Meet the bright young stars from Pete’s Dragon – Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence Interview #PetesDragonEvent

Following the premiere of Pete’s Dragon in LA, we had a chance to meet and interview the 2 young actors of the movie – 12 year old Oakes Fegley and 14 year old Oona Laurence.

Oakes Fegley plays the main character “Pete,” a young orphan boy who ultimately finds a friend and protector in Elliot the dragon. Prior to working on Pete’s Dragon, Oakes co-starred with Michelle Monaghan and Ron Livingston in “Fort Bliss,” and appeared in “This Is Where I Leave You,” as a younger version of Jason Bateman character. Many also know him in the role of Young Eli Thompson on the HBO hit series “Boardwalk Empire” and as Gabriel in CBS’ “Person of Interest.”

Oona Laurence plays the character of Natalie in Pete’s Dragon, the daughter of the local lumber mill owner (Wes Bentley). She is the daughter of a dedicated actor and just a few weeks ago, many of us saw Oona in the movie “Bad Moms,” but she actually started acting at age five in her father’s short film, “Days Dance.” She received a Tony® Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2013 for her work in “Matilda the Musical” and is well known on screen as Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams’ daughter in “Southpaw.”

These two bright young stars joined us and were just a pleasure to chat with. They were extremely poised and professional, though I was just extremely moved by the fact that even in all of this child stardom, they are still able to remain innocent and humble. They shared some of their experiences working on Disney’s Pete’s Dragon and on what it’s like to be a young star in this industry. Here are some highlights of our interview:

How’d you guys get the roles?

Oona: Well…we did the audition, and then I think I did another audition. And then I ended up doing a chemistry read with Oakes. And yeah! It was kind of just, like that! And then when I found out I got it, I was, like, oh my God! I’m going to New Zealand. Whoa!

Oakes: Same sort of thing. I went through three auditions, and then I had the chemistry read after that.

What was your reaction when you got the news? 

Oakes: I was actually at school. And my parents were on the couch. So I just walked back from my bus stop, and then they told me I got the part and I was really happy.

It was a Disney film. I was, like… Wow! I… Yeah. I’m incredibly proud of myself.
I… I can’t… Yeah, I’m just…I can’t believe I got the role, and it’s just been life changing.

Did you watch the original Pete’s Dragon at all to prepare for this role?

Oakes: Well, because they’re completely different, it wasn’t a matter of preparing with the other one. I didn’t see it before we had filmed. So I just watched it after. I’ve seen it a couple times since then.

Oona: I haven’t seen it actually.

What was it like filming with an invisible dragon?

Oakes: I guess it was pretty tough at first, because a lot of the time the dragon was, like, a pole with a tennis ball on the end. So it was kind of difficult to imagine that it was a dragon. But I think… as time went on, I think we all kinda got used to it.

Oona: Yeah. Yeah, it was like a tennis ball on a stick or a piece of tape on the wall… So you had to imagine that’s a dragon. Like {Oakes} said, it gets easier and easier as you, as you get used to it. But at the beginning it was kind of challenging, and it definitely… Yeah. It was definitely hard.

What was it like filming the stunts?

Oakes: It was fun. We did stunt training before we started filming and we felt safe with all the stuntmen. We just had a ton of fun and felt safe while doing it. So it was… really, really cool.

Do you have a favorite Disney movie…besides Pete’s Dragon?

Oona: I guess The Lion King would be my favorite, just because… I mean, it makes me cry every single time.

Oakes: Yeah, maybe The Lion King. But I also like the old Jungle Book a lot.

What was it like working with someone like Robert Redford?

Oakes: Robert was… I mean, he’s a legend. He’s really, really cool. He’s funny. And he’s really nice. And he’s a lot like a father. To everybody. He’s just amazing.

So when you guys are not acting, what are you guys doing?

Oakes: I go to school and I play football with my friends pretty much. Or I play video games. I play a lot of video games.

You don’t ride dragons?

Oakes: No. Sadly. Sometimes they can be divas. So…

Oona : It’s true. I just hang out with my friends, go to school. I’m just, like, a regular kid outside of acting I think.

What were your thoughts when you saw the finished product and watched the movie in its entirety?

Oakes: Yeah, it was really, really cool. I think seeing the dragon, too…

Oakes: {Along the way, they would} give us rough drafts of the dragon. But we have never seen it in full. I think when we both saw it, we were both, like, oh my god, this is amazing. Like, how did they put this together? It looks so real.
Like, watching the trailers and seeing the dragon for really the first time. I mean, it was incredible. Like I said after imagining the dragon for so long, it… It was just… incredible.

What message do you want other kids to take away from watching this movie?

Oakes: Just for them to know that family is very, very important. And that you can’t give up on family because they are there for you whenever.

So what’s up next for you two? Will we see you again?

Oakes: I just finished filming a movie directed by Todd Hanes and Julian Moore was in that. I got to do another starring role in that, and again, it was just really, really life changing, and really cool.

Oona: I’m going to high school, so I think that’s enough to keep me busy…

Don’t you love these kids?! You can see them in Disney’s Pete’s Dragon now in theaters everywhere!

Pete’s Dragon Official Trailer – In Theaters 8/12

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Photo Credit: Jana Seitzar