Rafi Cassidy
<b>Although he</b> is only 13 years old, Rafi Cassidy has already come up with an impressive resume in the acting industry.
Her acting career began with Tim Burton's The Shadow in 2012, followed by the role of the infant Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, and beatrice Selfridge in the critically acclaimed British television series Mr. Selfridge. Recently, we saw her face again in Tomorrowland, based on Disneyland's Tomorrowland Theme Park, which stars George Clooney and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 13.
In Tomorrowland, directed by Brad Bird (Mission Impossible 4), Frank Walker, played by George Clooney, was an inventive prodigy as a child, embarking on an adventurous journey with casey (Brittney Robertson, who starred in "Sperm Donor Husband"). They come to a dimension called Tomorrow's World, where their actions directly affect everything around them. Cassidy plays Athena, a voice-activated cyborg from Tomorrow's World, with whom frank Walker became friends during her childhood.
Recently, Time Network interviewed Rafi Cassidy, a very young actress who told us how she started her career as an actress, as well as the audition for Tomorrowland, the secrecy of the film, the feeling of playing a robot, the emotional preparation before the boot, the love for director Brad Bird, the collaboration with George Clooney, and so on, as well as the feeling of visiting Disney's Tomorrowland Park, the source of inspiration for the film.
<b>————time network interview with 13-year-old child star Rafi Cassidy ————</b>
<b>▌</b> <b>Got a role in Tomorrowland after three auditions</b>
Rafi Cassidy was on the big screen at a young age
Time.com: The first thing I want to ask is that you're only 13 years old, but you've already appeared in three summer blockbusters — Shadow, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Tomorrowland. How did you get involved at such a young age?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: It started out because of my brother, who had to try some acting. He went to an audition and came out and said, "We need a little girl, would you like to come?" "So I went in and auditioned, and got the role. I've loved acting since then and wanted to keep going and do more.
Rafi Cassidy plays athena, a robot, in Tomorrowland
<b>Time.com</b>: What was the audition for Tomorrowland like? How were you chosen? Are you conditional to get this role?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I recorded a video of myself and sent it to me, then went to London for a second audition. Then I went to the U.S. for another audition, and when I came back, I found myself in the role. I'm very excited.
<b>TIME:</b> The secrecy of this film is well done, do you know what kind of film you are auditioning for when you audition?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: After a few auditions, I was probably a little bit clueless, but I really didn't get any information other than knowing I was going to play a little girl.
<b>▌</b> <b>The robot Athena is the coolest character ever</b>
Her character in Tomorrowland was George Clooney's childhood friend
<b>TIME</b>: At what stage of your audition did you realize athena was actually a robot?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I think it was in London when I auditioned with other actors. I found out about it and I thought she was the coolest character ever!
<b>TIME:</b> When you found out that the character was a robot, did it have an impact on your performance?
Rafi Cassidy says the role of the robot Athena is cool
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: Obviously you can't tell she's a robot. She also has a lot of personality characteristics under the appearance of the robot setting. So just play her as a little girl with a lot of personality traits.
<b>TIME</b>: When you got the character, did they allow you to read the full script? Or do you just show you your part?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: We didn't get the full script at first, but when we went to Canada, we read the whole script.
<b>TIME:</b> What was your first reaction when you read the script?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I'm very excited. There are a lot of action scenes. I wanted to start shooting right away and do those cool things.
<b>▌</b> <b>My status as a director in the crew is equal</b>
The "Tomorrowland" crew family, from left, George Clooney, director Brad Bird, Brittney Robertson, Hugh Laurie
<b>Time.com</b>: You've been involved in big Hollywood productions before, and did you surprise you with the scale of tomorrow's work?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I was shocked when filming started, so many filming locations, so many different scenes. The crew is huge and everyone is amazing. I've never experienced anything like this. The cast and crew became a big family and were very happy.
<b>TIME:</b> You've worked with great directors like Tim Burton and Rupert Sanders before, so how was it like working with Brad Bird in Tomorrowland?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: He's a very nice guy. Very positive and creative. Every little detail that excites him will also excite you, and everything will be fun. He'll make sure you clearly understand what he wants the scene to look like, and then he'll let you build on that, and he's a good director, creative and imaginative. During rehearsals, I would show him how I wanted to play the play, and then he would tell me his understanding. Our status is basically equal, which is good.
<b>▌</b> <b>I also participated in George Clooney's pranks</b>
Is the old man and the young one discussing pranks?
<b>TIME:</b> Did you know george Clooney before making Tomorrowland? Have you ever seen his movies?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I've seen his Descendants and he's a very good actor.
<b>TIME: What's</b> it like to work with him?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: He's funny, he's a great guy, and I've learned a lot from him.
<b>TIME:</b> What did you learn from him?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I learned a lot in the process of watching him perform. His control is very strong, allowing the set to maintain a relaxed and happy mood, and he makes the whole atmosphere very friendly and comfortable.
<b>Time.com</b>: Mr. Clooney is known for his penchant for playing pranks on set. Did he tease you or other crew members while filming this movie?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I was lucky not to be teased by him. But I once worked on one of his pranks and it was very funny. We were shooting on a hovering train, and when the doors opened, the camera outside saw all of us standing together facing the camera. George thought it would be interesting if everyone hid it, so we did that, and when the car door opened, there was no one in the camera. It's so funny.
Stills from Tomorrowland
<b>Time.com</b>: There is a very moving emotional outpouring between you and George Clooney's character at the end of the film. As an actor, can you talk about how you brewed emotions before shooting this kind of scene?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: I needed the acting coach to do some coaching and practice that scene. We matched the scene with pictures, and when I was officially shooting, I thought of those pictures, which brought out emotions.
<b>TIME</b>: Last question, have you ever been to Disney's Tomorrowland?
<b>Rafi Cassidy</b>: Yeah, I went at the premiere, and that was so cool! Very interesting! Tomorrowland is like Tomorrowland, where people are happy.