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Rosemarie DeWitt may not love watching horror movies, but she’s certainly an absolute ace when acting in them. Soon after Smile became a genre sensation in 2022, Paramount green lit a sequel. While it was abundantly clear that first-time feature filmmaker Parker Finn was a next-level creative with an exceptional eye for top-tier talent and eerie imagery, the truth of the matter is, we don’t often see sequels do the “bigger and better” thing well and with purpose. That’s not the case with Finn’s Smile 2, however.
The sequel focuses on Naomi Scott’s Skye Riley, a global pop sensation who hit a rough patch courtesy of substance abuse struggles and a terrible car accident. With her mom and manager, played by DeWitt, at her back, Skye readies herself for her comeback tour. The pressure is astronomical, and her mom often reminds her of just that; she’s only getting one second chance. As though the stakes couldn’t be higher, Skye then has a downright nightmarish encounter. She witnesses someone take his own life and, in the process, he gives her the smile curse.
In celebration of Smile 2’s nationwide release, and hugely successful first weekend at the box office, DeWitt joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to celebrate her filmography and dig into why an actor who’s terrified of horror films wants to make them.
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Horror films are rarely embraced on the awards circuit, but there’s no denying that Naomi Scott gives one of the very best performances of 2024 in Smile 2. After depicting an intimate and grounded nightmare in 2022’s Smile via Sosie Bacon’s Rose, a therapist, writer-director Parker Finn is putting the Smile curse on a bigger stage in the sequel. Scott headlines the new film as Skye Riley, a hugely successful pop star whose career took a downturn due to substance abuse struggles and a devastating car crash. Now, however, Skye is gearing up for a comeback tour. She’s already feeling the immense pressure to deliver while constantly being in the public eye, but then she gets an added challenge — not only must Skye make the most of her one and only chance to relaunch her career and brand, but she’s got to do so after catching the Smile curse.
How exactly does one hit the point in their career when they’re enthusiastic about a hugely ambitious role that demands they take it to an 11 from start to finish? That’s exactly what I dug into with Scott during her return to Collider Ladies Night after appearing on the show back in 2021. During that first Ladies Night chat, we dug into Scott’s journey in film and television from a business perspective, retracting her steps from project to project. This time around, however, we put the spotlight on the evolution of her craft — a craft so well-refined and powerful that Scott is willing and able to take Skye to places that demand every ounce of her being, both emotionally and physically.
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“I really wanted to be the number one on the call sheet in every movie I’ve ever done. It just never went that way.”
Perhaps it never went quite that way for Matthew Lillard, but his career in film, television and beyond has taken a unique turn over the years, and it’s an important one. Lillard isn’t headlining films — although I do have high hopes that will change — but he is getting supporting roles in some especially wonderful gems. Five Nights at Freddy’s, of course, was a hit for Universal and earned a sequel, and he’s also in Mike Flanagan’sThe Life of Chuck, which just scooped up the coveted People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Both wonderful wins in which Lillard delivers big as an actor, but a personal favorite aspect of seeing Lillard’s star soar especially high in recent years is watching how he’s used his success to foster community. Or rather, as he puts it, he’s become “the grandfather of geek culture.”
I witnessed this for the first time at MegaCon 2023. I was quite familiar with San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic-Con, but the fan convention circuit is different. It’s less about promoting upcoming projects and more focused on connecting fans with the artists they love. Lillard takes that very seriously. As a diehard Scream fan since 1996, I was thrilled when offered the opportunity to moderate the Scream panel which included Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy and Neve Campbell. Per usual, I prepped to the max and was ready to roll with a mile-long list of questions, but when I arrived and met the foursome, I was quickly informed that they’ve got this. At the time, nearly all of my moderating experience happened during post-screening Q&As or studio-produced convention panels that leaned heavily on a conversation leader and/or a specific run of show, so I didn’t quite know what they meant by that. We hit the stage, they gave me the first question of the panel, and then they took the reins, and it was a beautiful thing.
Lillard and Ulrich hopped off stage, walked out into the crowd and spearheaded a conversation that didn’t feel like panelists and audience, but rather, one big room of Scream lovers all hanging out together. Yes, Lillard, Ulrich, Kennedy and Campbell celebrated their iconic film, but the panel was much more about making their fans feel seen and bringing everyone closer together. It was abundantly clear that it worked, and that it meant something to everyone in the room. The first thing I said to a friend after walking off that stage? “That just made me even prouder to be a Scream fan.”
I sit here a massive fan of Lillard’s, fully believing he’s very deserving of those lead roles, but he’s connecting with the masses in a way that matters. During our Collider Forces conversation, we looked back on the early days of his career and the key moments that nudged him in this direction and ultimately made him a very important voice, and force, in fandom and a champion of unique forms of storytelling.
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It’s What’s Inside quickly became one of my favorite films of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and I was beyond thrilled to get the opportunity to chat with director Greg Jardin and his ensemble while in Park City. But, one person was missing from the conversation and, if you’ve seen It’s What’s Inside, you well know that the film’s concept hinges on every single member of the cast being able to deliver top-tier work as a unit. Thankfully, Netflix scooped up the film at the festival for a whopping $17 million and now It’s What’s Inside is available to stream on Netflix. That meant the missing member of the group was busy promoting this massive genre storytelling feat, and you can bet I jumped on the opportunity to chat with her. It’s Alycia Debnam-Carey.
Jardin’s wildly impressive feature-directorial debut is a body-swap film. The night before Reuben’s (Devon Terrell) wedding, he reunites his group of friends for a little pre-wedding party. When an estranged member of that friend group, David Thompson’s Forbes, shows up, he has a mysterious suitcase in tow. He pitches they play a party game with its contents, a curious machine he helped design. They agree, hook themselves up to the device, and Forbes flips the switch. Suddenly, they all swap bodies. The game? Figure out who is in whose body.
The tension is high across the board and every single character in It’s What’s Inside rocks complex layers that are fascinating to explore via the body-swap scenario. But, one particular character’s situation comes with some especially high stakes because she’s got a lot to lose. On top of that, who she is and what she’s created has an especially heavy influence on quite a few members of the group. It’s Debnam-Carey’s Nikki, a hugely successful social media influencer.
While celebrating It’s What’s Inside’s release on Netflix, Debnam-Carey swung by the Collider Ladies Night studio to dig deep into Nikki’s predicament and break down how the cast prepared to complete some serious acting gymnastics and craft a seamless body-swap experience. On top of that, we also took some time to look back on her journey as an artist, beginning with the recognition that she was meant to be an actor, not a percussionist.
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During her third appearance on Collider Ladies Night, Kate Siegel laughed and said, “It's so cliché for an actor to be like, ‘Oh, what I really want to do is direct,’ but I think what I really want to do is direct.” With each and every interview I’ve done with Siegel, for Ladies Night and beyond, it’s become more and more clear that not only does she have a firm handle on her craft as an actor, but she also has a deep understanding of and enthusiasm for the entire filmmaking process. Now that she’s put that passion and skill set to use on her directing debut, the V/H/S/Beyond segment “Stowaway,” it’s undeniable. Siegel is meant to be a filmmaking multi-hyphenate.
Penned by Mike Flanagan, “Stowaway” features YouTube star, journalist and voice actor Alanah Pearce as Halley, a young mother who heads out into the desert in hopes of having and documenting an extraterrestrial encounter. After interviewing a number of locals, Halley does manage to track down a spaceship, but the thrill of discovery is short-lived. Halley’s eagerness to explore the unknown lands her in a nightmarish situation that forces her to confront what she’s left behind at home in pursuit of finding something out of this world.
Siegel has a wealth of experience in film and television. Not only has she starred in hits including The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher, but she also headlined and co-wrote the 2016 gem Hush. How did those titles and more tee her up for success behind the lens as a director? That’s what we dug into during her third go-around on Collider Ladies Night.
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Roughly 10 years ago, when I was in my early days of covering film festivals, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to sit down with the team responsible for a movie that spotlighted a group of women who were, and still are, utter forces in film and television. That team? The filmmakers behind Raze, led by prolific stunt performer and coordinator, Zoë Bell.
Well aware of her work in Kill Bill, Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds, Whip It, and then some, I was quite eager to see what Bell could do both in front of and behind the lens in new ways. Not only did she headline Raze, but she also produced it and heavily contributed to the development of the story and the action right from the start. It was a significant leap that suggested she’d continue to soar in film and television in a multitude of ways.
Sure enough, at the end of September 2024, there we were celebrating Raze 10 years after release, discussing her accomplishments working on blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and teasing her upcoming feature directorial debut. Bell is a proven unstoppable powerhouse in this business, and it was a treat and honor to get to discuss how she found her craft and voice in such a high-pressure line of work, and how she continues to expand that skill set every step of the way, making a bigger and bigger mark on this industry with her art.
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I’ve been a very big fan of Mackenzie Davis’ for some time. I quite enjoyed our very first interview for What If back in 2013 and, like many out there, absolutely adored the AMC series, Halt and Catch Fire. While my enthusiasm for Davis’ work continues, the more we talk, the more why I’m drawn to her work in general comes into focus. During this latest conversation, Davis noted, “I do really give a shit, and I'm not a good liar.” That right there sums up her vibe in all interviews. Her answers are always impassioned and honest. Not only does that make her an especially wonderful Collider Ladies Night guest, but those qualities bolster every single film she’s in, including her latest, Speak No Evil.
Inspired by the 2022 Danish original, James Watkins’ Speak No Evil stars Davis and her Halt and Catch Fire co-star, Scoot McNairy, as Louise and Ben, a couple vacationing with their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) in Italy. While there, they meet Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son, Ant (Dan Hough). After enjoying their getaway with this far more free-spirited couple, it’s time for Louise and Ben to return home where they must face relationship woes and financial struggles. When they receive an invitation to visit Paddy and Ciara’s countryside home, they accept hoping that another day-to-day shake-up could be just what they need to put them on a better path. The trouble is, this particular getaway is destined to become a psychological nightmare.
The original Speak No Evil is an exceptional film, which left many wondering, why remake it, especially so soon after the original’s release? Admittedly, I was quite skeptical myself, but then I saw the new movie. Not only is Watkins’ Speak No Evil a hugely entertaining and effective thrill, but it’s also one that sparks a fascinating conversation about human connection and how far one is willing to be pushed. In particular, how far can Davis’ Louise be pushed before she’s had enough and must leave that house? The movie’s success hinges on Davis’ ability to get the audience on board with Louise’s internal struggle and, courtesy of her pursuit of truth in her work, she pulls that off exceptionally well.
With Speak No Evil now playing in theaters nationwide, Davis joined me for her second Collider Ladies Night conversation to recap how she developed her approach to her work as an actor, and how she applied it to Louise in Speak No Evil to ensure you’re with her every single step of the way throughout this extremely twisted vacation.
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Mark my words; one of the greatest discoveries of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, or perhaps the year in its entirety, is bound to be Maisy Stella. Stella isn’t new to the industry. She was on the hit series Nashville for six seasons, but My Old Ass proves her talent in a new way. Not only does the movie mark her very first feature film, but she’s also the lead of it, cementing the fact that she’s a wildly talented actor, and also a certified headliner.
Stella plays Elliott in the film, a teenager gearing up to leave home for college. On her 18th birthday, she opts to celebrate by taking mushrooms with her friends and, while high, she’s visited by her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza. While her “old ass” is hesitant to reveal too much about the future, she does share a few thoughts about how Elliott could make the most of her limited time home sweet home.
My Old Ass was my favorite film of Sundance this year, and now it’s on track to crack my Top 10 Films of 2024. Writer-director Megan Park whips up a brilliant concept that highlights the beauty of growing up and forging forward in life, but also how there’s much to gain from remembering and appreciating the experiences of our youth, even the ones that aren't wholly positive. With My Old Ass now playing in select theaters, I got the chance to welcome Stella to Collider Ladies Night to recap her road to headlining her first film and making an indelible impression on cinema in 2024 in the process.
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While Natalie Dormer’s filmography does rock quite a few standout projects and roles, when she first started her journey in screen acting, she quickly recognized the fact that there weren’t enough “three-dimensional, fleshed-out female protagonists." She explained, “You would be sent the script for ‘the girlfriend,’ ‘the wife,’ or ‘the antagonist,’ and the majority was so two-dimensional.” However, that’s changed considerably over the years. “Now when you're scrolling on whatever platform you're watching and seeing the amount of fleshed-out, three-dimensional, anti-heroic female protagonists … it's just night and day.” It’s night and day, indeed. You want some proof? Go check out Dormer’s latest film, The Wasp.
Dormer stars opposite Naomie Harris in the stage-to-screen adaptation as two estranged school friends, Carla and Heather, who reunite and get involved in some rather diabolical events. As Dormer put it, they’re “women who are both capable of profound darkness and profound vulnerability,” a combination that consistently tests your nerves and allegiance all through the film.
With the twisted psychological thriller now playing in theaters, Dormer joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to discuss some influential moments in her career that paved the way to embracing the opportunity to portray such an angry yet vulnerable character in The Wasp.
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I walked away from Fantastic Fest 2023 calling Strange Darling my favorite film of the festival. Had it received a 2023 release date, it would have been one of my top films of the year. Now it’s August 2024 and nothing has changed. I’d be utterly shocked if Strange Darling didn’t land in my Top 10 of 2024, and I’d also be shocked if I didn’t close out the year calling Willa Fitzgerald’s work in the film one of my favorite performances of, not just 2024, but of recent years.
Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner headline the movie as The Lady and The Demon. It’s a story loaded with brilliantly crafted twists and turns from writer-director JT Mollner and the team, so we’ll keep the plot synopsis simple; the two have a one-night-stand and it kicks off a murder spree.
I’ve been itching to get Fitzgerald on Collider Ladies Night since Strange Darling’s world premiere screening in September 2023, and now the time has finally come. With Strange Darling now playing in theaters, she joined me for a Ladies Night chat which, yes, included some Scream TV Series talk, but also heavily focused on her exquisite work in Strange Darling.
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The entertainment industry has a habit of boxing artists in. Have your Hollywood breakout via a horror movie? I’m willing to bet you’ll see an influx of genre scripts. Make a name for yourself with a particular type of music? The business will come to expect more of the same. But what about a social media superstar eager to pursue more paths and art forms out in Los Angeles? Given the fact that the number of high-profile social media personalities is skyrocketing, we’re bound to see more and more explore other sectors of entertainment. Someone who’s already well on her way while pursuing that path? Loren Gray.
Gray started building her fan base on the music-driven social media app Musical.ly, a following that transitioned over to TikTok when Musical.ly merged into TikTok in 2018. At this point in time, Gray is the 24th most followed TikTok creator with a whopping 53.7 million followers. She also has nearly 24 million followers on Instagram and 3.66 million subscribers on YouTube where she shares vlogs and her own music, much of which is quite successful. While Gray is still very passionate about all of this work, she’s eager to pursue an additional path in entertainment, a path she dubs her first love — acting.
With the high school comedy Incoming starring Mason Thames now available to stream on Netflix, Gray swung by the Collider Ladies Night studio for an interview covering her journey from Musical.ly to professional actor. She ran through some of her earliest acting inspirations, discussed what it was like making the move to Los Angeles as a teenager, and pinpointed the highs and lows of breaking into Hollywood as a social media star eager to build a career as an actor.
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Michelle Monaghan is an all-time favorite. Not only was she one of the very first guests on Collider Ladies Night back in 2019, but she’s also an especially wonderful interview. She speaks of her work with great passion, and also deeply cherishes memories of her most influential scenes partners — and she has many of them. Yes, Vince Vaughn is on that list, but there’s another member of the Bad Monkey ensemble who made an indelible impression on her as well.
Based on Carl Hiaasen’s bestselling novel, the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey stars Vaughn as Andrew Yancy, a detective who got the boot from the Miami Police Department and sent to the Keys where he’s further demoted to a health inspector. However, when a human arm is fished out of the water in the area, Yancy can’t help himself; he’s got to prove that this individual’s death was no accident, but rather, a murder. Trouble is, he no longer has the resources and support to crack the case, and must sort through a string of unusual personalities to find answers. Complicating matters further for Yancy is Monaghan’s character, Bonnie, a mysterious woman he had an affair with and keeps coming back to.
In celebration of Bad Monkey’s August 14 debut on Apple TV+, Monaghan returned to Ladies Night to dig into her collaboration with Vaughn and a few other past co-stars who heavily contributed to Monaghan’s confidence in her craft and goals for the future.
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There’s no doubt that every single main character in Hazbin Hotel is a fan favorite. They’re all voiced by hugely talented individuals, rock wildly creative designs and personalities, and also well reflect a variety of shockingly relatable ideas and experiences. But, there’s no denying that there might be a little extra love out there for Amir Talai’s Alastor. It’s simply too much fun watching, and often rooting for, such a dangerous character, especially when that character is powered by such a deliciously sinister voice performance.
For those out there who’ve yet to watch Hazbin Hotel Season 1 on Prime Video, what are you waiting for? It rocks an 80% on the Tomatometer and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was the largest global debut for a new animated series on Prime Video, and trust me when I tell you, once you hear the show’s original music, you’ll be eager to take Hazbin with you everywhere you go. The show comes from the mind of one of the most exciting voices in animation right now — Vivienne Medrano. After developing certain characters, including Alastor, for much of her life, Medrano independently produced a Hazbin Hotel pilot that currently has 112 million views on YouTube. From there, A24 swooped in and teamed with Prime Video to turn the YouTube hit into a full-fledged series. Now, not only is Hazbin Hotel Season 2 in the works, but Prime Video has also ordered Seasons 3 and 4 as well.
The animated musical takes place in Hell where Erika Henningsen’s Charlie Morningstar is determined to help sinners earn forgiveness and gain access to Heaven. How does she go about doing that? By creating a hotel for rehabilitation called the Hazbin Hotel. The trouble is, very few believe in her idea. The hotel has a mere seven residents - Charlie, Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz), Husk (Keith David), Niffty (Kimiko Glenn), Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman), Angel Dust (Blake Roman) and Talai’s Alastor. But can Alastor be trusted? While he seems loyal to Charlie and her cause, Alastor is an Overlord of Hell who’s in the midst of a power struggle. That begs the question, are his intentions pure or is he scheming behind the scenes?
During his Collider Forces interview, Talai recapped his journey in the industry thus far from his earliest acting inspirations to appearing on popular shows like American Horror Story and Ghosts, and ultimately scoring the role of a lifetime with Hazbin Hotel.
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We did it. We hosted our very first Collider Ladies Night live panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, and it went swimmingly in large part thanks to panelists Melissa Barrera, Erika Henningsen, and Katy O’Brian. Not only did the trio come to play when it came to using our comically large die for Dicey Questions, but they also didn’t hold back when dishing out real talk about the reality of being a working actor in film, television and theater.
All three have seen their stars soar especially high in recent years. Barrera has become a certified beloved scream queen via her work in the Scream franchise and Abigail, but she’s also an artist of great range, a skill she shows off big time in the stellar upcoming genre mash-up, Your Monster, which arrives in theaters just in time for Halloween on October 25th. Henningsen is a musical theater powerhouse. After originating the role of Cady Heron in Mean Girls the musical on Broadway, she scored a one-in-a-million opportunity. She voices the lead character in Hazbin Hotel, a series that posted the largest global debut for a new animated series on Prime Video and has amassed a wonderfully rabid fanbase since. Then there’s O’Brian who’s racked up a number of huge credits in a very short period of time. (And there’s no doubt there will be many more to come.) After appearing in the MCU and in the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, she stars in what’s now one of the biggest box office hits of the year, Twisters.
Clearly there’s a whole lot to celebrate here, but just as important as honoring all of the highs is acknowledging the journey one experienced to get them. During our hour-long Collider Ladies Night panel at San Diego Comic-Con in front of a 4,900-seat crowd, Barrera, Henningsen, and O’Brian took the time to peel back the curtain and offer unparalleled insight into what it takes to build a career as an actor.
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The Boys star Karen Fukuhara is a wonderful interview for a number of reasons. She’s a lovely person with a deep passion for her craft who’s got some stellar work to discuss. But, there’s another reason she’s such a treat to chat with. She’s got maximum respect for the press process because she once was a journalist herself — an entertainment journalist, in fact! While she’s clearly veered aware from that sector of the industry, her work in that realm has made a lasting impression so now, not only is she delivering big on screen, but she’s an ace at promoting that work too, so it was a true joy to get to welcome her to Collider Ladies Night in celebration of the Season 4 finale of The Boys.
Fukuhara’s Kimiko has come a long way in the hit Prime Video series. She was introduced in Season 1 as a feral supe who’s especially violent. But fortunately, Tomer Capone’s Frenchie sees more in her, an inner truth that, with some warmth and kindness, could help her emerge from past trauma, find community, and become one of the most valuable components of The Boys in the process. Four seasons later, Kimiko remains a deadly force to be reckoned with, but one with a massive beating heart determined to do whatever it takes to keep her friends safe and make the world a better place by taking down Homelander (Antony Starr) and Vought.
With The Boys Season 4 finale now available to watch on Prime Video, Fukuhara took the time to swing by the Collider Ladies Night studio for a lengthy chat recounting how she went from an aspiring journalist to becoming an actor in one of the hottest shows running right now.
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I hope you’re ready for a one-two punch of horror icons on Collider Ladies Night. Last week we put the spotlight on Mia Goth for the release of MaXXXine, and now we’ve got Longlegs headliner Maika Monroe who is, hands down, one of the most exciting voices in the horror space right now — and has been for a decade.
It Follows completely changed the game for Monroe in 2014. The David Robert Mitchell-written and directed film featured a brilliant concept that was expertly executed, putting the project on the path to becoming a modern horror classic. That wasn’t the only 2014 release Monroe had that earned such high honors. She also starred in Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard’s The Guest, yet another beloved film festival gem that went on to be hailed as top-tier horror by the masses. And Monroe has not stopped excelling in the genre since. She consistently works with directing visionaries with bold and ambitious ideas, ideas that give Monroe opportunities to push boundaries in horror storytelling and challenge herself as an actor in that space. Not only is her latest in that department a big winner in every respect on screen, but the quality of the work seems to be paying off significantly. Longlegs is already setting records for its distributor, Neon, and is poised to take in $14 - $17 million for its debut weekend.
Monroe leads Longlegs as Lee Harker, a new FBI agent who finds herself working on an especially gruesome case. Given her unusually adept perception, FBI veteran Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) recruits Lee to help him track down a serial killer with ties to the occult.
In celebration of Longlegs’ nationwide release, Monroe swung by for a Collider Ladies Night interview to dig into how she carved out the perfect place for herself in Hollywood.
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A lot has changed for Mia Goth since the release of X in March 2022. She’s seen her star skyrocket. After a steady stream of impressive supporting credits in films like The Survivalist, A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, and more, X finally got Goth her very first lead role in a feature film. Now, thanks to the X franchise, she’s headlined three — X, Pearl and MaXXXine — and the industry’s taken notice. Not only does she have two highly anticipated new projects on the way in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and the long-awaited Blade film with Mahershala Ali, but she’s essentially living Maxine Minx’s dream. She’s a certified Hollywood star and, finally, everyone knows her name.
In the third, but maybe not final installment of the X trilogy, Goth returns as Maxine Minx. Maxine is the sole survivor of the 1979 farm bloodbath in Texas, and now she’s busy trying to make it in Hollywood in 1985. Maxine has stuck with the adult film industry and found a good deal of success there, but she’s eagerly awaiting her chance to show off her acting chops on the big screen, and she finally gets that chance thanks to director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) who casts her as the lead in the horror film The Puritan 2. Maxine’s eager to give the project everything she’s got and become a star, but a distraction comes in the form of a serial killer who strikes a little too close to home.
With MaXXXine now playing in theaters nationwide, Goth took the time to return to Collider Ladies Night and discuss how her career and craft have evolved since the making of X and Pearl, and how becoming a mother has changed her approach to the work as well.
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MaXXXine may be the third film in a downright wild and blood-soaked horror series, but given the fact that the trilogy heavily pays homage to the evolution of cinema, there’s an abundance of very real connections one can make between the state of the industry depicted in these films and where things truly are at present. In fact, there’s one especially prominent one for Primetime Emmy nominee Elizabeth Debicki. In MaXXXine, she plays the only film director willing to take a chance on Mia Goth’s title character. As Debicki explained during our Collider Ladies Night conversation, finding filmmakers who believe in you is of the utmost importance to making it in Hollywood.
After the events of X, MaXXXine follows Maxine Minx to Hollywood in the 80s where she plans to become a star. Maxine is convinced she’s got the talent and determination to make it in the movies, but given her notoriety in the adult film realm, getting her big break has been impossible — until she meets Debicki’s character, Elizabeth Bender. Even though the producers of Elizabeth’s new movie would rather not have Maxine headlining the film, Elizabeth believes in her and insists on giving her the opportunity.
While many might be quick to highlight Baz Luhrmann as the person who took a chance on Debicki and sent her star soaring with The Great Gatsby, Debicki herself insists he’s not the only one. Yes, Luhrmann did give her her first lead role in a feature film, but Debicki insists directors taking a chance on actors never ends. “Yeah, you need to be good at your job, but it's also a real combination of timing and people believing in you enough to give you the job.”
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Getting a breakout role in film and television is the dream for many aspiring actors, but just as important are the projects one chooses to take after that breakout gig. Given the business’ habit of boxing artists into the first thing the world sees them do well, it can be a great challenge to amass a diverse body of work. How does one steer clear of those limitations and carve a path forward with volume and diversity? Perhaps by taking a cue from Kaya Scodelario.
Scodelario’s star began to soar via her work as Effy Stonem in the hit British teen series, Skins. After doing four seasons of the show, Scodelario began to pick up other television and film credits, credits ranging from Hollywood blockbusters like 2010’s Clash of the Titans to Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights, which celebrated its big debut at the 2011 Venice Film Festival before going on to other top tier fests like the Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance.
Over a decade later, Scodelario still enjoys a vast range of work. She headlined the 2019 horror gem Crawl, jumped into a popular game franchise with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and then did the Christmas romantic comedy, This Is Christmas. Yet another vastly different standout credit on her resume? The new Guy Ritchie Netflix series, The Gentlemen, a kinetic crime comedy that's enjoying a good deal of Emmy buzz this season.
Inspired by Ritchie’s 2019 film, The Gentlemen series stars Theo James as Edward Horniman. After his father passes, Eddie inherits the family estate and becomes Duke of Halstead. As if all that isn’t enough to process, Eddie is soon made aware that his father secretly made an arrangement with Bobby Glass’ (Ray Winstone) weed empire. If Eddie continues to let them grow their product below ground on his property, he'll get large sums of money in return, money Eddie needs given the state of the family farm and his brother’s (Daniel Ings) habit of accumulating massive debts with dangerous figures. The person in charge of this weed empire while Bobby is in prison? His daughter, Scodelario’s Susie Glass.
In celebration of The Gentlemen’s successful Season 1 run, Scodelario joined me for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to retrace her steps from breaking out via Skins to starring in an acclaimed Guy Ritchie production.
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Melissa Benoist stepped into the Hollywood spotlight in a big way via Glee. Then she cemented herself as a bonafide star and headliner with Supergirl. Now she continues to broaden her range and her industry skill set by starring in and producing the hugely entertaining political drama, The Girls on the Bus.
Created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, The Girls on the Bus is inspired by Chozick's memoir, Chasing Hillary. It follows four female journalists played by Benoist, Carla Gugino, Christina Elmore and Natasha Behnam, who are on the campaign trail with aspiring presidential candidates. They all have vastly different backgrounds and goals, but find themselves supporting one another as they navigate career pressures, personal challenges, and frustrations with flawed presidential hopefuls.
As Collider’s Taylor Gates noted in her review, “[Girls on the Bus] handles serious topics, from sexism and racism to abortion and corruption, in a way that feels both raw and palatable while never taking away from the show’s watchability and enjoyability,” and I must agree. Powered by its perfectly assembled core four and their infectious charm, Girls on the Bus quickly earned my investment and heart. Given that, it’ll probably come as no surprise that the show’s cancellation was a massive disappointment. However, that’s not stopping Benoist from celebrating what she and the team achieved.
Benoist took the time to join me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to recap her road to Girls on the Bus, to discuss her collaboration with her three top-tier co-stars, and to explain why the show’s cancellation will have zero impact on how she looks back on the experience of making it and the final product she and the team produced.
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- Visa fler
