14-Year-Old ‘East of Eden’ Star Asher Whitehead Reflects on Filming Alongside Florence Pugh: ‘Out of This World’
Stepping onto a sprawling prestige television set alongside major Hollywood heavyweights could easily intimidate any rising talent, but for 14-year-old actor Asher Whitehead, joining Netflix’s limited series East of Eden felt like a masterclass in warmth and professionalism.
Whitehead, who portrays the younger incarnation of Adam Trask (later played in adulthood by Christopher Abbott) in the seven-part literary adaptation, opened up to Sunday Morning about his time on set and what it was like sharing scenes with Oscar nominee Florence Pugh.
Working with Florence Pugh
Before stepping into John Steinbeck’s dark Salinas Valley drama, Whitehead admitted he primarily recognized Pugh from her Marvel Cinematic Universe turn as Yelena Belova. Once cameras started rolling, however, her work ethic left an indelible impression on the young actor:
“She was kind, thoughtful, and super-duper focused, super professional. That was definitely something that stood out. It was honestly out of this world. Like, you can’t describe it.”
Filming primarily across Thames and Kumeū in New Zealand, the teenager noted that the production crew ensured he felt supported every step of the way:
“The food—oh, my gosh, you would come in, you’d get breakfast, and oh, my gosh, that bacon and those cinnamon rolls were absolutely delightful, I gotta say. When I was filming, in between takes, what they would do is, if I was in the sun, they’d have someone with an umbrella to shade me from the sun and to bring me water.”
Navigating School and Big Ambitions
Back home, Whitehead’s peers are still wrapping their heads around his sudden leap to global streaming screens:
“My friends often laugh a lot about how much time I get off school. To be honest, I’m not sure whether they truly believe I’m in it. They’re really supportive, and my school’s amazing.”
His theatrical career is already picking up major momentum outside of television. Whitehead was recently selected as one of only 60 recipients worldwide to receive a coveted Broadway Dreams scholarship. The honor will take him to New York City this November to perform in an industry showcase attended by leading theatrical casting directors and talent agents.
While his parents remain cautious about keeping education and practical fallback options front and center, the young performer has his eyes firmly set on Hollywood:
“Personally, I’d rather just leave now [school] and just commit to full-time acting and stick to that, but they definitely want a side job,” Whitehead admitted with a laugh. “Hopefully, I’m going to try and convince them that there’s enough roles around the creative space that I could fall back on something like that, but still in progress of trying to convince them, I’ve got to say.”
Netflix’s East of Eden, written and executive produced by Zoe Kazan, also stars Mike Faist as Charles Trask, Joseph Zada as Cal, and Joe Anders as Aron.