A
SUPREME
TA L E N T
FILMNEWCOMER
CAILEE SPAENY
ISN’T ABOUT TO BE
PIGEONHOLED“I don’t want
to be put into
one box; I’m
too young.
Iwantto
change it
up to keep
myself on my
toes”and getting caught up with people who
are in the industry can put you into a weird
headspace. I tried to find hobbies outside
of work, little things just for myself like
cooking and painting... even though I am
a really bad painter. Those things ground
you and make you feel human.”ON RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S
STORY
“Ruth’s family was heavily involved in the
writing and filming process. The director,
Mimi [Leder], really wanted to make it as
authentic as possible, to be respectful and
truthful to her story. It was really like a love
letter to Ruth. Felicity [Jones, who plays
Bader Ginsburg], Armie [Hammer, who
plays her husband, Martin] and I would
take ‘family photos’ when we were filming
and email them to her. I’m so glad I got to
play the character I did; she’s so strong.
There are scenes where I fight with Felicity,
but the characters actually had the same
goals and dreams for women.”75
FOLLOWING UP HER BREAKOUT role in
sci-fi flick Pacific Rim: Uprising with a spot
in neo-noir thriller Bad Times At The
El Royale, and now a supporting role in
the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On The
Basis Of Sex, 21-year-old Cailee Spaeny
is quietly building a diverse big-picture
repertoire. But it turns out the fashion
favourite has more in common with her
headstrong character, the US Supreme
Court Justice’s daughter, Jane Ginsburg,
than it would seem.ON BEING SERIOUSLY
CREATIVE
“Growing up I basically did anything
artistic that I could get my hands on. I was
never really good in school, so it was the
thing that made me feel like I had
something to give. My dad and my sister
were really into visual art, and my brother
would do a little performing here and
there but it was all for fun for them, whereas
I took it very seriously. I was the one who
was like, ‘I am going to do this, I am going
to Los Angeles, take me there right now.’
We would get in the car and drive from
Springfield [in Missouri] to LA for auditions.
I was very committed.”ON MAKING A HOME
FOR HERSELF IN LA
“It was hard to make a transition from such
a small city to one of the biggest in the
country. I’ve been here for a year and
a half now and I’m starting to find my way.
The hardest thing, in the beginning, was
finding my people; in LA [it can feel like]
everyone is a freaking actor just like you,CULTURE
ON HER HOPE FOR A MORE
WOKE FUTURE
“There were so many things that I had no
idea women had to go through [in the
’70s, when the film was set], whether it
was not having pay equality or being
limited in the jobs they could do. It was
a wake-up call – these were laws women
had to abide by and they didn’t even
sound real to me. But it’s incredible to think
we got past them. It felt like a really
important film to make, not only because
overturning those laws was such a big
part of history, but because it still feels so
relevant and important today. I think
people get really discouraged when they
hear things like Brett Kavanaugh being
confirmed [to the US Supreme Court] – as
though there’s not much we can do, and
no hope that we’re going to get what we
want or the justice we deserve. It hits you
right in the gut. But to know that someone
put their whole life into trying to stop those
things from happening is inspiring. I really
hope that when people walk out of [the
film], they’re hopeful, and know their
power does mean something.”ON NOT BOXING
HERSELF IN
“I’ve done sci-fi, and now a political film,
so next I’d love to play a regular, slice-of-
life teenager. An indie would be
interesting. Basically, I want to keep
doing the opposite of whatever it is I just
did. I don’t ever want to be put into one
box; I’m too young for that. I want to
change it up to keep myself on my toes,
and other people on theirs. Not only to
prove to the public that I can do it, but
also to prove it to myself.” E