Alana Haim Praised For Her Performance In New Film, ‘Licorice Pizza’
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the much-anticipated movie will be in cinemas on November 26.
Alana Haim has attracted widespread acclaim for her role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film Licorice Pizza.
The upcoming film, which stars Haim in her debut performance, is a coming-of-age drama set in the 1970s in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, focusing on Haim’s character Alana Kane and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman).
Going by those who have attended an early screening, Licorice Pizza may be another hit for Anderson, some calling it a “masterpiece” and “brilliant”.
JJ Abrams praised Haim and Hoffman, saying: “Truly incredible debut performances. There’s little better than going to a PTA movie. Be sure to see #LicoricePizza November 26!”
Actor John C Reilly also had huge praise for Haim, saying in a chat with the singer and actress for Interview Magazine: “When Paul sent me that first screen test, I was like, ‘Dude, if you can keep them feeling this free, I think you’ve got a movie.’
“You know the phrase, ‘You can’t take your eyes off her?’ I’ve experienced that feeling before, watching a fireplace or a baby, but rarely with adults. When I visited the set, I remember sitting there and being glued to the monitor, even between takes. I turned to Paul, and I was like, ‘You can’t take your f_king eyes off her.’ He looked at me like, ‘Right?’
“The only other actor who makes me feel that way is Joaquin Phoenix. Watching him is like watching a raccoon rummage through garbage cans. What is he gonna do now? Why look at anything else, while this is going on? It’s hard to keep that energy on camera, Alana. Take it from an old clown like me. How many times would you say you’ve fallen in love?”
As part of the same interview, Haim called her time on the film a “huge growing experience”, reflecting on not working with her sisters Este and Danielle.
“I really was alone while making this movie, and it was a huge growing experience,” she said. “My two older siblings have carried me through life, so it was jarring to be like, ‘Oh, they can’t get me out of this one.’
“I also couldn’t blame them for anything, or be like, ‘Danielle did it, not me.’ I had to show up on set every day, know what I was doing, and hold my own.”
Listen to the best of Haim on Apple Music and Spotify.
