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Stefania LaVie Owen On 'The Beach Bum,' Matthew McConaughey & Her Career

(CBS Local)-- At 21 years old, Stefania LaVie Owen already has experience that goes way beyond her years.

She's done shows for Showtime and Hulu, worked with stars like Katie Holmes and Melissa Leo and will be on the big screen next to Matthew McConaughey this weekend in "The Beach Bum." Owen jumped at the opportunity to be in this movie because of the people associated with it.

"The people involved, that was a big check," said Owen in an interview with CBS Local. "Harmony Korine's work is very artistic and absurd, the idea of working with him was really cool. I liked the script, I liked the people that were on it and it was filming in Miami. It also coincided with my family coming over for Thanksgiving, so it was all weirdly meant to be."

The Sit Down: Stefania LaVie Owen by CBS Local News on YouTube

Owen was born in Miami, but spent the majority of her childhood in New Zealand. Like her friend and fellow actress AnnaSophia Robb, Owen believes it was best for her to live somewhere besides Hollywood as a young actress.

"Going from New Zealand to the states was a very big move, so I would choose specifically what I wanted to do," said Owen. "It wasn't just anything that came in. I was raised in New Zealand from the age of four and that's where I went to school. Working in the states was always fun, it never felt like work. I was 12 when I went to New York for the first time and I went with my Mom and my little sister."

Owen has packed a lot into her acting career so far. The role in this new movie will push introduce her to a larger audience and it also provided her with valuable lessons about how to act on set and how to make a major movie.

"That set was really fun because Snoop was there," said Owen. "He has such a great vibe and he's just livin'. He is just there to have a good time and he is really nice to everybody. He's awesome and Matthew McConaughey was awesome. Harmony created a world where filming and reality were so intertwined. The way that we filmed things felt like that too. It was very flexible and loose."

"The Beach Bum" hits theaters this Friday.

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