Jessica Barden is a British actress with a strong accent best known for her role in the TV series The End of the F***ing World. She has played a handful of American characters in recent films like Pink Skies Ahead, Jungleland, and The New Romantic.
Her newest film, Holler, finds her once again portraying an American, this time a struggling Ohio resident who turns to criminal activity in order to get by and give her a chance at going to college. It’s an atypically serious role for Barden, who also had supporting comedic turns in Tamara Drewe and The Lobster, and it’s great to see her respond to the challenge with an unsurprisingly fantastic performance.
I had the chance to speak with Jessica about what spoke to her about this film’s particular relevance in this moment and what she’d like to do going forward in her career. You can watch the video below, along with an official summary and where to watch.
Film summary:
In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunity are drying up, a determined young woman finds a ticket out when she is accepted to college. Alongside her older brother, Ruth Avery joins a dangerous scrap metal crew in order to pay her way. Together, they spend one brutal winter working the scrap yards during the day and stealing valuable metal from the once thriving factories by night. With her goal in sight, Ruth finds that the ultimate cost of an education for a girl like her may be more than she bargained for, and she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind.
Here’s the trailer for the film.
Holler opens on Friday, June 11th in select theaters and on demand/digital.