KP: How many languages did you speak around the house?

EA: I spoke two languages at home: English and Russian. But after spending months each year in Paris, I began to pick up French so my parents enrolled me in the Lycée for kindergarten, which was also convenient because there are so many worldwide [and it] allowed me to keep up with my studies.

KP: I heard that you currently speak English, Russian, and French and that you are learning Japanese. What other languages are you interested in learning?

EA: I have always had an ear for languages and learning about other cultures is something I am passionate about. Since I have been working with Miu Miu and have fallen in love with Mrs. Prada [and] all the women who work with her, Italian is the next language I want to learn. That would make me happy!

KP: How has it been balancing your career and school? Do you ever find it hard to keep up?

EA: It was easier to balance when I was younger, but this last year has been more of a challenge now that I am in high school. I fell behind in chemistry, so I have had to devote some extra hours over the weekends to catch up.

KP: Was acting something you have always wanted to get into?

EA: Once I realized that role-playing with my dolls could actually be a profession, of sorts, I knew that acting was for me. My poor mom was horrified when I asked her when I was five if I could audition for films. But she used my interest in acting to encourage me to read and that’s something that I love so much.

KP: Is acting something you’d like to play around with or do you have other dream careers you’d like to tap into for the future?

EA: I would like to study international law, or maybe literature at [a] university. I can’t imagine not continuing to act but I also understand that there are no guarantees in life, so I need to have something else to fall back on. I’m interested in learning languages, so perhaps a job that can utilize those skills is something I could see myself pursuing.

“ONCE I REALIZED THAT ROLE-PLAYING WITH MY DOLLS COULD ACTUALLY BE A PROFESSION OF SORTS, I KNEW THAT ACTING WAS FOR ME.”–EVER ANDERSON

KP: What is it that you like about the world of acting, in particular? Does it allow you to be creative while embodying your characters?

EA: That’s an interesting question because in my everyday life, I can be reserved, especially when meeting new people. But with acting, I’m encouraged to create characters and that’s very fun for me. It’s nice to lose myself in becoming another identity. Through that process, you also learn a lot about yourself.

KP: What was the experience like shooting Peter Pan & Wendy with Alexander Molony?

EA: Honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was an eight-month shoot and I loved every minute of it. Alex [Molony] and I met when we were 12 years old, and then shooting was delayed a year due to the pandemic, so it’s been kind of wild watching each other grow from children to teenagers. Alex’s voice dropped, I grew three inches, and we are no longer the children we [were] three years ago!

KP: Seems like this role will be your biggest thus far! Did you ever get nervous or have second thoughts about embarking on this main character journey with Wendy?

EA: The only doubt I had was due to the three inches I grew from being cast to the first day of filming [laughs]. I had a growth spurt before filming, [so] I was worried Disney might think I was too old to play Wendy [but], thankfully, they didn’t mind that at all. I was just so excited to play one of my childhood heroes. I always loved Wendy Darling growing up, so to be given the opportunity to play her was a dream come true. We had two months of intense training between fencing lessons and all the wirework training that went into flying. It was all so exciting for me and easy to invest all of myself into it.

KP: Peter Pan himself is all about the idea of never growing up. Is this an ethos that you embody yourself in your everyday life?

EA: Funny enough, that was something I was personally going through in my life the year before and also during production. I really wasn’t interested in growing older. I still enjoyed playing with my dolls and games with my little sister. But now that I’m 15 and discovering more and more, there are things I definitely look forward to, and in order to do those things, I have to be older. I can’t wait to travel on my own or with a friend, and maybe spend a summer in Paris or Tokyo. I would love that.

KP: Aside from Wendy Darling, who are some of your ultimate icons in film and fashion that you look up to as sources of inspiration?

EA: Lucille Ball has fascinated me since I was a tiny girl. I grew up on I Love Lucy and memorized entire episodes as a kid. She was so talented and always glamorous to me. My mom has also been my hero growing up because there was nothing she couldn’t do or be in my eyes. In fashion, like most girls, I suppose I’ve been drawn to Kate Moss who is always just so cool. I also admire the effortless beauty of Jane Birkin.

KP: Just one look at your Instagram and it’s obvious that you love fashion. Did you first feel accepted when you began to dip into the style scene?

EA: Well, honestly, because of my job as an actress, I would do press shoots for films and those shoots would involve fashion. It’s really only been the last year or so, especially since I began working with Miu Miu, that fashion has become more interesting to me. I was a child who always loved a costume, but now that I am a teenager I have discovered that clothes can create or enhance a mood and that’s fun to play with.

MV: Now, here are three bonus questions for you: what would you say is something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

EA: That I’m a horrible speller! *laughs* But I’m pretty good at chess!

MV: What are three of your latest obsessions and three of your pet peeves?

 

 

EA: This is a funny question, I love this. Obsessions—Anias Anaïs Ninn and Henry Miller, pedestrian cities, reading on my own for hours in a cafe. Pet peeves—being interrupted, those who lack humor, and non-pedestrian cities.

KP: Keeping up with your busy schedule can be a bit draining, I imagine. If you were to have 24 hours to do whatever you want to do, (think of a genie granting you unlimited wishes in a world where everything is possible!)—what would you do?

EA: [I would] walk endlessly with a special someone, hand in hand, sharing secrets we have never told to anyone else.

 

Kevin Ponce is MINI V’s Digital & Beauty Editor.

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