On The Crawdads Sing became one of the best-selling books of all time after its release in 2018, with 12 million copies sold and a record on the US bestseller lists.
The story, which takes place in two timelines, is about Kya, a girl who grows up isolated in a swamp in North Carolina, who later becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when the local star marshal is found dead
Kya, played by Normal People star Daisy Edgar-Jones, is judged and vilified by the locals who call her “the swamp girl”.
While growing up alone is thankfully not something many experience, Edgar-Jones told Sky News’ Backstage podcast that there are elements of Kya’s life that women will relate to.
“I think there are definitely aspects of the story that are a very female experience,” said the British star. “I think, in particular, his interactions with [love interest] Chase and the way she is judged is definitely a very feminine experience.”
Since the story is about a young woman, it’s perhaps no surprise that Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company, which focuses on stories starring women and was also behind hit movies and series like Gone Girl, Big Little Lies and The Morning Show. to bring it to the big screen.
What’s more surprising is that an all-female production team worked on the film, something that is still a rarity in Hollywood.
Learn more about Daisy Edgar-Jones
“Virtually all of our department heads, in fact I think all of them were women,” Edgar-Jones said. “And I don’t think it was necessarily a ‘we have to have’ thing; it just happened that all those women really connected with the story and were the best people for the job.
“But I think there was a sensibility and also an energy on set that was really calm and poised in a way that was so lovely to be on set and have that experience.
“I hope that soon this won’t be a remarkable thing, it would just be the norm for there to be representation behind the camera in every way, because it really just creates a collaborative and balanced atmosphere.”
Witherspoon’s relationship with the novel went deeper than making the film; selected it for their influential book club in 2018, no doubt helping it become the success it was.
Edgar-Jones, who at 24 would have seen Witherspoon’s hit films in her formative years, says it was a pleasure to meet the star.
Image: Daisy Edgar-Jones stars in Where The Crawdads Sing. All film photos: Sony Pictures
“She came to visit the set one of the days we were filming and it was the first time I met her in person. And it was great, I grew up watching Reese, so meeting her was wild and it was really good.lovely and it was very exciting to see her like seeing the set for the first time.
“She came over the day we were filming in Kya’s shack, and I remember stepping on that set and going, ‘That’s right out of my imagination when I read the book,’ so it was great to see her see . this.”
To become Kya, Edgar-Jones learned to sound like she was from North Carolina and also picked up other new skills, including drawing, fishing and boating.
Image: Image: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
But she says one of the demands of the role saw her finally use some training from her own childhood, when she learned to scuba dive.
“I jumped off the high table once when I was 11, that was one of the biggest achievements of my life! No, I took diving lessons for a while, so there was a time when I of submerging myself in the water. [while shooting] and I said, “Finally, this suits me, I can do a little good.”
Where The Crawdads Sing opens in UK cinemas