Harris Dickinson: ‘It was actually quite scary improvising with Lola’

Powered by
The Scrapper star on getting into character, upsetting the make-up department and improvising opposite a tenacious 11-year-old.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2017 with his piercing turn in Eliza Hittman’s Beach Rats, Harris Dickinson has been carving out a career as one of the most promising young actors working today. From starring in blockbusters like The King’s Man and Where the Crawdads Sing to Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, he’s just as at ease working on big budget studio films as he is on the indie scene. Case in point: his turn as bleach blonde club promoter/absentee father Jason in Charlotte Regan’s Sundance prizewinner Scrapper, about an 11- year-old girl raising herself following the death of her mother.

LWLies: You worked with Charlotte Regan before, on the short film Oats & Barley back in 2019. How would you describe her as a collaborator?

Dickinson: When I first met Charlie, and I hope she won’t mind me saying this, but she was deeply shy. But clearly had a lot to say as a filmmaker and had a lot to say from an experience point of view. As a result, she was coming at it from a direction that not everyone comes from. She has this tenderness and sensitivity, but she’s also really frank and honest and upfront, and avoids any unnecessary over-discussion of things, which I like. She put so much importance and care in Lola Campbell, who plays Georgie, that it just set up this really nurturing and caring environment on set.

How did you feel about playing a dad at your age?

So, it’s one thing playing a dad, but it’s another thing playing a dad to an 11 year old! But I think there wasn’t really much pressure, because I didn’t have to take responsibility for being a real sort of integral father figure. I was just this kind of negligent, incompetent guy who wasn’t quite able to face up to responsibilities, but then slowly, slowly he does.

Scrapper is close to home for you geographically, as you’re an East London local. Was that something that appealed to you when you read the script?

I think it was the language and the text, and I guess it was that chance to tap into something that you know, but also find there are big gaps and challenges with. I mean, I’m not a dad and I’m in such different circumstances from Georgie and Jason. But you know, it’s funny, I was in America just after shooting Where the Crawdads Sing, and I was fed up, I’d been playing this guy who wasn’t a very nice character, I’d been living in the south for three months, and everything felt a bit odd. I remember I went on holiday, and I shaved my head, and I dyed my hair blonde for Scrapper. I sent a picture to the makeup designer, and she was like, ‘Why have you done that?’ So I said, ‘I think it’s something Jason would do.’ So I did have to apologise for that. But I wanted to jump straight into the character.

I know you’re a bit of a film buff – did you and Charlotte discuss any reference points for Scrapper?

I know that we spoke about Paris, Texas at one point, because we were talking about the magical realism in that. I did ask Charlotte for references, but she didn’t really have any, and I think that was nice, because it ended up with how me and Lola did the scenes. Not to discredit Lola, but sometimes she would get bored, and rightly so, because she’s never done it before and she’s 11. After a while we realised that she was just really good – she didn’t need tons of rehearsal, she would just do it. I think that the tone just became how Lola was going to react, which was fun because we didn’t have to over-intellectualise. I was just rocking up each day, prepared but not mapping out exactly what I was gonna do and how it was gonna happen.

How did you find the improvisation process, particularly working with a young scene partner?

If I’m honest, it was actually quite scary improvising with Lola, because you don’t know where it’s gonna go. She’s so unafraid, and so mature, but she could be quite brutal and totally cut you down.

Kids are brutal!

They’re totally unashamed, which was amazing. With the improvisations, there was structure to them, and we would we would improvise around the script, and sometimes we would just be left to go anywhere. Because also, at that age, sometimes Lola didn’t want to be nice to me. She was embarrassed to be nice to me! But I really loved working with her. Every day I was proper excited to come in.

This article was originally published by our sister magazine Little White Lies.

Little White Lies is committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. You can support them by following them on Instagram and Twitter, buying the magazine or by becoming a member.

You might like

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Three individuals in swimming attire holding surfboards, standing in a field with cacti in the background.
Sport

A new documentary spotlights Ecuador’s women surfers fighting climate change

Ceibo — Co-directed by Maddie Meddings and Lucy Small, the film focuses on the work and story of Pacha Light, a wave rider who lived off-grid before reconnecting with her country’s activist heritage.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Two people in colourful costume against a vibrant pink background.
Culture

In 1971, Pink Narcissus redefined queer eroticism

Camp classic — A new restoration of James Bidgood’s cult film is showing in US theatres this spring. We revisit its boundary pushing aesthetics, as well as its enduring legacy.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Two individuals, a woman with long brown hair and a man with dark skin, standing close together against a plain white background.
Sport

The forgotten women’s football film banned in Brazil

Onda Nova — With cross-dressing footballers, lesbian sex and the dawn of women’s football, the cult movie was first released in 1983, before being censored by the country’s military dictatorship. Now restored and re-released, it’s being shown in London at this year’s BFI Flare film festival.

Written by: Jake Hall

Crowded urban street at night, people gathered on platforms of train station, silhouettes and shadows cast, focus on central figure in motion.
© Murai Tokuji, Courtesy of Murai Eri
Culture

A new documentary explores Japan’s radical post-war photography and arts scene

Avant-Garde Pioneers — Focusing on the likes of Daidō Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Eikoh Hosoe and many more, the film highlights the swell of creativity in the ’60s, at a time of huge economic change coupled with cultural tensions.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.