Dafne Keen has revealed that people offered her cocaine at Hollywood wrap parties when she was as young as 11. The actor, who rose to fame as a child star, said witnessing substance use at an early age made her wary of drugs and alcohol.
In an interview on the Inside of You podcast, as reported by Variety, the 21-year-old recalled the experience while discussing her decision to stay sober. Keen said she had never been drunk enough to suffer a hangover and described herself as a “control freak” when it came to drinking.
“As a child actor I witnessed so much of that as a child that I just had no interest… I was getting offered coke at wrap parties. Like, tiny. Like 11, 12, 13. So I saw what that was, so I was like, ‘I don’t really have any interest in that’… I was saying no, fortunately,” she told host Michael Rosenbaum.
Keen said she continues to avoid drugs and alcohol as an adult. She explained that she can enjoy a night out without drinking or taking anything.
“I don’t really need it. I’ll go out and stay out ’til 6, but sober. Just for the vibes, just ’cause I like music and I like dancing and I like people,” she said.
She also recalled how she used to avoid peer pressure as a teenager by pretending she had already taken something.
“I’d be like, ‘Nah, I’m good. I don’t wanna drink. I already took something.’ Dead sober. Like, the goodest goody-two-shoes ever,” she said.
Keen made her breakthrough in 2017 with Logan, playing young mutant Laura, also known as X-23, opposite Hugh Jackman. She was 11 when she filmed the superhero film, which reached cinemas a few months after her 12th birthday.
She credited Jackman with making the experience positive and looking out for her throughout the production. Keen said he offered encouragement and advice, while ensuring she enjoyed her time on set and remained protected from tensions behind the scenes.
“He gave me a lot of really positive reinforcement and a lot of really good advice. And he was always so lovely,” she recalled.
“He’s the best number one you could ever wish for. And he’s the best on-screen dad. He genuinely felt like a sort of parental figure.”
Keen added that Jackman made sure nobody took advantage of her working hours and that she had fun during filming.
“He made sure that no one was abusing my hours, that I was having fun on set, that I wasn’t aware of any tensions that would’ve been happening behind the scenes. He was so incredibly protective and amazing,” she said.
Following Logan, Keen took the lead role in the HBO and BBC One adaptation of His Dark Materials, which ran for three seasons. She later appeared in the Star Wars series The Acolyte and reprised her role as X-23 in Deadpool & Wolverine. She is set to play Artemis in the third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Keen’s full conversation with Rosenbaum is available on the Inside of You podcast.
