SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Who would think a spring break trip would turn into this?

Oct 7, 2016, 8:34 AM | Updated: 8:34 am

Like a lot of 19-year-olds, Sasha Lane wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she grew up.

“I was in school. I was studying psychology and social work. I was just aimlessly walking around trying to figure out what I was doing in life,” she explained.

But while she was spring-breaking with friends in Florida, she got offered the chance of a lifetime. Veteran director Andrea Arnold approached her out of the blue.

Sasha would spend that spring and summer starring in one of the best films of this year, “American Honey.”

Related: ‘The Birth of a Nation’ tells a disturbing story

Sasha plays one of an oddball collection of drifting teenagers who travel the country, mostly the Midwest and the South, selling magazine subscriptions to well-meaning suckers.

Director Andrea Arnold specializes in films with non-professional casts — Shia LaBoeuf is the only “name” actor in this cast — so Sasha found herself mostly surrounded by people who had as little experience as she did. The camaraderie captured on film was no accident or cinematic trick.

“That is my family, that is my heart,” she said. “We bonded really hard immediately.”

Sasha traveled with the film when it premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, a trip she still can’t quite get over.

“It’s so weird to be taken care of,” she said.

And what was it like to see herself on the big screen?

“Super mind-blowing,” she said. “It was such a surreal moment.”

Sasha says her character, Star, learns a great life lesson over the course of the movie.

“I think now she knows there’s a world and life outside the world she grew up in,” she explained.

That turns out to be parallel to her own life. She now knows anything can happen, because it already has.

Movie trailer below.

President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speak to reporters at Gracie Mansion,...

Associated Press

The Latest: Trump returns to UN at moment of anxiety about Iran, AI and future of world body itself

President Donald Trump is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday at a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency. After his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders, Trump is expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a […]

31 minutes ago

FILE - Donald Trump Jr., speaks with his wife Bettina, left, as they wait for President Donald Trum...

Associated Press

GOP Sen. John Curtis calls for probe of Trump Jr. after wedding party bankrolled by Russian oligarch

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah is calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Donald Trump Jr. used his proximity to the presidency for financial benefit, after his recent wedding party was partially bankrolled by a Russian oligarch. In a letter sent Tuesday, Curtis called on the committee to subpoena […]

32 minutes ago

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shake hands before th...

Associated Press

China expands export control on drug precursors ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday that it is now requiring permits for exports to the United States, Mexico and Canada of two additional chemicals that can be used to make illegal drugs, expanding controls on shipments to the three countries. The Commerce Ministry and other authorities jointly announced the new regulations ahead of this […]

33 minutes ago

fall equinox...

Ted Buehner

The fall equinox arrives today, and fall-like weather is right behind it

The fall equinox is today at 5:05 p.m. The fall equinox is also known as the autumnal equinox, and the following day is the first full day of fall.

46 minutes ago

ferry...

Chris Sullivan

Kingston’s new ferry ticket kiosk cut the line-cutting. Now it needs to fix the GPS problem

The Washington State Ferries put in a new ticket kiosk approaching the Kingston dock earlier this year to help ease congestion and line cutting.

46 minutes ago

FILE - LaGuardia Airport's air traffic control tower, right, is shown as planes line-up for take-of...

Associated Press

New York airport operations resume after disruptions across US Northeast due to technical problems

Flights were taking off and landing at New York City-area airports Tuesday with some delays and cancellations, after hours of disruptions resulting from damaged communications lines at a key air traffic control facility in Philadelphia that were later repaired. Hundreds of flights were canceled throughout the U.S. Northeast on Monday, including more than 600 into […]

1 hour ago

Who would think a spring break trip would turn into this?