Taron Egerton talks 'lucky' casting in new thriller 'She Rides Shotgun'

Taran Egerton talks new thriller 'She Rides Shotgun'

The new thriller ''She Rides Shotgun'' stars Golden Globe winner Taron Egerton as an ex-con who goes on the run and takes his young daughter along with him.

Golden Globe-winning actor Taron Egerton knew it would take a special person to play his daughter in the gritty new thriller "She Rides Shotgun."

"I’ll be honest, I knew that we would find somebody who would be suitable for the role, because there are lots of young actors out there," says Egerton. "But finding somebody like Ana, who is a true gem, a true one-off…you really can't plan for that. We really got lucky."

Ana Sophia Heger — now just 11 years old — won the role as Egerton’s estranged daughter Polly, and is now winning rave reviews for her deeply-felt performance. In the film, Egerton plays Nate, an ex-con who goes on the run and takes his young daughter along with him. Pursued by both law enforcement and enemies, the duo struggle to survive while also reestablishing a relationship.

Egerton says he conducted "chemistry reads" via Zoom with several performers during the casting process, and felt an immediate connection with Heger.

"I think it needed somebody who had the ability to listen and be very tender, but also somebody who had bite and pizzazz, and somebody who was not going to be cowed or shy away from the more dark elements of the movie," he says.

"She Rides Shotgun" was directed by Nick Rowland and is based on the book by Jordan Harper; it opens in theaters this Friday, Aug. 1, from Lionsgate. Click here for more information on the film — and click the video player in this article to hear more of our interview with star and producer Taron Egerton.