Daisy Edgar-Jones Defends Where the Crawdads Sing Against Negative Reviews: ‘It’s a Great Film’

The actress starred in the 2022 movie based on Delia Owens’ bestselling novel

Daisy Edgar-Jones is sticking up for her 2022 movie Where the Crawdads Sing.

In an interview with Elle, the On Swift Horses actress, 26, says while she is aware the mystery drama directed by Olivia Newman did not receive largely positive reviews, “it’s been the thing that most people come up to say they loved.”

“For some people, it’s their favorite film. How amazing is that? And I had the best time, and I think it’s a great film,” Edgar-Jones said.

“Art is so subjective, and you can’t control how people respond. You can only do something with goodwill and to learn something from it yourself, I suppose. And then how people respond is because of their context and what they need,” the Fresh star added in her interview.

Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the 2018 bestselling novel of the same name by Delia Owens. The story follows Kya (Edgar-Jones), who grew up in the marsh on the outskirts of Barkley Cove, North Carolina in the 1950s and ’60s and stands trial for the murder of the town’s golden boy.

The cast also included Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., Jojo Regina, Garret Dillahunt, Ahna O’Reilly and David Strathairn.

Edgar-Jones, who most recently starred alongside Glen Powell in Twisters, first launched into the spotlight with the hit series Normal People.

Speaking with PEOPLE in 2022 about her Crawdads role, the British actress shared that she had a virtual audition for the role.

“I had a Zoom audition, and I had not had one of those so it was sort of surreal. I was auditioning with [director] Livy [Newman], but she was on my laptop screen, balanced on a load of pillows,” Edgar-Jones said.

The actress shared how excited she was to meet the movie’s executive producer Reese Witherspoon, who named Owens’ debut novel as her September 2018 book club pick. “I’ve been a huge fan of hers since I was little,” she said of Witherspoon, 46. “To meet her and work with her was such a dream come true.”

Edgar-Jones added how she enjoyed filming in Louisiana and exploring the American South. “It was incredible to see this Spanish Moss and hear the cicadas and dragonflies everywhere. I’d never been in an environment like that,” she said. “And I would have shrimp and grits quite a lot for dinner, which I really liked.”