Jeremy Strong's intense acting style is 'impressive,' says Armageddon Time costar Banks Repeta

Just 14 years old, Banks Repeta has already worked with Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins — and that's just on his latest project.

Repeta (who also was seen this year on Fox's Welcome to Flatch and Ethan Hawke's The Black Phone) stars in Armageddon Time, a coming-of-age tale featuring the aforementioned award winners.

Sitting on a SCAD Savannah Film Festival panel celebrating EW's Breaking Big Award honorees Anna Diop (Nanny, Titans), Madelyn Cline (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Outer Banks), Ty Simpkins (The Whale), and Vanessa Burghardt (Cha Cha Real Smooth), Repeta discussed working with Strong, whose style of acting made headlines after a 2021 New Yorker article detailed the extreme lengths he goes to while filming.

"He has a special, unique acting style where he likes to stay in character, and I think that's impressive and special that he can do that. It helps his other actors drop into their characters — and do it better," said Repeta, who confirmed that Strong stayed in character throughout filming, "but it was professional."

CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images Jeremy Strong and Banks Repeta

Repeta also developed a meaningful relationship with Hathaway, who plays his mother. The two bonded over a walk through New York's Central Park: "She really discussed the process with me, asked me, 'What kind of actor are you? What is your acting style?' It was special working with her."

He feels the same way about playing Hopkins' grandson.

Anne Joyce / Focus Features Banks Repeta and Anthony Hopkins in 'Armageddon Time'

"When we had time off set, I was comfortable with him," Repeta said of working with the legendary actor. "And the thing that made the chemistry between Anthony and I so real is that we just really got to know each other. It was just special that we got to do salsa dancing together, and he called me 'Jellybean' in the movie. It's just the little things that really made it nice to work with him."

Cline described a similar "familial" vibe while filming Glass Onion: "It was intimidating. I grew up watching all these actors and admiring them very deeply, so the opportunity to work with them was very exciting but also very terrifying. But it was a very familial environment — it was very warm. Everybody created such a welcoming, safe space. Everyone just felt really free," shared the actress. "And as if we weren't already filming a murder mystery, in the end, we decided to play Mafia on our off time — it became a tradition every weekend. We did that, and of course, explored Greece, went to dinners... I hope that chemistry all shows on screen because we really did develop a great camaraderie."

Netflix Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline, Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr., and Kate Hudson in 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery'

Simpkins shared what he learned from watching Brendan Fraser on the set of The Whale, particularly his demeanor during long, tough days.

"I think what I really learned from him was how to hold myself on set, how to keep calm under high-pressure situations because he was the first one on set. He'd come in at 4 or 5 every morning, and then he'd have to get all the prosthetics put on — which probably takes about three to four hours as it is — and then he had to go and put himself in an emotional state every single day where he started walking differently. It's a whole transformation," Simpkins said. "And just how kind he was every single day, showing up on set with a smile and asking you about your weekend, or your day, or just how you're doing, just making sure you're comfortable. I learned a lot of how to just calm down and just experience what I'm experiencing."

Ari + Louise 'The Whale' team: Samuel D. Hunter, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Darren Aronofsky, and Ty Simpkins.

Diop also shared what she learned from her Nanny costar Michelle Monaghan: an acting exercise in which the His Dark Materials star would improvise a bit of dialogue that helped hone in on the emotion of the scene. "It always worked and always helps, so I'm stealing that," Diop said. "I find mentors in these moments — every moment that I see an actor do something cool or interesting that's working. There's so much to learn every single day."

Ben Trivett Sinqua Walls, Michelle Monaghan, Anna Diop of 'The Nanny'.

Burghardt, who is on the autism spectrum, spoke on the panel of quickly bonding with Dakota Johnson, who plays her mother in Cha Cha Real Smooth.

"We talked a lot about things that I was interested in, music and life, and she made me feel comfortable and safe in a way that made me feel like I could open up," said Burghardt. "It takes me a while to become friends with someone, but it didn't feel like that because we were so open and close all the time."

Apple TV+ Vanessa Burghardt and Dakota Johnson in 'Cha Cha Real Smooth'.

When asked if she felt "protected" by Johnson on set, Burghardt was quick to note that "sometimes I don't really like for people to be protective of me. I'm 18, but sometimes people think that because I'm on the autism spectrum, maybe I need a little bit more protection. But I don't. I just need more support in areas, and I think she was very aware and very conscious of that. So she never made me feel like I was being babied or treated differently, but she was always there at times when maybe I needed extra support."

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