‘A Monster Calls’ young star on working with Liam Neeson, ‘Star Wars’ actress Felicity Jones

Scottish actor Lewis MacDougall, now 14, has been watching his preteen self on the screen these past many months as “A Monster Calls” has been making the festival circuit. Based on Patrick Ness’ children’s book of the same name, the film shows 12-year-old Conor O’Malley (Lewis), who, while his mother (Felicity Jones of “Rogue One”) is ailing, is visited by a tree that comes to life. The magical tree, voiced by Liam Neeson, offers young Conor a deal: He will tell the young man three tales if, at the end, Conor then shares with “the Monster” a tale about Conor’s biggest fear.

Lewis, who was 12 when he made the film, said he sought the book out after learning he was in the running to portray Conor.

“The book was what really made me want to get the part, because I saw what a great story it was and how it could help people,” Lewis told The Washington Times from his home in Edinburgh.

In addition to acting with Mr. Neeson and Miss Jones, young Lewis spent much of his screen time with Sigourney Weaver, the Oscar-nominated actress known for the “Alien” films, “Working Girl” and many others, who plays Conor’s grandmother.

“There was no time where they sat me down and gave me ’lessons.’ But it was more just being around them,” Lewis said of acting with such screen veterans.

The heart of the film has Conor interacting with the Monster. Lewis acted against a green screen on set, but he and Mr. Neeson were able to work together weeks prior while Mr. Neeson’s part was recorded via motion capture.

“I wasn’t just acting toward a green screen, they made an animatronic Monster with a face and mask,” Lewis said of the set. “I had that there in front of me, so that really helped.”

As the story unfolds, Conor’s mother seems to improve but then worsens. Watching a loved one suffer is a situation everyone must face at some point, but it is especially traumatic for a young person of Conor’s years.

“Conor experiences a lot of different emotions, so getting in touch with those is definitely one of the most difficult aspects of” the part, Lewis said. “I guess I quite often draw on my own experiences to get myself into that place.”

Lewis said that director J.A. Bayona (“The Impossible”) would often play music on the set to get the cast into the right state of mind, which helped him particularly during the many difficult scenes of Conor either being bullied at school or watching his mother being sick.

Lewis, who says that, unlike Conor, he was not bullied, got into acting by chance as part of a drama group. He counts Mr. Neeson and Daniel Craig among his influences.

The promotion tour of “A Monster Calls” has been a bit surreal for the young thespian, with people enthusiastically seeking his autograph at the Toronto Film Festival.

“I went to a party after the premiere, and I saw Ewan McGregor there,” Lewis recalls of spying his fellow Scot. “I didn’t actually go up and talk to him, but I was like ’Ewan McGregor is over there, another Scottish actor.’”

Lewis, still a young teenager, aims to continue acting. When asked if he had a dream role in mind, he again mentioned Mr. Craig.

“When I was younger, I would say, ’I want to be James Bond,’” he said, “which would be quite cool.

“I really do take every day as it comes. I just sort of see what happens.”

“A Monster Calls” opens in the District Friday.