Marlow Barkley is just about to turn 14, but she’s already experienced more than the average teenager. For one, she got to work with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence on Barkley’s first feature film, Slumberland. To make things even more impressive, her co-star was none other than Jason Momoa.

In the family adventure film, Barkley plays Nemo, a young girl dealing with the sudden loss of her father. Everything about her once-idyllic life has changed, but when she enters the dreamworld of Slumberland through her sleep, she meets an outlaw named Flip (Momoa) who guides her through the magical universe. From jumping off cliffs to flying on top of giant geese, the unlikely pair traverse through their imaginations as they try to reunite Nemo with her late father one last time.

A few hours before her very first feature film premiere, Barkley sat down with Tudum to discuss her upcoming movie. More importantly, she wanted to warn others about the grave dangers of eating too many blueberries.

Nemo (Barkley) discovers a map to the magical world of Slumberland.

Congrats on Slumberland! You’ve done voice-over work and starred in the series Single Parents in the past, but this is your first feature film. How does it feel?
It feels amazing, especially since I’m so new to this. This is crazy that it’s my first movie and it’s such a big one, especially with Jason. It was definitely a crazy experience. 

What drew you to the script?
I loved the character Nemo. It was everything that I would’ve wanted to do and more. It has stunts, it’s emotional, but it has that heart, and it’s funny. I feel like Nemo was just a perfect role. 

You wouldn’t have guessed that this is your first feature. There are so many touching moments. What inspiration did you turn to in order to convey Nemo’s grief and loss?
My mom and I were in Canada for five months filming this, and my dad and my sister couldn’t come because of COVID. That was very difficult because I see my dad every day and I talk to him all the time. Being without him, I was like, “If I can’t go five months without him, I can’t imagine what it would be like not being able to see him for the rest of my life.” Being put into that perspective, the tears just came naturally when filming with Kyle [Chandler]. I really did feel like I wasn’t with my dad anymore. It made me very sad. 

Has your dad finally seen the movie?
Oh, yeah. My entire family has seen it already. My dad was crying like a baby. I’m exposing him. I’m sorry! Even during the funny parts, you just hear [his] sniffles, and I turn around and his eyes are red.

Onward to the next dream for Flip (Momoa), Nemo (Barkley) and Pig.

Your dad might not have been there, but you got to film with Jason Momoa. What was he like?
We clicked instantly. On set, he was just always cracking jokes and making me laugh. He was also very wise, and he talked to my sister and my dad on FaceTime. He even invited me and my mom over a couple times to hang out. Just a very, very friendly person. He was everything I wanted him to be and more. 

Did he give you any pointers or any advice on set?
For sure. He taught me how to work hard but still love what I do and have fun on set — and still bring my A game. He told me that if I ever need to calm down or if I need a break, that it’s OK and I can take all the time that I need because my work is valuable. 

And obviously working with Francis Lawrence must’ve been so cool. He has so many iconic music videos and films. Were you familiar with any of his work?
My sister was kind of freaking out more than me. She was like, “He was working on the Hunger Games!” I was like, “Yes, that’s Francis Lawrence!” I was shocked at how committed he was to everything. He was very hands-on on set. He would always help when the camera was being set up. He always knew how to treat everybody amazingly on set and taught everybody with respect. He treated everybody maturely and he was just phenomenal.

Alan Markfield/Netflix

It’s serious business hiding from Agent Green on the set.

Talk to me about the stunts. There was so much physicality that went into your role.
It was scary, but that’s what made it thrilling. Luckily, we were in a pool. I wasn’t actually sinking to the bottom of the ocean — that would be terrifying. It was a pool and the bottom and the sides were black, so it looked like an actual ocean when all the lights were on. 

Go Behind the Scenes of Slumberland With Jason MomoaThis is the stuff dreams are made of.

Could you see anything?
You couldn’t see beneath you. They had a wave machine and fans and rain. It was kind of cool being in the center of all the chaos and seeing how movies work behind the scenes. There was one scene where I was actually really terrified — it was when I fell into the ocean after being knocked down on the boat.

It was just me and the stunt team. That was it. There was no camera, no crew, anything like that. I was like, “Guys, I can’t do this. I can’t do this.”

My amazing stunt double, Juliana, was like, “If you feel like you can’t do it, then we’ll put your face on mine, don’t worry about it.” She made me feel so calm. She was there when we actually filmed it. We tried it at 25% speed, then 50%, then 75%. When we got to 100%, I was like, “OK, guys, I’m ready to go up higher.” They’re like, “You’ve reached 100%. That’s as high as it goes.” They really made me feel like I was fearless. 

So it’s safe to say that you’ll be doing more action movies in the future?
Heck yeah.

Barkley got a taste of doing her own stunts while filming Slumberland.

How did you get into acting?
I love when I get asked this question because I can brag about my sister. My older sister, Tessa, is amazing. She does musical theater and that’s where I started. You see your older sister do anything and you’re like, “That’s what I want to do.” We did a show together and then we did another one, and we just kept doing musicals. After a little bit, our music director was like, “Hey, guys, there’s an audition for an agent. I think you two should go out for it because I think you guys really have something special.”

I wasn’t thinking anything of it, but we got it. I did a lot of commercials. There were a lot of noes, and I kind of felt like maybe this isn’t for me. Then I got Single Parents, and after that everything just kind of took off. 

Is there a particular movie that was formative for you?
One of my favorite movies is My Girl. That movie always makes me sob. It has kids in it, too.

That’s one you definitely don’t want to watch on a plane.
That’s where I first watched it, too. It was on the plane! 

Are there any actors that you look up to?
I love Florence Pugh. I think she’s incredible. One day I will get to work with her and hopefully meet her soon because I think she’s just amazing.

Who needs a car when you have a walking bed?

Let’s manifest that for you. In the spirit of Slumberland, what’s the craziest dream you’ve ever had?
I had a dream where I was eating blueberries, and then one grew life-size, grew legs, arms and a face and started chasing me around my house and then eventually ate me. 

Did you see a dream psychologist after that?
No, but we have a friend, Ruth, who’s very into lucid dreaming, and I told her about it. Basically, in the dream, I’m pounding blueberries and then there’s one that gets up and chases me around. She was telling me that maybe I’m taking all of these opportunities way too quickly, before inspecting them. If I just engulf myself in these experiences, one could end up being bad. 

That’s very wise. So do you still eat blueberries?
Oh, absolutely. Still pounding them down. 

What’s next for you after Slumberland?
I want to keep traveling. I was in a show for a couple episodes, and that’s coming out soon. Stay tuned for that. I definitely want to keep acting and hopefully star in a horror movie in the future.

A horror movie starring you and Florence Pugh!
Oh my God. Let’s make it happen! Where we get chased around by a blueberry. 

You better write that down. Lastly, what are you currently watching on Netflix right now?
I love Gilmore Girls. I’m watching it for the first time and still on Season 1. I just love the relationship between Rory and Lorelai. It feels very real to me and I feel like that with my sister. She’s very protective over me, but we still have a lot of fun. We’re very close in age just like Lorelai and Rory.

Slumberland Stars Jason Momoa & Marlow Barkley Run Wild On-SetThese two are a dream come true.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.