“The Craft: Legacy” Star Gideon Adlon Talks Witchcraft, Sisterhood and Toxic Masculinity
Gideon Adlon first visited a psychic when she was only six. In fact, the actress has been obsessed with crystals for as long as she can remember. So, it seems fated that she would go on to star in The Craft: Legacy, a reimagining of the 1996 cult classic.
“I definitely have my own little practice,” the actress tells Student Edge over the phone.
“I started going to a psychic when I was really little, and I just loved it.
“Working on a project and doing what I love, and having that project be about something that’s such a strong part of my life was so special.”
Despite only being at the beginning of her career, Adlon has racked up an incredibly impressive list of acting credits. She previously starred in the hit comedy Blockers, Netflix’s The Society and the prison rehabilitation drama The Mustang. Now, she plays the witty and vibrant witch Frankie in The Craft: Legacy.
As Adlon explains, she formed tight friendships with fellow cast members Cailee Spaeny, Lovie Simone and Zoey Luna.
“It was wonderful working with them. We met and it was an immediate connection,” she says.
“We spent our whole first night together just talking and we genuinely formed a sisterhood. It was non-stop talking and moon rituals.”
If you've never watched Andrew Fleming's original movie and need a quick recap, The Craft centres on a group of four teenage girls who pursue witchcraft and use it for their own personal gain.
This time around, The Craft: Legacy follows Lily (Spaeny), who discovers her aptitude for magic when she moves to a new high school. Frankie (Adlon), Tabby (Simone) and Lourdes (Luna) ask her to be the fourth member of their coven.
Understandably, Adlon is hoping that the film still resonates with fans of the original movie.
“I didn’t really think about the nerves until it got closer to the release date,” she says.
“I hope the original The Craft fans love it as much as we do. It’s very different, it’s a new age of young witches.”
It was director Zoe Lister-Jones’ fresh take on the classic that drew Adlon towards the project in the first place. Adlon points out how The Craft: Legacy is really—at its core—a story about feminine power.
“I loved the way Zoe Lister-Jones wrote the characters and their stories, and how she normalised so many things and made it flow so organically,” she says.
“Showing strong women on the screen tearing down toxic masculinity, we need more of that. All we have right now is our generation, and it’s up to us to turn things around.”
Adlon highlights how having an all-female crew helped her feel empowered on set. Lister-Jones made headlines when she hired an all-female crew for Band Aid back in 2017, and now she’s done it again.
“It made it more fun and less stressful,” Adlon says.
“Not that working with men is stressful, but as a woman making a movie about witches and witchcraft, the whole entire thing had coven energy and it was so special.”
This “coven energy” also extended to other members of the cast and crew. Adlon points out how everyone fully engaged with elements of spirituality and witchcraft.
“We would have rehearsals and we'd have a witch ceremony before filming. I’d read [Lister-Jones] tarot cards.
“Everybody immersed themselves so deeply into magic and learning about witchcraft and the power of the women that it created such an element of wonder and magic throughout the whole process.”
On top of the magic, The Craft: Legacy is also wildly funny, with Adlon’s character providing many hilarious one-liners. Adlon—a self-confessed “theatre nerd”—explains that she enjoys embodying both dramatic and comedic characters.
“I’ve done two big comedies and two big dramas, and I love them both,” she says.
“Being a theatre nerd, I guess I gravitate towards dramatic and comedic characters. Whenever I could make [Lister-Jones] laugh on set, I was so satisfied.”
Adlon also believes that The Craft: Legacy contains important and timely messages about staying true to your authentic self.
“I think uniqueness is key, and it’s so important, and sadly a lot of people are afraid to be their own unique self because they feel they’ll be judged or bullied,” she says.
“Just be yourself and then everything else will fall into place.”
The Craft: Legacy is in Australian cinemas now. It is rated M for mature themes.
Header Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment
