Lydia Peckham Navigates Time Periods, From Apes to WWII Tribunals and Robin Hood
Rising actress Lydia Peckham is rapidly establishing herself across diverse genres, transitioning from motion capture performance in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to a historical role in Nuremberg and now, a folklore-inspired character in an upcoming Robin Hood series. The breadth of her recent projects highlights a willingness to embrace challenging roles and a versatility attracting industry attention.
Peckham describes the unique freedom of motion capture work, noting the absence of typical acting pressures. “There’s zero ego,” she explained. “Number one, you are dressed in a gray suit with 100 dots on you. Number two, you are making sounds and moving in such an obscure way. It shreds some of that self-consciousness.” This contrasted sharply with her audition process for Nuremberg, which she described as “just in a slightly more standard audition way,” and jokingly added, “(Read: no tree.)”
Nuremberg,which premiered at the Toronto International film Festival,centers on WWII psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) evaluating Nazi leaders,including Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe),for the Nuremberg trials. Peckham plays Lila, a fictional journalist covering the trials, a role she prepared for by researching the increased opportunities for women during the war. “What I didn’t know was that WWII was actually part of the liberation of women,” she said. “Women stepped into roles that they’d never really been allowed enter, and when men came back, they were like, ‘No, we will stay.'” She approached the character with this context,emphasizing Lila’s dedication to her work: “She puts the work first.”
The James Vanderbilt-directed film received positive reviews following it’s TIFF debut, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it “commanding” and arriving at “a more consequential time.” It is indeed being considered as a potential awards contender ahead of its November 7 theatrical release by Sony Pictures classics.Peckham’s next venture takes her to 14th-century England, where she will portray Priscilla of Nottingham in MGM’s Robin Hood series, starring Sean Bean and Connie Nielsen.Looking ahead, the actress expressed a desire to explore contemporary roles, stating, “Just to branch out of the shackles of time.”
