An American Werewolf in London (1981) was hardly Jenny Agutter’s first film; it was arguably the one that had truly stood the test of time.

Agutter began her acting career as a child, appearing in British films like East of Sudan (1964). “I feel I was lucky,” said Agutter, looking back on her career during an interview with The Jackson Sun. “I had no problems and worked with really nice people.”

Still, she didn’t necessarily believe that performing was an appropriate occupation for someone so young. “It’s very easy for a child to be impressed by this whole rather magical world,” said the actor. “I wouldn’t want to subject my child to a lot of the personalities in it.”

Though Agutter was grateful to begin her career at such a young age, she admitted that it changed her fundamentally. “Working with older people, I had to be more precocious, which, in some funny way, delayed my adolescence. I had to try to be and say everything from an older point of view. And what you don’t express are all the feelings and emotions you’re actually going through at that time.”

As she grew older, Agutter became more comfortable speaking her mind and choosing parts that she felt best suited her as an actor. One of these roles was that of Alex Price in An American Werewolf in London.

“As women’s roles go, it was good, and, particularly, in a film that was basically a horror film,” said Agutter. “I don’t spend my time screaming and running off and standing in shadows. It actually involves a relationship with someone.”