YOUNG STAR ON THE RISE
“ I hope that I can inspire someone
E veryone has heard the phrase “through the eyes of a child.” It’s a lens through which filmmakers ask moviegoers to view the world time and again—in classics like Home Alone and ET , for example, and in volumes of fabulous animated features. But what happens when a child can envision a story coming to life through the lens of an adult— emotionally connecting with characters on-screen and conveying that connection to viewers? This ability to visualize, empathize, and translate emotion is part of the superpower of 11-year-old Atlan- ta native Mila Harris, star of the 2022 thriller No Exit , based on author Taylor Adams’ book of the same name, directed by Damien Power, and set for worldwide distribution by Hulu, Star+, and Disney+ at the end of February 2022. No Exit , filmed in New Zealand during the height of the pandemic, also features veterans Dennis Haysbert, Danny Ramirez, Dale Dickey, David Rysdahl, and breakout actress Havana Rose Liu. Georgia Hollywood Review sat down with Harris to learn more about the film—and the rising young star. GHR: TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS A KIDNAPPED CHILD IN THE UPCOMING FILM, NO EXIT . MH: No Exit is a special film that is a story of survival and redemption and greed and good and evil. My character, Jay, is a young, bright, intelligent but slightly privileged girl, who’s an only child from a wealthy family that lives in a nice big house, we referred to as “the swanky house” while filming. Jay gets abducted and during the abduction she gets caught in a blizzard and stuck tied up in the back of a nasty old van at a travel lodge while her kidnapper blends in inside with several other strangers. A struggling young lady named Darby is headed to see her dying mother and gets stuck at the travel rest stop too. She spots Jay and everything starts to go downhill for both Jay and Darby from there. Darby doesn’t know which one of these strangers in the lodge is the kidnapper, and the audience has to try and figure it out before it’s too late for Jay! Jay is brave and clever and doesn’t stop trying to escape, all while battling her way through a terrible disease that requires medicine that the kidnapper, of course, didn’t bother nabbing with her! It’s such a fun, wild ride, the audience will be on the edge of their seats the entire movie and will never see some of the twists coming.
THAT SOUNDS RIVETING. WAS IT A SCARY ROLE FOR YOU TO PLAY? It was challenging playing Jay mainly because she spends almost the entire film struggling to survive the elements and the situation and fighting her disease while doing it. That kind of struggle is hard to play, particularly for a 10-year-old (at the time), but I just tried to imagine what Jay would be feeling and how she would react if the situation were real and it gave me a very real and raw emotional reaction that you will see in the film. There were times on set where I had a sort of outer body experience where I genuinely was Jay and the circumstances were life or death, and I hope the audience will feel that too. It gives me an appreciation for the fact that the situation is real for so many girls out there, and the movie does a fantastic job of storytelling and highlighting what could happen in real life. That’s the scariest party of the movie, is that it can happen and does happen. The good thing about filming such an intense role was that I was literally surrounded by the best people on the planet. Not just my parents, who were there every day, never more than 10 feet away [and] waiting with hugs and kisses, but also with Scott Frank, our producer, and our incredible director, Damien Power, who is not only a genius but also just a kind, genuine soul who was always there to lift me up and support me. My castmates were all so special and we all formed such a close bond, it really made it very difficult to act scared because I always felt such love and warmth from them all. I suppose that was the most challenging part of it, acting genuinely terrified when I was actually very safe and comfortable. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FILMING IN NEW ZEALAND? It was an absolute dream filming in New Zealand! Although we went in the height of COVID and the country was closed, so we had to quarantine in close quarters under armed guard for two weeks. But New Zealand is a beautiful country with some of the friendliest people on the planet. I loved every minute of it, and it allowed for a special experience with the cast. We were able to have everyone there for the entire four months of filming, so we all grew very close. And we got to shoot the film in sequence, which was also special because it allowed us to live the story out as it happened, something that usually doesn’t happen with cast coming and going during filming. Most of the film is shot inside the studio and the crew worked really hard to build this wonderful set that
through storytelling and bring empathy to the world, because when others can feel and appreciate the feelings of others it makes for a better world. ”
looks so realistic. They literally built an entire travel rest stop in the building and then mountains and forests around it, it was incredible. They used many different types of snow and wind machines to create the effects. Many times, I would step out of the studio to go to my trailer and I would forget it was daytime and warm outside in the real world. Absolutely stunning work by an amazing crew, whom I love and cherish. WITH FOUR NEW FEATURE FILMS COMING OUT IN 2022, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU SAY POSED THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU AS AN ACTRESS? I have to say, No Exit was the most challenging of the four I have releasing in 2022, mostly because it was a lead role for me where the entire story depends on my character to develop. The story revolves around my character, Jay, and her struggle, and I was surrounded by such talented people I felt like I had to push through and help bring the story to life. Each of my castmates were so special. I have to share, Havana Rose Liu (Darby) is just a gorgeous person and truly was like a big sister to me. David Rysdahl is so talented and despite his creepy character on the film, is one of the kindest spirits and always made me feel safe. Danny Ramirez is amazing and was the class clown and so much fun on set, something we needed in such an intense film. Dale Dickey is a legend and I learned so much from her acting abilities, [and] it was nice having another good ole southern belle on set! And Dennis Haysbert is absolutely a dream to work with. He is so smart and so good at what he does— he can become anyone, but at his core he is so nurturing
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