Julian Ovenden Reveals What Spoke To Him About The Lost Girls - Exclusive
Ever since it was first published over a century ago, J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" has sparked the imaginations of generation after generation of children with its visions of flying, battles with pirates, and promise of never growing up. Given its ongoing popularity, it's no wonder the story has frequently been revisited and reexamined, but never has it been explored quite like it is in "The Lost Girls." Based on the novel of the same name by Laurie Fox, the film delves into how the Darling women cope in the aftermath of their adventures with Peter Pan, putting a decidedly female perspective on the familiar tale.
Veteran stage and screen actor Julian Ovenden plays Clayton Braverman in "The Lost Girls," the father of Wendy who, like her mother and grandmother, is swept away to Neverland by Peter Pan as a child and must cope with growing up after returning home. Ovenden's character is caught in the middle of these events and, knowing the impact Peter Pan can have based on the way Wendy's mother left the family, is torn between wanting to keep Wendy close and letting her forge her own path. Ovenden perfectly balances Clayton's competing impulses as a father, creating a portrait of a conflicted but kind-hearted man who's raising his daughter in extraordinary circumstances. Ovenden sat down with The List to discuss what drew him to "The Lost Girls."
Ovenden's experiences as a parent helped him relate to the story
Ovenden found a lot in "The Lost Girls" to appreciate. "I think there's quite a lot of paradoxes in the story, aren't there? " Ovenden observed. "In a way, it's a story about growing up and staying young at the same time."
However, more than anything, Ovenden related to his character due to his own experiences as a parent. "Now, I have children of my own, so the whole parenting aspect to it, and the whole idea of how you bring up your children in this world especially at the moment ... We're surrounded by so many dangers, both virtual and real," Ovenden reflected. "... so it appears at a time which is quite interesting. How much [do] you control about your children; how much [do] you allow them their freedom? And also, in terms of a personality, how a personality is put together ... We all have our own shadow. We all have our own Captain Hook, I suppose. So I found that quite interesting."
"The male figures in the story are often trying to control, and one has to allow that side to come across," Ovenden added. "It's not really made clear as to where [Clayton's] wife went. She disappeared, but that obviously engendered a sense of wanting to hold his daughter very tight to him and not wanting to let her go. That seemed an interesting thing to play especially in the 21st century. I responded to that."
"The Lost Girls" is in theaters and on demand on June 17.