#Cannes: ‘Asteroid City’ Newcomer Grace Edwards on Making Her Wes Anderson Debut

At only 18, Grace Edwards, who stars in Wes Anderson’s latest exercise in filmic whimsy, Asteroid City, has the film knowledge that could rival any Criterion subscriber. She lists off Jan Svankmajer, François Truffaut and Andrei Tarkovsky as some of the filmmakers she would watch growing up. She also has a penchant for vintage cameras, particularly the Rolleiflex 2.8C. She’s partial to it because one of her favorite photographers, American street photographer Vivian Maier, reportedly shot on the exact same model.

Between her interests, which don’t fit the typical Gen Z mold (see: Tarkovsky), and a speaking cadence that could decidedly be placed before the millennia, Edwards herself could be an Anderson character. So, it’s no wonder the director put her in his latest feature, where she appears opposite Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson, along with a gargantuan, star-studded cast that includes such Anderson regulars as Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Jeffery Wright. In Asteroid City, which will bow at Cannes as part of the official competition on May 23, Edwards plays a 15-year-old with an affinity for botany and astronomy, which brings her to the film’s setting, a junior stargazer/space cadet convention, accompanied by her mother, a famous Hollywood actress, played by Johansson.

The child of military veterans, Edwards had an itinerant upbringing, but the family eventually moved to Los Angeles to let her pursue an acting career. She booked small roles and background work before landing a part on Amazon Prime series Modern Love, based on the long-running New York Times column of the same name, followed by the Sundance feature Call Jane, sharing the screen with Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks. On the set of that film, co-star Chris Messina offered her some advice: “He said, if you ever feel like there’s something very sudden or drastic that you want to do with your character, instead of asking if it’s all right to put it in the take, just go ahead and do it.”

Edwards found herself auditioning for Asteroid City during the pandemic over a series of self-tapes and Zooms, but despite her status as a burgeoning cineaste, there was a particular director with whom she was not familiar. “I had never heard of Wes before,” she admits, adding that she may have benefited from not being familiar with the director’s studiously idiosyncratic vibe. “I think I would’ve tailored my performance based on his style.” The first time she met Anderson in person was on the set of the film in August 2021. Prior to touching down for the Spain shoot, Edwards did work her way through the Anderson canon, landing on the director’s first feature, Bottle Rocket, as a personal favorite. “There’s something special about a director’s first movie,” she says. “There’s nothing like it.”

Edwards filmed for two months on Asteroid City, during which time she had her mom in tow. When she wrapped, it was a particularly emotional moment for the duo, she remembers. “We hugged each other and we had a moment together. She supported me through everything. She brought me out to the industry, and it went all the way to this.”