children’s classic.
Next, she will be seen opposite Gemma Arterton in Summerland and has been cast in the much anticipated Game of Thrones prequel – for which she has been sworn to secrecy!
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with DIxie about working on The Secret Garden and learning yummy new hobbies during the pandemic!
Click HERE to read Karen Gordon’s A-review of The Secret Garden.
The Secret Garden is currently available on VOD.
ORIGINAL-CIN: How have you and your family been during the lockdown?
Dixie Egerickx finds her secret garden.
DIXIE EGERICKX: “I have spent the lockdown at home with my family. Thankfully we have all stayed well and healthy.”
OC: Have you learned any new skills while you have been at home?
EGERICKX: “ I’ve been doing a lot of online school which has been taking up most of my time, but I’ve made my fair share of banana bread, so my family is happy about that!
OC The Secret Garden is based on such a popular novel and it's been made into a film a few times. I was wondering if you had read the book or saw any of the films before you started shooting to get an idea of who Mary was?
EGERICKX: “When my mom was a kid, it was her favorite book, and when I was about seven, I read it and I really enjoyed it. So, before we started shooting the film I was pretty familiar with the story and felt I knew Mary.”
OC: Mary is quite resilient. She really went through a very hard time and she has to make the best of everything that comes her way. Did you find that you related to her at all?
EGERICKX: “Yeah, thankfully I don't relate to the whole orphan part of her, but I guess by the end of the story, she does really value her friends and appreciates their friendship and I'd like to think that I value my friends too.”
OC: She uses her imagination a lot as a survival mechanism. Is using your imagination something that you find important in your own life?
EGERICKX: “Yeah. I mean, mostly when I was younger, you know, when I was little, I read a lot of books. And reading books, you have to use your imagination a lot. So I’d say it’s important and healthy to use it and escape for a bit.”
OC: Tell me a little bit about your preparation for playing Mary and what you loved most about playing her.
EGERICKX: “I didn’t really have to do too much to prepare other than go over the book, because obviously, you know, my memory is a little bit fuzzy. (Laughs) I think in terms of shooting to actually shoot in the gardens.
“That was a lot of fun. You know, it always rains in London, so we were so lucky to have really nice weather the whole time. It was midsummer and all the gardens were genuinely really pretty and really beautiful. That whole experience was a very happy time, and my favorite part about being on set.”
OC: How wonderful for you and the cast to be able to work in a real garden as opposed to a green screen version!
EGERICKX: “Oh definitely! The majority of the gardens almost all of it was real. I think it's kind of a common misconception that it was CGI, because it really wasn't.
“The cool thing was that we did get to experience all of the fantastic stuff that you see in the film. The experience of being in the gardens and seeing all that stuff in nature, which I didn't even know existed in the U.K., was wonderful.”
OC: Why do you think that this story endures and just keeps getting retold in a new way?
EGERICKX: “I think probably just because the core themes and messages of the book are still relevant today, and that's what makes it such a good story.
“For example, what really stands out for me is that people can grow and change. That's one of the main themes, and I guess the main message and it’s still as true as it was as when the book was first written.”
“Also what stands out is how we need to protect nature and conserve it and how we should appreciate it more. I think the reason why the story can be retold and adapted so many different times is simply because the actual main messages are always relevant.”
OC: You get to work with some very talented people in this film. Let's start with Colin Firth. He's such a nice guy, but he's not so nice to Mary in the beginning of the film.
EGERICKX: “Working with Colin was very cool and really fun. I'm sure you know, but he's a really genuine, really nice person, and so giving with this time and so patient.
“It was an amazing experience, because obviously you grow up and you see people on the telly and films. And then you meet them in real life and you don’t know what to expect. It was quite a privilege to be able to work with him.”
OC: You also have many scenes with the great Julie Walters, another veteran actress.
EGERICKX: “Exactly, and again another gem. She was extremely funny and such an interesting person. She was really inspirational to watch even not just when she's acting but the way she behaves with other people was so inspiring. It was a really cool experience.”
OC: As a young actress yourself, what do you learn working with these established actors?
EGERICKX: “I can’t pinpoint anything specific, but just overall being with these people and being around them you learn things kind of subliminally, if you know what I mean?
“I think just being around people and picking up certain things is really interesting. It was a very valuable experience.”
OC: You have two co-stars closer to your age as well, it seemed as though you had instant chemistry when you got to set?
EGERICKX: “I hope so, you know, I can't speak on their behalf (Laughs).
“But yes, they're very nice people. And it was also really cool because obviously I'm a child, and usually when I act I am around a lot of adults, which is fine.
“But sometimes having people your own age around and being able to relate to one other is really great and such a relief. So that was really cool on this film. We had a fantastic time together and loved working together, especially our scenes in the garden.”