In Olivia Newman’s film adaptation of Delia Owens’s best-seller, Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kya, the “Marsh Girl” whose quiet resilience anchors a murder mystery set in 1950s North Carolina. Speaking with Gayety, Edgar-Jones says Kya’s empathy—shown through her bond with the marsh’s wildlife—reminded her “kindness can be a survival skill.” Co-star Taylor John Smith (Chase) adds that the story asks viewers to judge intentions, not appearances: “Every character sits somewhere between hero and villain.”

Producer Reese Witherspoon pushed for authenticity, flying the cast into Louisiana swamps to feel the humidity that shapes Kya’s world; Edgar-Jones kept jars of marsh mud on set to stay grounded between takes.

Both actors hope the film sparks conversations about seeing the humanity in outsiders long dismissed as strange.