DAFNE KEEN CLOUDLESS, WITH ENDLESS VISIBILITY
Written by Eloisa de Farias Photographed by Dominic Clarke Styled by Cher Coulter
17- year - old actor dafne keen instantly charms me by asking me about my day . She furrows her brows and nods attentively in response. It then strikes me that I can forego any clichéd talk of the weather. It would seem wherever Keen goes is sunny, bright, and perfect for picnicking. Keen’s performances thus far in her career are met with undeniably capti- vating energy. At her desk, she scribbles on a piece of paper, trying to figure out what kind of handwriting her character might have. In her mirror, she twitches her mouth and nose in an effort to learn what their resting face might look like. Her preparation is tireless. The British-Spanish actor commenced her career at the young age of 10, starring as Ana “Ani” Cruz Oliver on the television series The Refugees in 2015, which tells the story of a rural Spanish community coming to terms with a ref- ugee crisis. Her breakthrough came in 2017 when she landed the role in the su- perhero film Logan as Laura. Her acting was praised highly and she took home an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. On being in the acting world from such a young age, Keen tells me the na- ked truth. “I think it’s a very interesting and terrifying age to be an actress,” she says, “because now is the moment when I’m no longer protected by the fact that I’m a kid. I’m coming to terms with my new job that I’m on right now, because it’s very strange—I’ve never entered a job as a woman.” In 2019, Keen began starring as Lyra Belacqua in the hit BBC/HBO televi- sion series His Dark Materials , a fantasy drama based on the trilogy of the same name written by Philip Pullman.The show follows headstrong and willful Lyra, who is on a quest to find a missing friend. On the way, she discovers a secret that
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