House of the Dragon’s Abigail Thorn shares acting ambitions: ‘I’m moving into more action roles now’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Speaking at last week’s Newport Beach Film Festival UK & Ireland Honours, the rising star also revealed also the Nicolas Cage film that changed her life with Attitude
Abigail Thorn has named James Mangold, Jane Campion and Rian Johnson as three directors she’d love to work with – while also revealing she’ll be moving further into the action realm in the future.
Chatting with Attitude at the Newport Beach Film Festival UK & Ireland Honours last week, the star said her work on Game of Thrones spin-off show House of the Dragon has inspired her to pursue more “action-focused fighting stuff”.
On her career dreams, Thorn said: “I would love to work with James Mangold. He creates these amazing characters specifically through action. I remember watching [Sylvester] Stallone in Cop Land years ago. With House of the Dragon, I’m moving into more action roles now. More action-focused fighting stuff.
“But working with James would be incredible. Jane Campion too. Every performance in a Jane Campion film – they’re all good! Kirsten Dunst’s performance in The Power of the Dog is one of the best performances I’ve seen in modern cinema. She’s amazing.
“Also, Rian Johnson. I watched season one of Poker Face and it’s so funny – he’s so good! So multitalented.”
Asked to name the LGBTQ-themed film that’s most changed her life, the star said: “It’s an odd answer, but I’m going to give it anyway, because it’s the truth! It’s not an explicitly LGBTQ-themed film, but have you ever seen The Colour Out of Space, starring Nicolas Cage? It’s adapted from a novel by H. P. Lovecraft. It explores the inherent weirdness in the nuclear family.”
“The UK film industry is one of the only industries we have that’s growing” – Abigail Thorne
Speaking from the red carpet at Raffles at the OWO, London, the 31-year-old continued: “I remember watching that at a pivotal time in my life, going: ‘Wow, I guess family relationships, gender, men and women, it is all a little bit weird, isn’t it?’ So that had a surprising impact on me.”
Asked what she’d most like to change about the film industry, Thorn said: “I’d like there to be more of it. The film industry in the UK is one of the only industries we have that’s growing. And we’re absolutely thriving. There’s a massive pool of talent here in Britain. That’s what tonight’s about, really. Saying to not only our government, but foreign producers as well, there’s such talent in Britain, if you only invest in it.”
“I’d like there to be more of it, for it to be more inclusive, more films, more TV, more jobs, and more career opportunities for all of the amazing talent coming up. Not just actors, but crew, make-up artists and so on.”
On the night, Thorn was named one of Variety’s 10 Brits to Watch for 2025 alongside Ava Wong-Davies, Erin Kellyman, Mia Tharia, Michelle de Swarte, Nabhaan Rizwan, Rich Peppiatt, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Varada Sethu and Xander Parish.