Nick Robinson’s career has taken him from YA heartthrob to serious indie darling, but his latest flick Damsel sees him stepping into something darker and more medieval. Paired with director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the film flips the fairy tale formula on its head—and Robinson’s Prince Henry is about as far from Prince Charming as you can get. “He’s conflicted,” Robinson admits. “He’s trying to balance traditions with his own morals, but self-preservation keeps screwing that up.”
Set in a land of gilded kingdoms and fire-breathing dragons, Damsel sees Millie Bobby Brown fighting her way out of a literal hellhole. Turns out Prince Henry’s whole dashing fiancé bit is just the bait to keep the sacrificial lamb docile before she gets thrown to the dragon. Robinson digs into that gray area between tradition and conscience, but don’t expect a redemption arc. “If the story doesn’t need it, I’m not forcing it,” he shrugs. “Sometimes the bad guy just stays bad.”
The film itself is a tonal rollercoaster—starting all lush and golden like your classic Disney prince setup before taking a hard left turn into dark fantasy territory. “We wanted the kingdom to look hypnotically beautiful,” Fresnadillo explains, as if to soften the blow of when it all goes to hell. “Shooting in Portugal helped—the light there is unreal.”
And then there’s the dragon. Robinson doesn’t have a lot of scenes with the beast, but the creature’s presence looms large throughout the film. Inspired by a wounded lioness, the dragon is both terrifying and strangely sympathetic, which makes sense given the film’s relentless push to blur the lines between hero and villain. “It’s not just a monster—it’s got a story, too,” Fresnadillo points out. “Millie had to act against a green screen with a light bulb on a stick, but she made it feel terrifyingly real.”
The film’s score leans into that tension too, featuring Lykke Li covering “Ring of Fire” with a haunting, ethereal twist. “It’s weird how well that song fits,” Robinson says, clearly still a bit blown away by the choice. “It’s not a happy love song here—it’s like falling into the abyss and learning to fight your way out.”
Robinson admits the cast was a big part of the appeal—Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, and of course, Millie Bobby Brown, whose transition from the helpless princess to an independent fighter forms the spine of the movie. “Weirdly, the darkest part was the most fun to shoot,” Robinson laughs. “I guess it’s because it’s so different from real life. You don’t get chased by dragons every day.”
With Damsel already out on Netflix, Robinson’s next moves include a western—“I’m getting the horseback thing down”—and he recently popped up in History of the World, Part II. Whether playing the conflicted prince or the unsuspecting villain, he’s not too worried about getting boxed into any one role. “It’s all about playing something unexpected,” he says. “If I get to screw with expectations, I’m doing it right.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
