Based on the beloved best-selling children’s book series “The Floods”, My Freaky Family is filled with music, magic and following your dreams. Following a sell-out Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, the film was also invited to screen at a string of festivals including The Children’s International Film Festival, the Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival and the coveted Cinefest Oz Film Festival 2024 in Western Australia. It will be released in cinemas nationally on October 24.
On the cusp of her 13th birthday, Betty Flood (Evanna Lynch, The Harry Potter franchise) – budding musician and magical being – just wants to be like the rest of her fabulous, but very different family, so why is her magical Mum so against it? As Betty wrestles with this, she also learns the amazing truth about her family and discovers that the not so normal, the magical and the musical are all a part of her fabulously freaky family.
With My Freaky Family coming to cinemas on October 24, Nick L’Barrow spoke with the film’s star, Evanna Lynch, about the animated films she loved growing up, why animation is such a good medium for families to explore complex themes, and the power of music.
Nick: Evanna, it’s such a pleasure to meet you! How are you today?
Evanna Lynch: It’s good to meet you! I’m good, thank you. Thanks for taking the time to chat this film.
Nick: Oh no, thank you for your time! I really appreciate it. I’d love to begin with how My Freak Family explores these beautiful themes of identity, acceptance, family, and following your dreams. I’m curious to know your thoughts on what makes animated films such great vessels to explore these themes in a way that is accessible to the younger audiences?
Evanna Lynch: That’s a really good question! And it’s so true – animated movies are so formative for children. I think a lot of animated movies do such a beautiful job of capturing the spirit of youth. I think this one is no different with children have that kind of idealism and not knowing fully what the world is like out there and having that innocence.
Often children are underestimated by the world, or not allowed to participate in society in meaningful ways or dismissed because one day you’ll grown and then you’ll be able to have an opinion and be able to express yourself.
But I remember having so many ideas as a child, big, ambitious ideas! And the frustration of not being listened to, and not having a voice or a place to be heard. I think I always found myself in animated movies, seeing those young, idealistic people. You know, like The Little Mermaid. She was 16, but she knew what she wanted. She knew who she loved and who she wanted, and there was an instance of truth to that.
Mulan was another formative movie for me, because again, it was someone who was not going to accept the societal restrictions or the role expectations. I would watch those movies and feel like whoever made this or wrote this understands what it’s like to be a young person who is struggling to find their place in the world and hasn’t yet. I think children and adolescents can feel very seen by these stories.
Nick: I spoke to a director recently who shared the same sentiment, and he said, “kids want to feel all the feelings”! And it reminded me of how I watched movies as a kid, and the idea that this new film that I watched could become my favourite movie because it understood me. Do you ever think about that as an actor, that someone might watch My Freaky Family and it will become their favourite movie because it’s so relatable?
Evanna Lynch: Yeah, that’s really cool to think that it could. Like, there’s so many quirks to the film, especially feeling like a young person embarrassed by their family. I remember that so acutely! Like, you know when your friends would come over and you’d worry about your house having a certain smell. Like, everyone’s house have a smell, right? And you go, “What does my house smell like? What impression am I giving to the world?”
I think that feeling is captured so well in this film. That she’s living in this really strange environment in which she feels fine in, she feels like it’s home. But when it comes to her relationships with other children and the outside world, she feels conflicted.
So, I really hope that this film can give to children that feeling of it’s not just you. There’s a lot of people in weird families, and who feel embarrassed, who try to hide that!
Mulan was that movie for me. It’s just imprinted on my mind. I remember watching that in the cinema, and the mountain escape scene where everything is against them, and they’re about do it. And she just takes a risk. She has this idealism, this quality that I remember having such a powerful impact on me.
Nick: I’m curious to know what your process is with finding a character’s voice. Did the version of Betty in the book inform any decisions about the nuances and quirks of her character and the voice you portray for her?
Evanna Lynch: You know, there wasn’t too much of that. They had a very clear idea, the casting team, the producers, directors. I think I was trying to make her feel younger. I was probably doing that thing where I was underestimating a young person! I thought she should sound young and have a higher voice.
And they kept coaching me back towards a more naturalistic tone, or even something in between. They really were looking to draw out that frustration. She’s not this moody teen, not unpleasant, not grumpy. I watched it back and thought she was really sweet! But, there is this balance because there’s a lot of frustration and angst of not being able to fully be who she wants to be. She knows she has these powers and this destiny, and I think that’s come through in the performance vocally.
It was actually an interesting choice for me, and a reminder that I can access my inner child for it. My inner child is right there, you know? It wasn’t that long ago, and it’s not that hard to access. It’s almost harder for me to access a more grown up tone. That doesn’t come as easy!
Nick: The story of My Freaky Family focuses on the magic of music! What role has music played in your life? Has there been times where the magic of music has helped you through a tough time, or even reminds your of a happy memory?
Evanna Lynch: Oh, good question. I would never consider myself musical. But I have an older sister who very much was, and when an older sibling is really good at something, you just go, “that’s not my thing then!”
I do remember my sister played the piano, and I tried to learn the piano up until 14, and I was… pretty average! But she was a prodigy. And now she’s a violin teacher. So weirdly enough, what I loved about this story was the beautiful violin, the Celtic violin, has been so touching and lovely.
I remember growing up when my sister was learning the violin, and listening to someone learn the violin, makes you hate that noise! It’s not a nice instrument when it’s in the learning process [laughs]. She’s amazing now!
But, yeah, I’m not very musical. It’s just a skill I don’t have. But song wise, I did an Irish play last year and I did discover quite deeply a lot of Celtic music, and actually fell in love with the violin. It can be so sad, and tragic, and dramatic. That’s right in my pocket. That’s where my tastes are!
It also has such a haunting quality. It’s not too sweet, and cute, and cheerful. And I feel like that mirrors this film. There’s a shade of darkness, and an enhanced quality. Because I think that Irish mythology is very rich in that tradition. It can be dark and uncomfortable, and I felt like the music in this film really captured that spirit.
Nick: As we start to wrap up, it’s incredible to think it’s been almost 20 years since your first role, and you’ve had such a varied and exciting career since then! I’m curious to know whether there has been an experience or learning that you’ve taken away from those sets all those years ago, that’s still a constant for you know in your career?
Evanna Lynch: Oh, that’s another really good question. Well, I would say just having a nice family – nice grounded parents who are not in the industry has really helped me because you see their work ethic, and it has nothing to do with their profile or how they present themselves, and all of that. It’s just very grounding.
I would also say that reading is really my anchor. I read books about the way people talk, or things like prayer and meditation, or where people get inspiration from. For me, it’s in books that I’ll be thinking about a character or a theme. And then the book I’m reading will have something that will just speak exactly to that experience.
I guess it’s very similar to meditation for me! When I’m immersing myself in the world of someone else’s story – and I don’t mean with audiobook, I think I really need to read the story because I have to focus and quite my mind – I tend to feel it feeds the character.
I also like to journal as the character! And they’re a complimentary experience!
Nick: That’s incredible. Evanna, thank you so much for taking the time to chat! I’ve really enjoyed this and hope we get to do it again soon!
Evanna Lynch: Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions and engaging so much with the film. It was really nice to speak with you!
Thank you so much to Evanna for her time, and to Pivot Picture and TM Publicity for organising the interview. My Freaky Family is in Australian cinemas on October 24.
