Eve Hewson: Being Bono's daughter is both a help and hindrance

The star of BBC's The Luminaries acknowledges that her famous father helped her get auditions and roles
Eve Hewson as Anna Wetherell in The Luminaries
BBC/The Luminaries Production Ltd 2018/Kirsty Griffin
George Fenwick22 June 2020
The Weekender

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The Luminaries star Eve Hewson has said having a famous father has been both a help and a hindrance in her acting career.

Hewson, whose father is U2 frontman Bono, attended Tisch School of Performing Arts in New York, and said while some of her friends found it difficult to get auditions, that was “never a problem” for her.

Speaking to Radio Times, Hewson, 28, said: “In the beginning, I think it was easier for me to get in the door… I think that’s because of my family. That’s not the way the system should work, of course, but if the door is open, walk through the door.”

But Hewson, known for roles in Bridge of Spies and Robin Hood, and now performing her first lead role in BBC’s The Luminaries, said that while her famous family helped her get roles, she also found people doubted her talents.

Alison Hewson, Bono, Eve Hewson, and Jordan Hewson at Glamour Women Of The Year 2016
Getty Images

“It can then become a bit of a hindrance, because they can’t separate you from your father or see you as an individual,” she said.

“Often, they have very low expectations, and they really don’t think you’re going to be good. And then you are quite good, and they are quite surprised.”

BBC's The Luminaries - in pictures

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Hewson plays Anna Wetherell in The Luminaries, an Irish immigrant who travels to New Zealand in the 1860s in a bid to seek her fortune during the gold rush in the South Island.

However, Wetherell is unwittingly pulled into a murder mystery plot after the conniving Lydia Wells (Eva Green) takes Anna under her manipulative wing.

The six-part series is based on the Man Booker-prize winning novel by New Zealand author Eleanor Catton, who also wrote the screenplay.

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