His Dark Stuff: 10 Books of Manners and Characters Dafne Keene Nails As Lyra Belacqua

Dafne Keen excels at capturing some of the most striking traits of the character Lyra Belacqua.

Throughout three seasons, the creator of his Dark Materials managed to wow audiences by perfectly capturing the magic of Philip Pullman's novels and bringing the demons to life. In particular, Dafne Keen wowed audiences with her ability to capture the role of Lyra Belacqua, a young girl destined to become the new Eve.

In fact, the degree to which this young actor manages to completely restrain this extraordinary role is quite remarkable. As the episode draws to a close, it's worth taking a closer look at what Keen manages to capture about Lyra's behavior, and why she's such a beloved part of fantasy television.

Dafne Keen Manages To Capture Lyra's Free Spirit

From the very beginning of his Dark Materials, it's clear that Leila is someone who isn't bound by what other people think she should do. Keen manages to present the audience with a character who travels through the world as if she owns it (no small feat considering she's young.

Whether it's racing the streets of Oxford or trying to escape her mother's library Mrs. Walter, Lyra is a true free spirit. This makes her one of the best characters in the series, Although she can be irresponsible at times.

Dafne Keen Manages To Capture Lyra's Intelligence Well

Part of what makes His Dark Materials such a great HBO show is its innate intelligence. It's this fantasy that makes viewers see the world differently. This intelligence is also shown in the characters, especially Lyra.

Among other things, Keane shows how bright Lyra is. For example, she can read the alethiometer, a skill she was born with. What's more, she is often able to judge situations at a glance, a skill she seems to have inherited from her parents (Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter).

Dafne Keen Manages To Show Lyra's Devotion To Roger

Few relationships are as important to Lyra as her friendship with Roger. While he's more willing to play by the rules than she is, there's no question she's loyal to him.

This becomes especially true in season 3, when it becomes apparent how much Lyra is distressed by what happened to Roger at the hands of her father. Keen conveys her palpable pain at the boy's suffering well, and her anguished cries in her dream show how much his death continues to weigh on her conscience.

Dafne Keen Understands The Complex Relationship with Mrs. Coulter

Mrs. Coulter is one of Ruth Wilson's best roles. She manages to capture the complexity of this extraordinary character, a woman who is at once ruthless and charismatic. Keen's huge credit is that she managed to capture Lyra's complicated relationship with her mother.

In particular, she shows how much Lyra craves maternal love, even though she also has to face the reality that her own mother is very capable of evil. It's the dynamic that produces rich relationship drama, and it's to her that Keane captures it so effectively.

Dafne Keene Captures Lyra's Charisma

Although she can be frustrating at times, there is no doubt that Lyra is also a force of nature. She's the type of person who draws everyone into her orbit, whether they want to or not.

This is something Keen is particularly good at capturing. Whenever she's on screen, it's easy to see why Lyra is able to make everyone fall in love with her, whether it's the hulking armored bear Iorek or the human Will. Keen makes Lyra someone both the characters and the audience want to spend more time with.

Dafne Keene Captures Lyra's Bravery

like many His Dark Materials is an adventure in the best fantasy shows. As a result, Lyra often finds herself facing dangerous foes, most notably theocratic group known as the Magisters. However, she's not one to be easily intimidated, and she fought back with truly dire odds on multiple occasions.

In fact, Keen manages to perfectly capture Lyra's bravery. Everything about her posture, from her jawline to the twinkle in her eye, suggests that she is an unwise person.

Dafne Keene Captures Lyra's Stubbornness Well

Like all great fantasy characters, Lyra is a study in contradiction. While she is sometimes generous to mistakes, she is also notoriously stubborn, and her headstrong attitude has gotten her into trouble on several occasions.

Keen allows the audience to grasp this part of Lyra's character without making her unbearable. In fact, the young actress deserves credit for allowing this to be a key part of her interpretation of the character without letting it encompass all of her other, more attractive qualities.

Dafne Keene's Acting Skills Shows She Understands The Bond With Pan

Lyra, like all inhabitants of her world, has a powerful bond with a being called an elf, is their soul. They appear in various animal forms before settling as adults. From the very first episode, it's clear that Lyra has a particularly strong bond with Pantalaimon.

In fact, he was one of her staunchest allies in life, and Keene shows genuine enthusiasm when talking to Penn. Given that the character exists only in the CGI world, the authenticity of her performance is all the more remarkable and a testament to her skill as an actress.

Dafne Keene Has Captured Lyra's Vulnerability Perfectly

Like all great fantasy heroes, Lyra has many different shades of her character. Though she is willful and independent, she is also highly sensitive and longs to belong.

Keen does not allow any particular trait of Lyra to dominate the others, but keeps them in a delicate balance. There are moments, especially when she meets her mother, where she lets Lyra's longing shine through. All in all, it's a rich and complex portrayal that means a lot to the actor, given her ability to convey the many complexities of Pullman's creation.

Dafne Keene's Acting Shows She Understands Lyra's Love For Will

Once Lyra meets will, her life changes dramatically. There is an undeniable link between The two of them, it only gets stronger as they continue on their extraordinary journey.

Both Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson manage to bring so much depth to their characterizations, and Keen helps the audience see how strongly Lyra is drawn to Will. At first, it seems like it's mostly curiosity, but as season 3 shows, their relationship has grown into a romance, with Keane's eyes showing that her relationship with Will means a lot to her.