Eden Hart, a graduate of Toi Whakaari, New Zealand Drama School has been making waves since her impactful and wide-ranged performance in “Grafted”, directed by Sasha Rainbow.

Given that “Grafted” it her first feature film, Eden wasn’t afraid of a challenge – and she gets to play not one but two characters – Eve and Wei. She spoke to us about the complexities and the thrill of playing two characters and the social impact of the movie.

Ella Valentine: Hi Eden! It’s lovely to have you here – how are you doing these days?

Eden Hart: Hi Ella! I am happy to be here, feeling good, it’s summer where we are so – no complaints.

Ella Valentine: You’re lucky it’s summer where you are! Tell us more about your career so far and what attracted you to Grafted! It was such an enjoyable ride and you absolutely shined!

Eden Hart: Well the audition came with an uber cool visual brief with the gory and pink theme. Also the opportunity to play two different people?! Prosthetics, bleaching my hair to the scalp, working with Sasha Rainbow. Wei definitely interested me, she is every girl on the inside. I really wanted this one. This was my first ever feature.

Ella Valentine: Congratulations! Your character, Eve, seemingly a mean girl but also a soft girl at heart is a complex character that you succeeded in making very human. How did you approach the preparation for this role?

Eden Hart: Eve is very prickly, it is true. I think it’s a dog fight dog world in her mind, better to bite first. She just wants to get ahead, get leverage and be something special, which I know can motivate people to do all kinds of things. And we had strong direction, we needed to be ruthless in Wei’s world.

Ella Valentine: And on top of playing Eve, you also get to play Wei in the body of Eve! What did that look like in terms of logistics, as well as in embodying two different characters in one movie?

Eden Hart: Logistically, we had three identical teeth moulded for each of us. Themes in makeup, themes in body language, we crammed in as much rehearsal as possible, which was basically Jess Hong and I just staring at Joyena Sun for uncomfortable lengths of time. And YES – so much fun, there were sticky and uncomfortable moments to embody, but Wei had such a dynamic story arc, so much emotion going on, so much crisis.

Ella Valentine: What was your favourite moment from the set, or anything that was particularly challenging to film?

Eden Hart: I think us girls watching the movie with face masks, off camera, we honestly couldn’t keep it together, those masks were just too much.

Ella Valentine: Unfortunately the topic of the movie is very relatable today. A lot of young girls feel insecure due to perfect Instagram images and filters. What do you think we can do as society, and especially as women to build ourselves up and not be so obsessed with looks?

Eden Hart: Yes sadly women are still pitted against each other, so much value placed on how we present ourselves, our youth. I think finding strong female friendships has really transformed my relationship with myself, and with other women, with our bodies and minds. Taking the power back, being aware of how intersectional feminist plays a role in our communities and with ourselves, and just choose to practice over riding harmful, jealous, hateful feedback in your head or in the spaces you’re putting yourself in.

Ella Valentine: It’s understandable why such themes merge so well with the horror genre! Do you plan to stick around in the horror lane or are you staying pretty open?

Eden Hart: Man I would love to do more horror – sign me up! It’s where characters are put to the test. All the big feelings and the truth comes out in horror.

Ella Valentine: What shows are you watching these days or films you’re looking forward to seeing? 

Eden Hart: Mmm I have been making my way down the award season films and shows, loved Conclave, Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci are to die for. Also excited for white Lotus season 3! 

Ella Valentine: Same, so excited about The White Lotus’s new season! Is there a specific show you dream to be cast in or a filmmaker you’d love to collaborate with?

Eden Hart: I am open to work full stop, I am still actively learning so much. And I have too many idols to list, but Ryan Murphy comes to mind, love the universes he’s made, the biopics; Love a good biopic.

Ella Valentine: What inspires you outside of the industry? 

Eden Hart: My friends, our conversations, our challenges, nature, poetry, fantasy novels, good food, a bad week, random acts of kindness. I also have a dog, he is my muse and companion.

Ella Valentine: We can’t wait to see you on the screen again! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us!