Palisadian Steven Spielberg has cast an unknown British child actress to star in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s novel “The BFG,” DreamWorks studio announced today.
The part will be Ruby Barnhill’s first feature role in film. Barnhill, who is from Cheshire, has been acting for two years and will also appear in the upcoming BBC children’s drama “Four O’Clock Club.”
Photo by Gerald Geronimo.
“I feel incredibly lucky, and I’m so happy, ” she said. “Sophie gets to go on this wonderful adventure, and I’m so excited that I get to play her.”
Spielberg said the book’s author would have approved of the casting choice.
“After a lengthy search, I feel Roald Dahl himself would have found Ruby every bit as marvelous as we do, ” Spielberg said. “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”
Published in 1982, “The BFG” is the tale of a young London girl and the mysterious giant who introduces her to the beauty and peril of Giant Country.
Mark Rylance has been cast as the “Big Friendly Giant.”
Luke Kelly, managing director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and the author’s grandson, said Sophie “is one of the most endearing young heroes in Roald Dahl’s stories. She is as brave as she is curious and has an innate sense of wonder. Many congratulations to Ruby on landing the role. We hope that making `The BFG’ proves an utterly magical adventure for her.”
DreamWorks acquired the rights to the book in 2010. Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg and Kennedy on “E.T., ” penned the screenplay.
STAFF and WIRE SERVICES
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