Lily James on Playing a Young Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! Here We Become Once more

Lily James. Photo: Getty Images

Many accept attempted to share the screen with Meryl Streep, merely only a few have tried to alive upwardly to playing a younger version of her. In Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, a beachy, sugary cocktail disguised as a summer moving picture, Lily James had to do just that, playing the younger version of Streep's Donna Sheridan in a series of flashbacks that explain only how she concluded up living on a Greek island — and sleeping with three men in a row without knowing who ended upwards being the father of her daughter. For the role, James, who started her career off on the very English Downton Abbey and Cinderella, slips into an American accent, a pair of overalls, and more than a few classic, and not so familiar, ABBA songs. Vulture defenseless upwardly with her to talk well-nigh trying to live up to Meryl's work, getting advice from Christine Baranski, and her surprising phonation cameo in Pitiful to Carp You.

It must exist pretty intimidating to take to play a immature version of Meryl Streep, since she is, you know, Meryl Streep. How did you lot discover a way into playing the immature Donna?
Yeah. Evidently information technology was very daunting, and part of me thought, Oh God, I don't know if I tin can do this. Just then I watched Mamma Mia! and reminded myself I'm playing immature Donna Sheridan, not a young Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep, who's ane of the greatest actresses of all time, had created Donna Sheridan, and so therefore I had this whole world of inspiration, and character to draw on, and to endeavor and bottle and capture and report that essence of what made Donna this fearless, ballsy, brilliant woman — attempt to choice a few characteristics, or expressions, or a physicality that would make the watcher hopefully believe that my version of Donna would abound into hers.

You lot had to wear the aforementioned overalls, which would help.
Getting into the overalls was probably the moment where I was like, Oh, my God. Meryl does this funny fiddling leg pop [in the overalls], and she does this mad footling dance. I watched it over and over and over.

The movie's finale is so outrageous, because everyone sings "Super Trouper" together — you lot, Meryl, Cher, the new and old cast. What was that like?
Everywhere you expect there were these motion picture legends, and it was very overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that I danced with Meryl, which that'southward something that merely happens in your wildest dreams. We were all wearing these ridiculous costumes, and there was fireworks, and there was smoke, and there was glitter. Information technology was and so mad.

What was it similar to have that group of immature people together shooting the moving-picture show?
It was wild. There was the six of usa on an island in Croatia for six weeks in the sunshine. It was the best summer holiday y'all could dream of, and we've all go so close, and they're all and then talented. It wasn't similar work. If you ask Colin, or Stellan, or Pierce, or any of them, they all say that it was ane of the happiest jobs they've ever washed. Fifty-fifty Bob Yeoman, the director of photography who's worked on all Wes Anderson films.

In your opinion, which pair of new and original bandage members had the all-time lucifer of personalities?
I'd say that Christine Baranski and Jessica Keenan Wynn, the Tanyas … that was mad casting. Christine did Broadway and Jess is a Broadway baby, and there's a mad similarity between how they walk, and their whole aureola. Christine is then supportive. She used to sneak into rehearsals, and she would picket us. She was like, "You girls are killing information technology. You lot're all perfect. Go for it." She gave us a seal of approval, which actually meant the world to us.

I would be too intimidated to exercise anything in front of Christine Baranski, and then I'g very impressed.
Only the other day, I was watching The Birdcage with Robin Williams, and she'southward amazing. In Mamma Mia!, both in this 1 and in the first one, where she does that split kick, she's got the most banging legs you've ever seen, and is more flexible, and more than nimble, and amend at dancing than anyone else. Information technology'due south the iconic moment of both films.

In Sorry to Carp You, you provided Tessa Thompson'due south white voice. How did that come up about?
I worked with Tessa Thompson on a movie called Little Woods, and we played foster sisters in that. I think Tessa is an outstanding player, and beyond that, person. She has this whole energy moving through life. It'south inspiring. She emailed me, "Hey, practise you wanna exercise this matter?" Then I read the script, and I thought it was actually important, a story that I was really bully to be a part of, even in this mad manner. I'thou really looking forward to seeing how it all panned out. I oasis't seen information technology yet.

You lot're too in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Skin Pie Lodge this summertime. Between that and Mamma Mia! Here We Become Again, you've staked out a claim for doing movies with the longest possible title.
[Laughs politely.] Guernsey — literally, I withal can't get the title right. I think in another territory, they called it Beloved Juliet, and I was like, there we go. There's a snappy championship. Only information technology'due south really charming, it's about reading. Information technology's centered around a book club, and how volume clubs accept the power to ship you. It's an English romantic drama at its most quirkiest and best.

I think of you every bit beingness in then many very English projects similar Downton or Cinderella, simply in Mamma Mia! yous're playing an American. What is the hush-hush to doing an American accent?
My begetter was American, and my grandmother, and so information technology feels a part of myself. But at the same fourth dimension, I worked with an amazing dialect charabanc chosen Jill McCullough, and she drills you. I stayed in the accent the whole fourth dimension. I really liked being American.

Does doing the accent change your persona?
I call up there's a whole different energy. With each emphasis comes a physicality, and American has this driving through to the terminate of a judgement. Perhaps that was but Donna, specifically.

Speaking of very British projects, you're fastened to a Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis comedy nearly music, but I don't know if it'due south necessarily a musical?
Information technology'southward non a musical, but information technology's centered around the Beatles' music, and imagining a earth where there's only one person left on the planet that can remember the Beatles, which would be a sad place. Not a earth I'd want to live in.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Lily James on Playing a Young Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia two https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/841/656/9081056c0b4d651fe95b927776d8e5962f-18-lily-james-chatroom-silo.png