Know her name yet or not, it’s undeniable that Joey King is now one of the biggest stars in the world.
After all, The Gray Man, the massive $200 million Netflix blockbuster with Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, still couldn’t muster up as many views in its opening weekend as King’s The Kissing Booth 3.
With two big movies out this summer both the Disney+ original The Princess out at the beginning of this month and the upcoming action comedy blockbuster Bullet Train set to hit theaters on August 4 across the Middle East, King, 22, nearly 20 million Instagram followers, and one of the brightest young actors in Hollywood, is set to introduce herself to an even wider audience.
Ahead of the release of the (we have to admit, rather excellent) new film Bullet Train, Esquire Middle East caught up with Joey King to talk about the film, her own growth as an actor, and the advice she got from her co-star Brad Pitt.
Read more below.
Esquire Middle East’s interview with Joey King
Esquire Middle East: This movie is ridiculous amounts of fun. Was that all on the page, or did you develop that on set?
Joey King: What’s interesting is, with this movie, everything that was incredible about it was really, really on the page. But when we showed up to set, we started making this movie, and just more brilliant things started happening, more brilliant actors were cast. We had Brian Tyree Henry just throwing out hilarious improv, we had such amazing set design, costume design. So what was on the page just was so heightened and just so much was added to it. And we were able to play around so much and improvise and make our characters what we felt they should be. It was just like, taking something that was already amazing by Zach and just kind of rolling with it and just kept building on it.
Was that a muscle that you had developed on other films? How did this movie test you in ways that other things hadn’t?
Joey King: Well, I’ve never played an assassin before, that’s for sure. But first of all, like, let’s point out the obvious here. I’m working with frickin like Brad Pitt. And like Michael Shannon and David Leitch. And just like, when you are around people of that, that you admire that much, I think it just really pushes you to bring your A game, but also makes you like nervous and like excited and giddy.
When I showed up to set, I was just like, man, I think I deserve to be here, but I’m just not sure. Like, I don’t know. And then people like Brad just really say, no, you do, and we’re really happy to have you, and it just eases your calm and makes you just feel so at home and welcome. And then that becomes the challenge of, do I fit in? Am I going to be okay in this movie? Then it just kind of dissipates, and you’re able to just have fun and play your character and really just focus on how cool that is.
Did you always know what actor you wanted to grow into, or do you feel like you just kind of found it as you’ve gotten older?
Joey King: I don’t know. When I was younger, I never like thought about it. Like, who do I want to be like, what do I want to be, what kind of actress do I want to be? It was always just felt, luckily, like I found what I wanted to do so early on, because really it was a feeling that I just had about this business, in this industry, that I just loved.
Growing into this person I am today, it just felt like a natural progression. I have changed so much. It wasn’t a thing that I knew I wanted to change into. I feel that the same person I was when I started acting at four years old. Obviously I have a lot of life experiences under my belt that I didn’t when I was four. And so just I feel like proud of who I am, who I’ve become. But I don’t really like aim to be like anything, I just want to be my own thing. You know?
I mean, what are the ways that you feel that change as a person?
Joey King: I mean, I tie my shoes on my own now, and read and write. There’s prep time. Yeah, just says prep time. I think that you know, you go through things as a person, and that makes you better actor and it makes you a better person at the end of the day. I’ve been through a lot of different things personally and professionally.
And so now I’m able to utilize that and help grow my empathy and character as a human being. And that only helps make you a better actor when you’re able to put yourself in other people’s shoes.
What’s the moment you think back to most from the set of Bullet Train?
Joey King: I was going through kind of a tough time one day. And I was just like expressing that to some of my sweet cast mates. And Brad is someone who has been through a lot in his life and has been just around the block for a long time.
Just someone like him with life experience and just obviously experience with people having opinions about his life. It was really helpful to like hear from someone like him about why that noise should be drowned out and how he does it. And it’s just it was really, really nice to talk to someone like that.
No, I think it’s honestly I think what you guys made together is really special. So me too.
Joey King: I love this movie.
Me too. I’m gonna go watch it again. I’m cool with a big crowd.
Joey King: Thanks. So nice to meet you too. Thanks. Have a good one. Bye.