Alana Haim’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ Character Took Inspiration From Her Real Life
HAIM has been a beloved band for nearly a decade, and the three Haim sisters have made names for themselves beyond just their band’s music. Alana Haim made her acting debut in the 2021 movie Licorice Pizza, and is even being floated as a possible Academy Award contender.
Alana Haim rose to fame as a member of HAIM
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the members of HAIM worked hard as independent musicians to get their name out there. They opened for the likes of Kesha and released their debut album Days Are Gone in 2013.
HAIM went on to become increasingly popular throughout the 2010s. In 2017, they released their sophomore album Something To Tell You, and in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they released their third album Women In Music, Pt. III.
Alana Haim’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ character
In 2021, Alana Haim made her acting debut in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s coming-of-age film Licorice Pizza. In the movie, Haim plays Alana Kane, a young girl who discovers what it’s like to grow up and be in love.
In an interview with NME about the movie, Haim opened up about what it was like to make her big-screen debut — and to play a character with her own name, no less.
“I have a different last name in the film,” she said. “I had sent Paul a laundry list of my friends’ names and the one that stuck out to him was Kane, which came from [late actor] Sammi Kane Kraft, who was my best friend and who I wrote ‘Hallelujah’ about.”
“It’s crazy that that was the name he picked,” she continued. “A lot of the funny stories were stories from my life — the dinner scene with my family is actually a true story.” In that scene, Haim’s Jewish father yells at her sister’s boyfriend for being an atheist.
Will Alana Haim be focusing on acting instead of music?
While Haim is being praised for her role in the movie, she assured fans that she wasn’t abandoning music at all. “Music is my first love. I love music,” she said. “We’re going on tour [in 2022], which is exciting. We finally get to play live. I’m not leaving my first love. But this is a fun little jaunt that I’m having. Hopefully won’t be the last.”
She also revealed that no one in the cast fangirled over her while on set — something she loved. “There was never a point where it was, ‘you’re Alana from Haim.’ I was Alana Kane and it was a completely different chapter of my life and I was alone,” she said proudly. “It was crazy not having my sisters be with me, but it was great. I missed them a lot.”
Haim admitted she hasn’t been approached to act in something else, but she wouldn’t turn down the chance to get in front of the camera again.
“If Paul ever wanted to work with me again, I would jump at the chance,” she said frankly. “He’s the best director to work with and the fact that he trusted me with this role is insane. I still am pinching myself.”
