A heartbroken but defiant Sophie Lowe stars in actor-turned-filmmaker Bonnie Wright’s candid new music video. Without the usual entourage of hair and makeup artists, the longtime friends journeyed to the Mojave Desert for the first time, to capture Lowe’s soulful track “Dreaming”, which she recorded under her alter ego, Solo. “I was sitting on the back of my friend’s car to try and create the feeling of drifting, while also looking out for rangers,” explains English-born Australian Lowe, who when not writing songs is an actor, currently shooting the ABC show Once Upon a Time in Wonderland in Vancouver. “Meanwhile Bonnie was balancing herself on the car seats while we drove over the bumpy desert.” Wright was cast alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film series aged nine; following the blockbuster franchise’s end, she explored her interest in directing and screenwriting, training at the London College of Communication and debuting with Separate We Come, Separate We Go, which made the Short Film Corner at Cannes Film Festival in 2012. “I don’t think I would have been able to make that film in the tone it was made if I hadn’t ever acted,” says the now 22-year-old Wright. “Just because the relationship that you build up between director and actor is very intense.” Having just wrapped up her next short film in upstate New York, the London-based director reveals her fantasy collaborations and music heroes.

What was on the stereo when you were growing up?
Bonnie Wright: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground and James Taylor never left our family sound system, and they’re probably still the most played on my iPod.

The next band you’d like to direct a video for?
BW: A long shot but I love the music of Tame Impala; their music lends itself to visuals beautifully.

Best music venue?
BW: The Troxy in Limehouse, east London.

Your favorite thing about getting behind the camera after acting?
BW: It’s fantastic to be part of both sides of the coin. I love directing as it allows me to tell my own stories, while acting is great for stepping into other people’s stories.

Your creative process in a nutshell?
BW: My film concepts always begin with the particular emotion I am trying to evoke, say the sadness of loss. I then collect references, inspiration and write lots of disjointed sentences from light directions and thoughts, to actual dialogue. Then the way I work with my crew is very collaborative; I need them to be as emotionally invested as myself.

Dream collaboration?
BW: Directing Christoph Waltz smoking a cigar and soaking in a hot spring in Iceland!