Emilia Jones isn’t the child actor on set anymore. In HBO’s ‘Task,’ she’s all grown up

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Emilia Jones was eager to secure the part of Maeve Prendergrast in Brad Ingelsby’s upcoming HBO series, “Task.” However, a query posed during their first encounter left her perplexed – he asked if she was comfortable working with children.

The actress from the 2022 Best Picture Oscar winner “CODA,” hadn’t gone through the script of the crime drama yet, but she eagerly agreed when Ingelsby asked her.

When Jones began perusing the script, it didn’t take long for her to understand that the character she was set to play – a 21-year-old woman temporarily pausing her own life to look after her young relatives – would involve extensive interaction with fellow child actors.

Jones mentioned, speaking from London over Zoom, that due to starting acting at a young age, she often found herself playing the child’s role. Now, it’s intriguing for her to experience life from the perspective of being an adult in the industry.

Task” Debuts Sunday – A Drama about Two Characters on Opposite Sides of the Law

In this new show, Mark Ruffalo portrays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who establishes a specialized team to catch a criminal gang committing a series of brutal robberies aimed at drug dens. The mastermind behind these heists is Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), an unexpected and compassionate single father, who leans on his niece Maeve (Jones) for help with taking care of his kids. Similar to Ingelsby’s previous successful HBO series “Mare of Easttown,” the story takes place in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

In her own words, Maeve sees herself as somewhat accommodating, similar to many British individuals. She often finds herself apologizing excessively, which is quite different from the tough and unapologetic image Jones described of her: “I’m more of a people-pleaser,” she admitted, “and most Brits are like that.

Jones sought to build strong bonds with her co-stars and fully immerse herself in the character of Maeve, so she made friends with Kennedy Moyer, Oliver Eisenson, and Ben Lewis Doherty, the three child actors featured in the series. On weekends during filming, she went bowling and played basketball with Moyer and Eisenson, who portray her character’s elementary-aged cousins, as a way to foster a genuine connection.

Establishing friendly relationships with the children greatly facilitated her acting work, Jones noted, explaining that she genuinely cared for Kennedy and Oliver and wanted to safeguard them.

As a movie enthusiast, I made sure to thoughtfully select wrap gifts for my three young cast members. Just like it meant a lot to me when I was a kid, receiving something special from set friends who I’d miss dearly after wrapping up filming, I wanted them to feel that same sentiment.

For Doherty, who exhibited a knack for photography, I picked out a Polaroid camera and encouraged him to create a scrapbook filled with the photos we took during our shoots together.

Eisenson, whose character loved to say “chicken butt,” received a hat adorned with that very phrase.

As for Moyer, someone I still keep in touch with today, I gifted her a necklace with Harper, her character’s name, on the front and the sweet message “Sisters forever” on the back.

Television

This season offers a diverse selection on television, featuring the drama “Black Rabbit,” the docuseries “Mr. Scorsese,” and the comedy “DMV,” catering to various tastes.

It seemed as if Jones naturally slipped into the maternal role, both on and off-screen, according to writer and creator Ingelsby. The children reportedly fell in love with her from the moment they first met her. This affection might have been due to her prior experience working on sets and feeling cared for by others. However, Ingelsby also attributes it to Emilia’s inherent kindness and caring nature, which are fundamental aspects of her personality.

As a film enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: Growing up, I, a girl who started my professional acting journey at just 8 years old, stumbled into the world of acting almost by chance. My creative parents – my father being Aled Jones, a renowned musician and radio host – may not have had an insider’s understanding of the acting industry when I first began. Yet, they were my unwavering supporters, driving me to auditions and performances, and their artistic influences helped me grasp that a career in the arts was certainly within reach.

When Jones turned 13, she began working on the movie “Brimstone.” A late-night scene involving a rain machine and pulsating adrenaline convinced her that acting was her correct career choice at such a young age. Now, at 23 years old, she continues to pursue this path successfully.

She remarked that the memory stood out clearly – she was seated in her chair, and it struck her deeply: ‘This work feels profoundly fulfilling to me, almost indescribably so. I find myself wanting to continue it throughout my life,'” is one possible way to paraphrase the original quote in a more formal and literary style.

Jones felt that her parents weren’t encouraging her to audition for as many roles as possible, preferring instead to keep her focused on school to maintain a sense of normalcy in her life. At the time, she expressed resentment towards this approach, stating “I just wished to act all the time.” However, looking back now, she acknowledges and is thankful for their decision, expressing that she appreciates it more in retrospect.

The actor has recently been involved in a variety of notable productions, including the Netflix series “Locke & Key”, indie films such as “Fairyland”, “Cat Person”, and “Winner”, and there are more upcoming projects on the horizon. Remarkably, her parents continue to be actively involved in her career, with her mother, Claire Fossett, even working behind the scenes on occasion – as demonstrated by her role as an off-camera scene partner during Jones’ audition for “Task”.

In a familiar scenario for Fossett, who also recorded Jones’ “CODA” audition, the actor mentioned that her mother vehemently dislikes joining self-tapes. This is due to her mother’s reticence, which often results in her reading lines in a soft voice, as Jones explained.

In the request, Jones asked her reluctant yet accommodating co-star to perform a specific scene, a heated altercation between Maeve and Robbie, multiple times, all in an attempt to capture the ideal performance. When asking for her cooperation, she quipped, “Could you do me a small favor?”, to which she responded, “Definitely not,” with a chuckle as they reminisced about the incident.

When she returned to the lively film set scene alongside a more cooperative co-star Pelphrey, Jones remarked that sparring with him felt exhilarating: “I even forgot the cameras were there.

Jones and Pelphrey’s intense emotional scenes were primarily shot within a short time frame. She explained, “It felt like we were trading screams, yet I enjoyed it since it was overwhelmingly immersive. I was so engrossed in Maeve’s world and her mental state.” “I’m truly thankful for being Maeve to his Robbie,” she added.

Ingsley reminisced about an important scene featuring Jones and Pelphrey, which left him awestruck by the intensity of Jones’ acting. “That’s what a talented actor can achieve; they can make ordinary material seem extraordinary, something I find challenging,” he commented. “Emilia excels in so many areas; she is simply exceptional at everything.

Adopting Maeve’s perspective became simpler for Jones as she embraced the character’s wardrobe. Unlike her usual fashion, Maeve prefers dark clothes, wears heavy, metallic jewelry, and sports a shaggy mullet hairstyle. Jones mentioned that her hair is still growing back after she had it cut short for the role. Furthermore, she chose to add more ear piercings specifically for the series.

And once she was done-up in head-to-toe costuming, Jones said the rest came pretty naturally.

She mentioned that as a result, she began to alter her sitting and walking postures, which in turn transformed her overall body language. It was an enjoyable experience for her to embody such a distinct character from herself.

As a movie critic diving into this cinematic journey, I found myself donning a new vocal persona – one that echoed the distinct rhythm and tone of Delco residents, a group fondly recognized for their unique dialect from Delaware County. Preparing for this transformation was facilitated by countless viewings of the engrossing series “Mare of Easttown,” produced by none other than the brilliant Craig Zobel.

Television

To master the dialect of a Pennsylvanian native, the “dialect coach” went above and beyond in her preparation for HBO’s “Mare of Easttown.” Let me share with you her methods.

Before starting work on “Task,” she had watched the series approximately 2-3 times previously. However, while learning the nuances of the regional accent, she found that any other voice tone on TV became a distraction. As a result, her estimate increased to about 10 full watches of the series.

“I’ve got to keep in the Delco mindset,” she said. “And it’s not just an accent, it’s an energy.”

Jones is quite familiar with intensive preparation, as for the movie “CODA,” she studied American Sign Language to portray the hearing family member in the Rossi household and learned how to fish. She compared this breakout role to her “Task” character, stating that both carry the burden of the world on their shoulders.

Jones admits that the feelings of excessive burden and being trapped, which her characters experience, are not familiar to her personally. However, when she encounters a challenge, she immerses herself wholeheartedly, diving right into it with enthusiasm.

She shows no signs of slowing down her work pace. This autumn, Jones is set to feature in the much-awaited adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” alongside Glen Powell. Additionally, she has taken up chef training for a role in the romantic movie “Charlie Harper,” opposite Nick Robinson. Moreover, she will be part of A24’s upcoming biopic on Anthony Bourdain titled “Tony.” According to her, in this film, she portrays a ’70s girl in Provincetown, Massachusetts, but many specific details about the movie are yet to be revealed.

She mentioned that she performs at her peak when faced with pressure and challenges, and she takes great pride in completing a project after having been stretched beyond her usual comfort zone.

Embracing sports-themed tattoos, adopting the unique Philadelphia “youse” dialect with finesse, and taking on the responsibility of caring for the cast’s children rather than playing the child role myself, undoubtedly ventures far beyond my usual comfort zone.

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2025-09-05 13:31