In Casey Affleck’s dystopian drama Light of my life, Canadian actress Anna Pniowsky plays a teenage girl who is one of the few survivors of a mysterious virus that has killed most women on Earth, including her beloved mother.

Although few in number, women remain vilified by men who fear falling victim to the deadly plague. So, a widowed father, played by Affleck (who also wrote and directed the film), does what he can to keep his daughter out of sight as they travel through the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Young Rag (Pniowsky with a short haircut) is to dress, look and act like a boy in case she is spotted.

Having only companionship, father and daughter manage to stay alive. They avoid contact with others as much as possible, only occasionally going to small towns to replenish their food reserves. Unable to send his daughter to school, Affleck’s “father” tells her stories, makes her read books, and does his best to give her the survival skills she needs to stay alive in case. where something would happen to him. The drama also stars Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), who plays Rag’s mother in a flashback.

Pniowsky, who turns 14 on September 4, spoke about his starring role and working with the Oscar-nominated actor / director who had to respond to allegations of sexual harassment from female members last year. crew in the 2010s. wish you were Here. Light of my life marks Affleck’s first film to be released after his public admission of unprofessionalism on this set and his apologies.

Pniowsky said Affleck, with whom she shares all of her scenes in the film, was a completely professional start.

This requested role required a lot of physics. How have you maintained your energy throughout?

Anna pniowsky: Honestly, I don’t have an answer. In fact, it was not that difficult. I was surrounded by positive people. We had a great crew. It certainly helps. It is useful when people are optimistic and energetic. I have a no sugar ruler on the board because if I get hyper, I break down. I didn’t drink coffee either. I guess part of my job is doing my job and enjoying it.

How many takes was that opening scene where the character of Casey, the father, tells you a story? It lasts almost 10 minutes and there doesn’t seem to be any cuts. How did you stay focused and pretend it’s the first time you hear it every time?

Pniowsky: I think it was a take. Maybe we took two, but we kept rolling every time we did the scene. How I continued to play the way I first heard it was that I would – and it sounds terrible – but I wouldn’t listen; I would sort of doze off. I don’t know if Casey knows but it’s my little secret. I would listen to little snippets of it and act surprised, like “I didn’t know it”. We started over and I listened to a different sample.

Your character, Rag, always asks his father a lot of questions. Are you as curious as she is?

Pniowsky: At some level. I think the reason Rag asks a lot of questions is that she doesn’t have a mother figure. Growing up you need to know a lot of things and I can’t imagine how difficult it would be – not to offend you – growing up with daddy and not knowing much. Especially in this upside down world, a lot of questions are raised like “Why did this happen?” ” “What does it mean?” “Why am I doing this?” Guess I’m a curious person myself, but I’m not as curious as Rag. I am in school too. Rag doesn’t have that. His school is his father. This is another reason why she has a lot of questions.

Aside from the various supporting characters that you meet throughout the film, Light of my life it’s mostly you and Casey. You are in all the scenes so even though you have done other movies and TV shows, was it the most demanding on you?

Pniowsky: “Demanding” is a very severe word. I would say this is the most I’ve worked and the hardest I’ve worked, although I try to work as hard as possible on everything I do. You don’t realize how hard you have to work on something until it pops up and you realize, “I really have to do this. ”

So, did it like character exploration more? Was it exciting?

Pniowsky: It was a great experience.

With Casey producing and directing this movie besides acting in it, did you have a lot of time to sit down and hang out with him?

Pniowsky: Not really. We didn’t really have much time to bond during the movie. The only time we talked about things was between scenes, and he was like, “What do you think? and I would give my opinion, or something like that. Part of the thing about comedy is you kind of have to go with it.

You shot this in Vancouver. How long were you there and was it as cold as it looks on the screen?

Pniowsky: I was there for about 2 and a half months and it was pretty cold but I’m a warm Canadian so I’m used to the cold. It wasn’t that bad but it was quite cold.

How did you feel about having to cut a lot of hair for the role?

Pniowsky: It was quite difficult for me to say goodbye to my hair. I used to have very long hair; it was up to my waist. Little, I hold on to my hair. This is what makes me feel very feminine. So while filming that, it was a little hard to get used to having a buzz cut. But, it was worth it overall. It would have been easier if I had had a nice haircut. The hairdresser cut it well, like hairdressers do. But then Casey walked in and messed it up. He had it cut from all angles. Afterwards, I must have started college with a terrible haircut. I came in mid-year and it wasn’t the easiest, but overall it was totally worth it.

If you can survive college with a great haircut, then you can survive almost anything, right?

Pniowsky: That is what I am saying.

You mentioned that you are in school. Do you go to a regular school?

Pniowsky: I go to regular school and I start high school this year.

In Canada or the United States?

Pniowsky: United States I live in LA right now.

Can’t wait to start high school?

Pniowsky: Yes. I go to a real high school; I am not homeschooled. I enjoy this because I want the all-American high school cliché experience. I want to go to the ball. I want to go to soccer games and things like that. And, this is something that you cannot get with homeschooling.

You have other projects in progress. Have you finished Judy Small?

Pniowsky: Yes. It was a really fun shoot. I got to work with Alicia Silverstone, which was also a lot of fun. It was awesome.

Light of my life opens in theaters nationwide, digitally and on demand on August 9.