Matching Actors to Their Clan of the Cave Bear Characters- Ayla

    Ayla is the main character of Clan of the Cave Bear.  At the beginning of the story she loses her  family (Cro-Magnon like her) as well as any knowledge of the people she came from as the result of an earthquake.  She wanders alone in the wilderness, a 5 year old suddenly on her own.  Eventually she is adopted by a similarly displaced group of Neanderthals.  She must learn their ways and figure out how to become accepted as one of them. 

  My description of Ayla is:  from her earliest years we can tell she is outgoing and full of love and friendship.  She seems innately good at knowing what is inside people's hearts and responsive to what she sees.  She always wants to learn as much as she can as fast as she can to make her loved ones and herself happy (in that order).  She is very open-minded and curious.  Ayla has many creative ideas and is not deterred by whether or not everyone else "gets it."  She loves deeply and is loyal to a fault.  She can kick ass when needed.  She doesn't ask "Why?" she asks "Why not?"

   Millie Brady is playing Ayla in the new series.  She is not someone I'm personally familiar with, but to me it's a bonus that she can just be Ayla from the get go.  Sometimes when a character is built up in your mind as looking and acting a certain way it can be tough to accept the version presented to you on the screen if it's different. 

  I hope Millie can bring to her portrayal of Ayla that mix of strength and vulnerability which have made the character such an enduring favorite for the last 30 odd years since Clan of the Cave Bear was first published.  I am rooting for her to do well.  You can also look for Millie Brady in the meantime in a couple of new movies coming out still in 2015 - Legend and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  

  Here are her social media accounts if you want to check for an occasional glimpse into production:

Millie Brady Instagram

 

Millie Brady Twitter 

  

Here is a short interview she did recently for Tatler UK: