There’s a certain fan interaction that has stuck in Harris Dickinson’s mind. He has been having more of these encounters recently, thanks to his seductive role in Babygirl, which has opened doors to a specific type of attention. Women, often older women, approach the 28-year-old actor to discuss their sexual desires with him. Dickinson is often too embarrassed to repeat most of these, but many of them involve his now-signature phrase from the movie: “Good girl.”
Before Babygirl’s release, Dickinson was thinking about an interaction at an L.A. grocery store about a year ago. A fan approached him to ask if he was the model from the movie Triangle of Sadness. The man was aggressive and picked apart the movie and Dickinson’s acting abilities. “It was like, ‘Oh, you think you’re famous, that people care about you? Well, I don’t,'” Dickinson recalls. “I almost like it when someone is just like, ‘That was crap.'”
Triangle of Sadness was not crap (it was Oscar-nominated), but that’s not the point. It’s dawning on him that broader fame is coming his way, and he’s not sure he’s ready for it.
When first meeting with the actor in December, he was at the end of a whirlwind press tour for Babygirl, an erotic thriller about an affair between a tech CEO and her much younger intern. At the hotel, Dickinson ambled down with a backpack, tote bag, and winter coat, still feeling the effects of jet lag.
He shares anecdotes with high spirits, using a grin and a twinkle in his eye. He’s struggling to cope with the constant pressure, particularly in the wake of Babygirl’s release. His role in the movie uses his disposition and his position on the boy-to-man spectrum to good effect. Director Halina Reijn didn’t write the role for Dickinson specifically, but she says the movie wouldn’t have worked without him.
Reportedly, shortly after Babygirl’s release, an A24 rep approached him to discuss his next project. The director of an upcoming series, in which he would play a former anarchist hacker, was a big fan of his work in Beach Rats and saw him as perfect for the role.
As the opportunity for his career-defining moment approaches, Dickinson is grappling with the weight of fame. He has safeguards in place, including a small team and a directive to respect his preferred pace. On set, he insists on doing things himself, from opening his own doors to getting his own drinks. “I start to notice my own prissiness, and I don’t like that,” he says.
The constant flow of praise, particularly after Babygirl’s release, has also tested him. “It’s weird because I do have vanity like everyone else, but I’m not at ease with the emphasis being on that,” he says. “I don’t want to get that mixed up with my self-worth. But there are worse things to be said to you than, ‘You’re hot,’ you know? It’s flattering. It’s strange.”
