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Nepotism is alive and thriving in modern Hollywood. Just look at the enviable careers of Margaret Qualley, Maya Hawke, Emma Roberts, Dakota Johnson, and more. Another name to add to that list would be Riley Keough, daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and Dany Keough. Naturally, she's also the granddaughter of none other than "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" himself, Elvis Presley.
Keough, like many current rising stars, was already born with a foot in the door and the benefit of her celebrity lineage in an otherwise tough business to break into. However, she has more than proven herself once inside. We'd go so far as to say that she's one of her generation's brightest rising stars, having shown excellence in a variety of tones, genres and acting styles across an already enviable young filmography...
Riley Keough made the jump to the big screen in 2010, appearing alongside Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart in The Runaways. In that music biopic, she played the sister of Cherrie Curry, stealing a couple of scenes despite the small size of her role. She'd keep this status as a prime scene-stealer, mostly doing supporting work and only very rarely getting a chance to lead a film. It was in a supporting role that she got her big break in 2015, as one of Immortan Joe's Wives in the bombastic Mad Max: Fury Road.
George Miller's action epic helped make Keough a recognizable face for many cinephiles. Still, it was the efforts of Andrea Arnold and the marvelous American Honey that truly revealed Keough's sterling capabilities as an actress. In the role of Krystall, the leader of a group of misfit youths, she exudes authoritative power shaded by indolent spitefulness. She dazzles and sneers, absolutely naturalistic while exuding the charisma of a consummate star. When she's onscreen, it's impossible to take your eyes away from her callous character.
Since 2016, she's never stopped surprising us with daring new performances, both on TV and the big screen. Steven Soderbergh has been particularly good at exploring Keough's tonal flexibility. He produced The Girlfriend Experience series, where Keough had a leading role and knocked it out of the park. Then he directed her in Logan Lucky, allowing the actress to have fun in a comedic role. She does that and more, slyly stealing the movie from the hands of her more famous costars with startling ease.
Nothing as of yet has been too big a challenge for Riley Keough, neither the psychological nightmares of It Comes at Night, the romance of Lovesong, or the deliberate vacuity of Under the Silver Lake. Keough was even able to inject searing humanity into the grotesque spectacle of The House That Jack Built. This year, she dazzled Sundance with her performance in Janicza Bravo's Zola and showed us all she has the chops to be a great scream queen with her work in The Lodge. In that horror flick, she carries the perverse plot of writer/directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz to its tragic extremes, fleshing out its despair and helplessness with visceral impact.
Whether making us laugh or falling apart in convulsions of religious fanaticism, Riley Keough is a fascinating screen presence. Nepotism or no nepotism, Riley Keough deserves to be celebrated.
What's your favorite performance of this rising star and why?