‘Percy Jackson’ Star Dafne Keen Says She Was Offered Cocaine at Wrap Parties When She Was a Child Actor

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Dafne Keen became a breakout star at a remarkably young age. She started auditioning for ‘Logan’ when she was 10, booked the role of X-23 at 11 after about 6 auditions, and was 12 when the film was released.

Since then, she has built an impressive career. She played Lyra in ‘His Dark Materials’, Jecki Lon in ‘The Acolyte’ and Artemis in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’, and she returned as X-23 in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

Keen recently looked back on those early years in a wide-ranging interview. Speaking on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum in an episode released on November 3, the 21-year-old shared a troubling memory from her time as a child actor.

“I was getting offered Coke at wrap parties,” Keen said. “Like tiny, like 11, 12,” Rosenbaum asked her to confirm the age, and she did. Keen added that she recognized what was being offered and had no interest in it.

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She didn’t name any specific productions or say who made the offers. Her comments still offer a stark look at the environments young performers can find themselves in. Keen’s story wasn’t the only difficult experience she discussed. After ‘Logan’, according to Comic Basics, adult male fans showed up at her school in Madrid with cameras.

Netflix Junkie also reported that men sent letters, Bibles and music boxes to her home. Keen recalled advice from her grandmother, who told her that the loudest bad person in a room doesn’t represent everyone.

On a brighter note, Keen spoke warmly about her ‘Logan’ co-star Hugh Jackman. She called him the best onscreen dad and said he made sure no one worked her too hard on set.

She explained that Jackman regularly checked that she was having fun during filming. The episode’s title refers to what Jackman protected her from, though the show notes don’t share the details.

Jackman has previously joked that Keen punched him in the arm so hard during her first audition that he had a bruise the next day. Keen also revealed that she was convinced she wouldn’t get the part. She told Rosenbaum she believed Millie Bobby Brown would land the role of X-23, as The A.V. Club reported.

The 2 young actresses were already friendly and had chatted at the hotel during auditions. Keen described Brown as sweet and lovely, and said she worried that missing out on the role would break her.

The conversation also touched on her more recent work. Keen discussed hiding panic attacks while filming the horror film ‘Whistle’, in which she stars opposite Nick Frost. She shared that one detention scene took 73 setups, and that her personal mission was to make Frost laugh. Rosenbaum said he didn’t expect that much depth from such a young guest.

Keen’s candid comments come as she prepares for one of her biggest TV roles. She plays the goddess Artemis in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season 3, which premieres on Disney+ on November 20.

Her honesty about the pressures of growing up in the industry has struck a chord with many fans. It also adds to a wider conversation about how productions protect young performers on and off set.

What concerns you most about Dafne Keen's experiences as a child actor?

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