Here's How Kathryn Newton & Maya Hawke Got Into Character For The 'Little Women' Mini Series

Kathryn Newton and Maya Hawke step out together for the Little Women FYC Reception and Panel Discussion in Los Angeles on Sunday evening (May 6).

The two actresses recently spoke with THR about getting into the mindsets of Jo (played by Maya) and Amy (played by Kathryn) and their answers might surprise you.

“I think that every actor sort of has a different process, and there’s lots of things that really help — like you read the books, and you read the books that the character would read,” Maya shared.

For her, she read “the Bible, and I read…Emerson and Thoreau’s writing, and all sort of what would be happening in Louisa’s [May Alcott, author] mind when she was writing ‘Little Women’ and what Jo would be reading when she was a kid. I sort of tried to infuse my body with those ideas and thoughts, and that really helped me a lot.”

However, for Kathryn, it was the complete opposite – she actually listened to Gwen Stefani and Madonna!

“I listened to the things I listened to when I was 12,” she said. “Because in the beginning of the novel, when Amy does her horrible thing that she does, she’s very young. As an actor it was a big challenge to always have my emotions on my fingertips. It really made me get connected to my inner child again.”

Kathryn adds, “At 12 years old, your heart is on your sleeve. You love everything, you dream really big. You don’t understand why people tell you ‘no.’ That’s what I loved about Amy — she never really lets go of that.”

Little Women will premiere THIS Sunday, May 13th, @ 8PM ET/PT on PBS.