Olivia Cooke is happy to admit that working with Steven Spielberg on the mega-blockbuster Ready Player One is more than likely going to be the biggest film of her career.
At the moment that’s very much the case, as the 24-year-old from Oldham,just outside of Manchester, has built her reputation in “Ouija,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “The Limehouse Golem” and the upcoming dark comedy thriller “Thoroughbreds,” each of which were made for a relatively small amount.
“Ready Player One” is a somewhat bigger commodity, as it is an adaptation of a New York Times bestseller, a mega blockbuster from the major Hollywood studio Warner Bros and, most importantly, it is directed by Steven Spielberg, who is, of course, Steven Spielberg.
I recently had the opportunity to talk to Olivia Cooke over the phone about her performance in “Thoroughbreds,” and towards the end of our conversation I brought up “Ready Player One,” specifically her first meeting with Steven Spielberg, which she admitted was a “surreal” experience.
“It was really surreal. I was in his office at Universal in Los Angeles and I was asked to do a chemistry read with three different boys. And it was in an office with model ETs and T Rexes from ‘Jurassic Park.’ Seeing all that before you go in is scary enough.”
“But he couldn’t have been nicer. And I think he knows the power that he has over people and he cuts that with such a generous and kind tone that he just made it as comfortable as possible.
“I was still very aware that it was Steven Spielberg and this would be the biggest job of my life. But he was lovely. We shot it in London and Birmingham, too. So I couldn’t have been further away from a Hollywood blockbuster.”
Cooke also told me that she had the chance to see “Ready Player One” last week, which then provoked her to provide the very first review for the film. “I saw it the other week. Yeah, it’s good.” Short but sweet.
We’ll get to see “Ready Player One” all for ourselves when it is released on March 29, 2018. You can take in its cinematic majesty by watching its trailer below.
It is a busy month for Olivia Cooke, because just before “Ready Player One” moviegoers will be able to see her star opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in “Thoroughbreds,” which will hit cinemas on March 9.
