DIOR jacket, shirt, skirt, shorts, and tie and CLERGERIE shoes.

How beautiful to find excitement in the unknown’s vast expanse. There you are, with hundreds of butterflies relentlessly chasing one another in your chest, sweaty palms, and a nervous laugh—yet you still dare to be curious. That’s what a ‘first time’ feels like anyway, right? Riveting, exciting, risky, unpredictable. A challenge disguised as a pretty present, or perhaps vice versa? A ‘first time’ is fascinatingly unforgettable.

Matilda Lawler, the 13-year-old leading actor in HBO Max’s miniseries, Station Eleven, takes the stage for her first ever television show—discovering the undeniable thrill of the unknown. Opening each new scene of Station Eleven with a compelling innocence and indefatigable spirit, Lawler is seamlessly absorbing all the possibilities in front of her.

Lawler’s dream to act came alive four years ago with her Broadway debut in Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman in 2018. Now, starring as young Kirsten in Station Eleven, she plays a strong-minded eight year old girl who must survive what seemed, at the time of the book’s writing in 2014, an apocalyptic foretelling of the future, the cause and effect of which is now—thanks to the real global pandemic—all too familiar. Courageously stepping into her role, Lawler is experiencing many aspects of the acting world for the first time, and here, she shares her experience acting in this remarkable show.

**STELLA MCCARTNEY** dress and **BAUM UND PFERDGARTEN** tights.

Was there a specific moment where you realized you wanted to be an actor?

The first time I really realized I wanted to act for real was when I read the script and started performing in my first ever professional production, which was a play called The Net Will Appear. I was given the chance to kind of let go of my own life for a little while. It made me feel even more myself somehow, and that’s when I thought, ‘Yeah, maybe I should keep doing this.’

Station Eleven is about a fictional global pandemic. What was it like being a part of a series that was being filmed during a real pandemic?

Strange. Not sure how else to put it, really. I mean, when does that happen?! To start a project which takes place after a fictional pandemic, and then for a real pandemic to hit, was really strange. I feel like I’ve said this many times, but I believe that the cast and crew of Station Eleven can all agree that we felt reassured and comforted we could work together to take something so traumatic happening in the world and represent it in a beautiful way.

**GUCCI** jacket, shirt, and tights and **AGL** shoes.

**GUCCI** blazer, shirt, and tights and **CRYSTAL HAZE** rings.

Did you face any challenges while playing your character Kirsten? Did you feel connected to her?
I felt very connected to Kirsten from the very first time I auditioned for the role. There were definitely challenges, like tapping into her trauma, and all of these really dark things that she experiences throughout the story. She’s such a rare character to be able to portray, so I felt really lucky.

**PATOU** jacket, sweater, and skirt, **LARROUDÉ** heels, and **THE LAST LINE** earrings.

What is something you think viewers can gain from watching this show? How about yourself?

I gained, pretty much, a new family in the people I worked with, but I also gained this understanding of the fact that people need art. People hold onto art. I mean, I don’t think anyone could have gone through quarantine without some form of art to entertain or help them. I hope people take this away from the series as well.