Suppose you are the casting director of a television series who needs a young female vocalist for a music show. In that case, you could do worse than to speak to the relative of a music icon about the prospect of auditioning for the part.
Riley Keough stepped into the fray, fearless, dedicated, and embodied the confidence of her famous grandfather, Elvis Presley. Taking the lead role in Daisy Jones and the Six, the portrayal of a rock musician in the 1970s was secured.
The series is ideally in sync with Keough's musical heritage that this was a role directed by James Ponsoldt that she had to take. The 33-year-old kicked off her time in the spotlight in 2004 after being signed up as a model by Dolce & Gabbana, before independent movie projects and a host of cameo roles (including being one of the female strippers in Magic Mike).
A notable breakthrough came in The Girlfriend Experience, for which she earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. American Honey, It Comes at Night, Logan Lucky, and War Pony followed the latter landing the Caméra d'Or as co-director.
Daisy Jones and the Six, the Amazon Prime miniseries, is based on the books by author Taylor Jenkins Reid and features original tracks written and produced by Blake Mills, the Santa Monica-born Grammy-nominated producer.
It means Keough, who is also Michael Jackson's step-daughter, climbs to a new level as a singer as well as an actress. Elvis would be proud.
This interview was conducted prior to Keough suddenly losing her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, on January 12, 2023, to cardiac arrest.
STRIPLV: Clearly, singing is as strong an art as acting is for you. KEOUGH: I try my best, yeah. It's also a nice break from some of the previous roles I have played, which I have enjoyed, but this is just a totally different thing. I've been in some slightly darker roles where there are few difficult subjects to deal with. Although the part of Daisy will see her having some issues with addiction, it's nothing you wouldn't normally expect from the rock and roll lifestyles of real life. However, there is so much fun in this show that I couldn't not do it. Singing is obviously a big part of the program, and that has just been amazing to do. While Daisy is such an incredibly powerful woman, it was cool to be this person. STRIPLV: How much of you is like Daisy in real life, and how much research and soul-searching did you have for the role? KEOUGH: I am in awe of Daisy Jones, and I would love to have done some of the things she has going on. Not all of them! The good times, the unbelievable feeling that a rock star has being adored by fans, and such. Obviously, I've had a lifetime of knowing what that must have felt like from my grandfather, and I have always looked at what he did and the influence he had as something incredible, albeit it's in videos and photos. To actually be on the stage and to do that is a different sort of connection that I've been lucky enough to feel, so while I've connected with Daisy in this series, I like to think I've also connected with Elvis. STRIPLV: Daisy's struggles are not that different from many in the music industry. KEOUGH: Sure. She has a lot of heartaches, and her life certainly isn't without the sadness which seems to follow her around. Yet she does have a tremendous presence and an almost unrivaled amount of confidence, and I think to be that type of person must be terrific. STRIPLV: How do you approach such a complex character? KEOUGH: The one thing I do when I play this type of character is ensure I know exactly every second of how their lives will be. I have to be them, I have to be the manifestation, so it's important to personify them in mind, body and spirit. There is a loosely-based image of Stevie Nicks about Daisy, and the stories are set in the same time period, so that made bringing her to life a bit easier. Stevie was always at the back of my mind somewhere. Often I found myself thinking, 'What would Stevie do?'. Ultimately though, you have to try to play it the way you see it. Liberating women are roles you have to dive into. STRIPLV: How do you think it will be received, with the obvious comparisons to your grandfather? KEOUGH: If I'm honest, and some would say brutally so, I'm not too bothered. Of course, I would want people to like both the show and my performance, but I chose to accept the role as much for my own satisfaction. I think when you take on a project you want it to be a success for everyone involved, but there must be a small amount of selfishness about what it will do for you, too, and I just felt such a connection to the story that it was irresistible. If it's gone okay and there's a chance to do something like this in the future, I would love that. I'm not a person who shies away from a challenge, from something which I feel I would like to do. That's the big thing for me. If I like it, I just do it. STRIPLV: Have you done much singing before? KEOUGH: Bits and pieces, but not for a main role, and I've never been in a band or anything like that. That's why I love acting. You get opportunities you probably wouldn't get in real life. I'm the lead singer of a band. I'm a stripper. It doesn't get much better! (Laughs) STRIPLV: You've been labeled as an indie actor. Is that a tag you're happy with? KEOUGH: I mean, it's not a bad thing, is it? I love the way that independent films are made, and obviously, the more I have appeared in them, the more I love the processes and the principles behind them. My career has moved more towards the mainstream, but indie projects attract a different type of storyline and narrative, and typically I like those, so even when I do a big movie, my default is often to look back toward a cool story or an emotional piece of drama that satisfies me. STRIPLV: You say that you're not too concerned by criticism. How therefore do you appraise success? KEOUGH: I find a lot of criticism and success transient. You can be in one space, and very quickly, it's all changed around. That's why I try to focus on my own opinion and not listen too much to the critics or the crowd. Perhaps in the early days, you become too aware of others' opinions, and you're making moves and putting forward ideas with other people in your mind. That really is the wrong way around. It has to be for you. You have to be quite bullish and thick-skinned about the way you want to go about something. If you start changing your own instinct, then you're not being true to yourself. STRIPLV: Do you worry about the future? KEOUGH: Never. You can't really be too concerned about how things are going to happen. I always want to live my life in the present. STRIPLV: Have you ever looked to get back into modeling, or was that a point in time or, perhaps, a means to an end? KEOUGH: I was lucky to grow up modeling because it gave me exposure and insight, but I am glad I have moved on from that world. It's a tough life. The glamour of the catwalk or the photoshoot is false. There is lots of struggle, lots of traveling, and lots of waiting around. I know a number of girls who struggle to come to terms with the demands. I was in a slightly privileged position where I didn't need to put myself entirely on the line, but for others, it's a real battle for survival, and I feel for them setting out in the world. Of course, I will look at new possibilities when they come up, but right now, I don't want to distract my own attention or that of others away from drama and acting, and it's where I feel I should be.
RILEY KEOUGH - THE FAIRER SEX
Riley KEOUGH ON THE SUBJECT OF SEX: I have thought a lot about the meaning of sex and why there's so much importance to it. Why it's such a hot topic, it's controversial and weird, and all these things, with jealousy wrapped into it as well, but a big part of me still struggles to understand why sex is so important to us in society. Obviously, everybody's moral compass is very different, and sex is a deeply personal thing. And yes, I have done scenes in films where I've thought, 'Wow, this is a lot of sex,' or 'This is some heavy sex.' I sometimes need to remind myself of the fact that if it doesn't freak me out a little bit, then I don't gain anything from it. When I am shooting a sex scene, I usually try to make the guy feel as relaxed as possible; it's just my kind nature. (Laughs) I've studied a lot about the role of women in society and the use of sex as both an emotional and financial tool. I know the perception of escorts is always that women are the victims, but if you look closer, you'll see that many times they are the dominant force. Certainly, in terms of companionship, they are being somebody to men who don't have anything in their lives. It's a sad situation, but it's not one-directional or one-dimensional.
I looked at this a lot for The Girlfriend Experience. A lot of men just want a woman to listen to their problems, to talk to them in ways that their wife can't, or maybe they don't have a wife, and the majority of the time, they're lonely. One of the people I spoke to when researching the role told me the most difficult thing was dealing with the emotional baggage from the men (their clients). Being an escort is taken to be something very dark and desperate, but it happens that a lot of young women put themselves through college that way. Very, very smart women do it. I've always had a more European attitude when it comes to sex. I don't know why it's such a heavy subject in some cultures. I don't understand the obsession or controversy about sex. In the US, nudity is considered a dangerous thing, but it's alright to show gun fights and violence all the time. I think we need to realign our judgment of what's perceived as acceptable and what's not.