In The Sun With Emma Nelson

Emma was photographed by Alison Engstrom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; She was styled by Sarah Slutsky; Hair by Patrick Kyle for Exclusive Artists using Oribe; Makeup by Samantha Lau for The Wall Group; Styling Assistance by Carlee Princell

I love talking to women at different stages of their career. Since you are at the beginning and a very inspiring beginning at that, I’d love to know when you realized that you wanted to perform?

I started when I was six or seven with music and I did a lot of singing. Through that, I got into community theater—I always knew that I loved performing. For me as a kid, it was my connection to movies and specifically my connection to actor’s performances, and movies; I’d watch Natalie Portman and Jodie Foster. I'm still inspired by a bunch of different female actresses today. I look back and I always found myself thinking that I wanted to create that personal relationship between my character or my film and an audience member. I wanted to create the same thing I felt when I watched a movie because it was so powerful, it was an escape. People have different outlets like reading books or writing—I love writing—but for me watching movies was such a safe place.

Was there a certain movie or film that resonated with you?

I mentioned Jodie Foster because I loved Taxi Driver. My mom showed it to me right when I was starting to audition for film. I was like, wow, I can actually do that; I can deliver a meaningful performance as a young woman, and I don't have to be just a movie star. I can affect people in the way that I'm watching Jodie Foster affect me right now.  I wanted to be that for girls who were watching me.

Suit by Victoria Victoria Beckham; jewelry by Sophie Ratner

Full look by Christopher Kane; Jewelry by Bauble Bar

I was actually having a conversation the other day how artists can affect somebody in a deep and profound way, whether it’s a film or a song. Not everyone has that same ability.

It’s the most rewarding thing having people come up to you and say, oh, my gosh, I loved this about the movie; I love it when you did this, and it made me feel X, Y, and Z, even though this is my second project. I could go on and on talking to actors who I've watched in movies about how I feel I know them, their character, or how much their film affected me. It's exciting to know I'm going to be able to affect people as a growing performer. 

Your first film, you came out with a bang starring opposite Cate Blanchett in Where’d You Go Bernadette. how did that come about?

I was talking about being in community theater, I loved singing, acting, and performing but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. I always knew that I wanted to be an actor in film. But it was more a pipe dream especially as a 10-year-old girl being like, I want to be a serious film actor, like how many 10-year-olds do you know who are (laughs). It was difficult because the auditions I was getting were not necessarily always what I wanted to do, but I would audition for it anyway because that's what you do as somebody who wants to be an actor. I had a local manager and they would send me on auditions, I’d do the tape and be told no 100,000 times and I’d get zero to no feedback. But for some reason, my passion for doing this was always more than my disdain for the rejection. I was briefed on that and I knew that the rejection would be a very, very big part. I think that as a young girl that was hard for me, but I love even being able to act in auditions, which is not the most enjoyable type of acting (laughs). But just being able to read scripts, I loved it. I auditioned for two years and I was doing semi-professional theater in Chicago. I did a pre-Broadway production called Trevor that was in its developing stages, and that was a great experience. Then I got Bernadette but it was interesting because it was a monologue-type audition. They had us talk about ourselves for a part of it and I'd never had an audition like that. I was 12 at the time; I sat in front of the camera and told them about myself and I think two weeks later, I got the role and was flown out and the rest is history.

I believe in like saying out loud what you want because the more you say it, the more you're putting the energy out there and it's much more likely to come into your life. Was there ever an adjustment period of filming something and then going back to school and ‘normal life’? 

It's honestly the most jarring thing you can think of. You go from a place where you're treated like you're meant to be there. As an actor, I felt like I am living in my purpose and I'm doing exactly what I love to do and nothing can stop me. Then, as a 13-year-old girl, you go back to eighth grade where no one cares about what you do. Nobody knows there's a movie coming out and you go back to your normal life where you're not very popular and you're not very cool. Even after Bernadette came out, I continued to go to my high school—some people were kind about it, and then there were others, and there still are others, where it's laughable to them.

I tried to keep those two lives very separate. All I wanted to do was get the experience of being in high school, having those relationships, and not copping out and doing online school because I didn't want to interact with people. I wanted to suck it up and do it; I'm trying to be a well-rounded person. But it never ceases to be hard, even as I'm finishing school. There are still people who like to make me the butt of their jokes. It's so strange to be in an environment where people want to talk to you about your life and they want to take pictures of you and then go back to high school where people are like, who are you? I've always been ‘girl in the movie’ and that kind of irks people, I think.

Thank you for sharing that, to me, it sounds like jealousy. From what I can remember very few people in high school had any grasp on what they wanted to do with their lives professionally, some adults still don’t. but to move on now and to talk about your new exciting project, ‘The Unforgivable’, where you star opposite Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis, congratulations! Can you share more about the plot of the film and how your character Emily Malcolm comes into the picture?

I got the audition a month after Bernadette came out and I was excited to get back to filming. The audition came, and, the normal process happened and I was able to talk to Nora Fingscheidt, the director, and then by January of 2020, I was in Vancouver in rehearsal for the film. We started filming in March and then covid happened, and we got shut down. I flew back home, and then I got sent home from school. They started to bring actors back in August and then everybody started filming again in September, and into early October of 2020.

The Unforgivable is a story about an ex-con, a woman who is in prison for killing a cop. She gets out and is searching for her sister who she essentially raised. The sister has been adopted now and I am her sister in her adoptive family. Her sister’s name is Katherine and the ex-con’s name is Ruth and so Katherine and I grapple together with the idea of her having these flashes of memory. She’s not sure where they come from but it starts to disturb her everyday life. I think as her sister, I start to wonder what is going on. I want to know about my sister's past and how I can help her. My character helps Katherine figure things out about her past or pushes her to do so. I have that curiosity, where Katherine is a bit more hesitant to find out things about her past.

When I first got a snippet of the script, I was very drawn to it. I was then able to read the full script before filming—even before getting the job—I was so engaged in the who done it aspect. As an audience member and as somebody who loves movies, I was reading the script thinking I can't wait to see the movie. I'm sad because I know everything that happens and I can't watch it and figure it out. As a viewer, you have to put some of the pieces together. I was interested in being part of a movie where I felt like I wanted to watch just from the script. I was also so intrigued as to how much creativity went into adapting the show, Unforgiven, into a script that was now being brought to life by Sandy (Bullock), Nora, and everyone. It was really exciting. It's such a dream to be able to work on projects you’d watch whether or not you were attached to them, or had anything to do with creating them.

Dress by Dice Kayek; shoes by Loeffler Randall; jewelry by Sophie Ratner

Is there a message that you’d like or think audiences to take away after they watch it? 

It's a unique movie in that it explores deeply into a character who we don't originally sympathize with. We’d think this could be a movie about the relative of the cop who was killed—the people we can easily see their side of the story. But I think that it's worth noting and thinking about the people who are shunned and not given the time of day, like the ex-con, or the people who live in the shadows. This film is different in that you're looking at a person you wouldn't normally look at, you wouldn't give a second thought to without writing them off. Watching movies forces you to look at somebody in-depth and to sympathize with someone you wouldn't normally sympathize with.

Suit by Victoria Victoria Beckham; shoes by Tods; jewelry by Sophie Ratner

Since you have worked with many inspiring women in the industry, have they offered any advice on how to cultivate your career or navigate the industry?

I've learned the most not from my conversations directly but from my actual performing with the actors I've had the privilege to work with. I've learned the most as an actor by being able to observe and to work with them. The way I grow best is to continue to do what I love doing and to work with the people who I've worked with, who have taught me the most just by watching their performances and seeing the way they develop their character behind the scenes. Seeing the process through the lens of such experienced and incredible actors and directors I've been able to work with has been incredible. It's such a gift to be able to see the process that goes on, like what they do before a scene, how their performance comes to life, and how a movie comes to be a fully formed project. Being a part of the process has been the most enlightening thing I could experience on set.

Since you are graduating high school in two weeks, do you think you will pursue acting full time or something else?

I am full-force into acting—I’m so excited that I don't have to do school on set. Whichever project comes next for me, I’m excited that I'm able to give all of my energy to that rather than having to be a part-time high school student and a part-time actor.  I can full-time do what I love which is super exciting to me.

Dress by Giambattista Valli; jewelry by Anita Ko

I believe in manifesting the life you want, what would your dream career look like? Is there a type of role, collaborator or genre you’d love to pursue? 

I can only hope that I’m able to work on projects that inspire me the way the ones I'm working on now do and to have the same effect on people that the actresses who I admire have on me. I hope I get to continue working until I'm 75-years-old and to keep making movies that mean something, even if it's just to one or two people. I'd also like to work behind the camera directing, producing, or writing one day, I think that would be so fulfilling.

Top and Skirt by Maticevski; shoes by Tods

Follow Emma Nelson on Instagram

Stream ‘The Unforgivable’ on Netflix

With special thanks to The Hoxton in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This interview was slightly edited for length and clarity.