Maddy Wary ’22 enjoyed a whirlwind evening in New York City recently. She hung out with actor Ben Affleck, walked the red carpet at a movie premiere, and enjoyed a private screening of a new action thriller.
“It was like a dream,” Wary says. “I kept thinking, ‘How did a random girl from Hawaii like me end up here?’ It was a night I will never forget.”
This week promises more dreams come true. Wary makes her onscreen debut in Triple Frontier, an action thriller which drops March 13 on Netflix. Filmed mostly in Hawaii, it’s about five former special forces operatives who reunite to rob a South American drug lord, with unexpected consequences. Affleck plays Tom “Redfly” Davis, and Wary plays his daughter, Tess.
“I play an average teenager,” says Wary, a mathematics and brain and cognitive sciences dual major from Kailua. “The movie turned out super great, and I love it.”
Triple Frontier also stars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and Golden Globe nominee Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis). It’s directed by Academy Award nominee J.C. Chandor and cowritten by Chandor and Academy Award winner Mark Boal. It debuted at some theaters across the nation last week.
Wary was one of five people to audition for the part in 2017. Her mother had signed her with a Honolulu talent agency, and she auditioned in an office building there, a 30-minute drive from her home.
“The casting director knew my mom from when I was in elementary school and told her I should try out,” Wary says.
But soon after, the movie was put on hiatus. Production resumed in 2018, and she was called back to read again. Although she was “super sick” that day, she received a call from the casting director a week later telling her she had landed the part.
“I couldn’t believe I was the one chosen,” she says. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
She filmed her parts over four weeks last spring, with some days involving 12-hour shoots. Triple Frontier producer Neal Dodson calls Wary “a natural actor, real honest and simple.”
“I’m so impressed with Maddy that I’m sure she can do anything she sets her mind to,” Dodson says. “I know the Triple Frontier team can’t wait to see what she does.”
Wary’s previous acting experience includes commercials for her dad’s two restaurants, a few plays, and as a “kidcaster” on a morning news show.
“I never did anything in middle school because it was all musicals, and I can’t sing,” she says.
Wary was nervous about meeting Affleck, the Academy Award winner known for movies such as Good Will Hunting, Gone Girl, Argo, and two turns at Batman in the films Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
“I’m just this random actor,” she says.
So how did it go?
“He was always so nice to me.”
Wary learned about the University of Rochester from her high school advisor. “I only applied to East Coast schools, and she thought Rochester would be a good fit for me,” she says. “I’ve joined the club tennis team and love being on campus here.”
Wary doesn’t have a career path set and hopes to make more movies.
“I love acting, probably because I love the Harry Potter movies so much,” says Wary, who favorite actress is Emma Watson. “But I also love learning math, and about the brain.”
She received a framed photo of herself with Affleck and Chandor, which hangs in her dorm room. Her real gift will come every time someone clicks on Triple Frontier on Netflix.
“I’m so excited about this,” she says. “I can’t wait.”
