ENTERTAINMENT: Imagining Dragons

 TFK talks to Pete's Dragon co-stars Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence

 

 

 

Pete, played by Oakes Fegley, ventures into the water with his dragon pal, Elliot, in the new movie Pete’s Dragon.

 Do you believe in dragons? On August 12, one of these mythical creatures lands a starring role on the big screen in Pete’s Dragon. The film brings an animated dragon, Elliot, and his human best friend, Pete, together. Shooting it took a lot of imagination for Oakes Fegley, the 11-year-old actor who plays Pete, and Oona Laurence, the 13-year-old actress who plays Natalie. She discovers Pete and Elliot in the woods. Oakes and Oona talked to TFK’s Rebecca Katzman about training for stunts, acting with green pool noodles, and their favorite types of animals.

TFK: Could each of you tell me a little about your characters in the film? 


OONA LAURENCE: My character, Natalie, is basically just a regular girl. One day, when she goes out [into the forest] with her parents, she wanders off and finds Pete. She follows him. Natalie is very curious and open to new things. 


OAKES FEGLEY: Pete is also very curious. He’s very scared, too. He does not want to leave Elliot, and he is confused. Pete wants to learn about how the civilized world works: Why do cars move? Why are there lots of people wearing weird-looking clothing? He learns a lot of these things from Natalie.

TFK: How did you prepare for your roles? 


OAKES: To train for our stunts, we went to rock-climbing gyms, did a ropes course in the trees, and learned gymnastics. We got to know everyone on the stunt team really well, which was important. When you’re being held up in the air by only a harness, it’s nice to know the person behind that harness, and to know that they’ll keep you safe. 


OONA:  It was surprisingly fun to fall out of a tree! There was a green screen behind me, and I was in a harness. They dropped me onto these green pool noodles. I would say “Ouch!” and pretend they were tree branches.

TFK: It looked very realistic, as did your scenes with Elliot. What was it like to film those?


OAKES: We had “eye line,” which was basically rubber, tape, or something bright attached to the end of a pole. Somebody would hold the pole up and we would just look at that. 


OONA: And pretend it was Elliot. The most challenging part for me was imagining that this dragon is actually there, even if it’s just a tennis ball on a pole. Those scenes were really hard, but it was fun to use my imagination to harness those emotions.

TFK: Which scenes were your favorites to film?


OAKES: I had a lot of fun doing my emotional scenes with Elliot. I cried, but I really wasn’t sad at all. 


OONA: We went to some amazing places [in New Zealand] to shoot. In a scene at the very end, we were on top of a mountain!

TFK: If each of you had to spend six years in the woods with an animal, what kind would it be, and why? Dragons aren’t an option.


OONA: For me, it would be a meerkat, because that’s my favorite animal. They’re so adorable, and they seem very nice. 


OAKES: I would like to be in the woods with either a badger or a dog.