Agyness Deyn: Pusher
Photos Courtesy of Radius-TWC
In the British remake of Pusher, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Danish cult film, supermodel-turned-actress Agyness Deyn plays Flo, the heroin-addicted stripper and girlfriend of Frank (Richard Coyle), a mid-level drug dealer in London.
Pusher, directed by Luis Prieto and executive produced by Nicolas Winding Refn, generated buzz on the international festival circuit beginning with its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival, followed by the North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival and US Premiere at Fantastic Fest. Pusher was picked up by The Weinstein Company’s new Radius-label for US distribution.
In this exclusive interview, Independent Film Quarterly’s Nicole Holland sat down with Agyness Deyn in Los Angeles, CA. She discussed her first major feature film role; her character’s vulnerability and inner turmoil; working with Richard Coyle; and the anticipated Pusher sequel.
IFQ: This was your first major lead role in a feature film. How did you land the supporting but pivotal role of Flo?
Agyness Deyn (AD): I read the script. I auditioned for Danaka, the drug mule. I sent in a tape because I was traveling. Then, they called me in and asked me to read for Flo. That was amazing because I had fallen in love with her when I was reading it.
IFQ: Did you see the original Pusher before you started shooting?
AD: No. I was going to watch it. Then Luis asked us not to watch it, which I think was really great because of the difference in my character. Also, even though you wouldn’t consciously be copying it, you would still have some idea and visual picture of the original.
IFQ: Flo is your polar opposite. Why were you drawn to your character and what are your thoughts on her?
AD: I think she has an essence that girls can relate to—the vulnerability around relationships, love and bodies. Her job is all about her body and being a woman. But then, she’s so childlike as well. I feel like I relate to her on that level a lot. Although, it’s driven by a male lead and it has drugs, guns, London and it’s gritty, I feel that you can relate to her in so many ways even though her circumstances are not the norm. In Toronto, the women came up to me and they loved it because you go on a journey with Flo.
IFQ: How did you tap into and prepare for the role?
AD: I read the script a lot. I knew it inside and out. I went to work with this girl named Jen. Basically, I shadowed her. She taught me moves and how to do the job. It’s an art. You are acting a role—whatever they want you to be. I have this huge profound respect for the industry and the job that has to be done. Also with Flo being an addict, I was speaking to addicts and getting reality [on addiction].
IFQ: In the film, we learn relatively little of Flo’s past other than she’s the drug-addicted stripper girlfriend of Frank, the drug pusher. However, your performance suggests a deeper, more complicated history with Frank. What do you think happened to Flo off-screen or in the past that shaped her from the run-of-the mill stripper into the woman that we at times empathize with and see on-screen?
AD: I think she wants to be loved at the end of the day. She’s doing a job where she is getting seen by men. She’s stripping down to the bare essentials. It’s a “look at me” kind of thing. I feel like she has never really been seen. She’s never been told that she’s beautiful. She’s never had a relationship with her father, but she yearns for that. There is fear around her having a relationship with a man and the possibility of losing that. I feel like she didn’t fall into the career that she’s doing; she actually sought it out to fulfill some need inside herself.
IFQ: You have this dynamic on-screen chemistry with Richard Coyle. What are your thoughts on working with Richard?
AD: Richard is awesome. He is such an amazing actor and person. Working with him was great. He is so in it and I learned so much from his dedication, focus and detail. He was supportive of it being my first [feature]. We are both from the North of England. So straight away, we felt like brother and sister. I really felt supported and looked after.That’s what Flo felt from him—this quality of safety. I felt that from him.
IFQ: What is the overall message behind Pusher?
AD: I think it’s about relationships. I think it’s about choices. I don’t think it’s about drugs, guns and all those kinds of things. I feel it’s about thinking on your feet and making decisions, and how they can affect your life.
IFQ: Nicolas Winding Refn was impressed by your performance, and now you are set to star as the lead in the sequel, which will focus on Flo as she goes from London to Vegas. Can you tell us about it?
AD: There were talks and ideas. Then at the screening in London, Nicolas said that he would love to work with me, which is huge because I love his work and I respect him so much. I’m excited to carry on her journey and what she does. She’s so complex and she can go anywhere. She has this kind of quality where she can switch really fast into a different way of being.
Pusher is available on VOD, and is slated for a theatrical roll-out on October 26th in Los Angeles and New York, followed by a national release.