‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith discuss time on marsh

Described by the stars of the movie as a story of survival, mystery, and love, 'Where the Crawdads Sing' shares the story of a woman abandoned as a girl in the marshes of North Carolina.

Based on the best-selling novel by author Delia Owens, the film follows a girl named Kya who grew up alone and isolated. Her world changes after she meets two men from town. Curious about them and the world around her, Kya decides to step into the world that abandoned her.

Daisy Edgar-Jones portrays Kya in the film alongside Taylor John Smith who plays Tate Walker, one of the two men that piques Kya’s interest.

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"I think Kya’s character is such an enigmatic human, she's multifaceted, both curious and gentle, but she’s also incredibly resilient, strong and brave and bold," said Edgar-Jones. She tells BackstageOL she was intrigued by Kya’s complex nature and that's why she was drawn to the role.

"There is a lot in her that I think people can see in themselves, but also this story is so many things, it’s a murder mystery, a love story, a survival story and I think there is something for everyone in it," Edgar-Jones added.

Similar to his costar, Smith was also drawn by the compelling themes of the story. "It’s about survival and the mystery that is sprinkled throughout this great bromance," he shared.

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Smith thinks that isolation during the pandemic is what helped readers connect with Kya and better understand her character.

"I think the book came out at such a special time in a way," remarked Smith. 

With the deadly spread of the coronavirus in 2020, public health officials urged everyone to stay home and isolate. Millions of Americans had to spend long periods of time unable to see their loved ones or connect with other people in person.

"During covid, everyone was dealing with isolation themselves and getting to view this girl who was also going through this big period of isolation in her life and allowing her to be the hero that in our minds that we all needed," Smith said.

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Do the Crawdads Sing?

Though crawdads don’t actually sing, as originally thought, they are very tasty, according to Edgar-Jones. 

Both stars spent a lot of time out on the water in boats while filming the movie. During that time, Edgar Jones learned to drive and operate a boat. 

"I loved it, it was one of my favorite parts of the whole filming process, they couldn’t get off the boat, I loved speeding around and going really fast," she stated.

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All the time in the water even allowed the cast to do a little fishing on location. Having fished before, Smith tells BackstageOL how Edgar-Jones reeled in a fish on her first outing.

"I remember one day we went fishing by the pier, I was out there for four hours, and Daisy had threw out her first cast, and she’s like ‘oh something is pulling on the line,’ she was the only person who caught anything the whole shooting experience," he said. 

Where the Crawdads Sing is in theaters now. 

Read more on BackstageOL.com.