Liza Koshy Interview: From Vine Sensation to Thriving Movie Star

07/02/23 • 29 min

I wasn’t especially familiar with Liza Koshy’s work on Vine, YouTube, and other social media platforms the first time I covered one of her feature films, but that certainly changed after our brief chat for her summer 2020 release, Work It. A big ball of infectious energy and positivity, it was immediately clear that Koshy’s star was going to continue to soar, and also that she’d be an ideal guest on Collider Ladies Night. Three years later, the time has finally come, and not only did she not disappoint, she far exceeded Ladies Night expectations.

Koshy voices Margot in DreamWorks Animation’s Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, the human best friend of the title character voiced by Lana Condor. When Ruby discovers she can transform into a gigantic kraken, she does what far too many high school students do with a quality that makes them different; she goes to great lengths to keep it a secret, even from her very understanding and supportive BFFs. However, when the new girl at school, Chelsea (voiced by Annie Murphy), turns out to be an evil mermaid with the power to destroy her hometown, Ruby knows exactly what she needs to do to keep her friends and family safe — fully unleash the kraken.

With Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken now playing in theaters nationwide, Koshy joined me for a Ladies Night chat to recap her journey from becoming a Vine powerhouse to a full-blown movie star, amassing a considerable filmography a mere 10 years into her time in Los Angeles.

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Past Lives Interview: Greta Lee on Going from Val Kilmer Fan to A24 Star

Greta Lee’s already accomplished quite a bit over the years, but 2023 is shaping up to be a banner year. Not only is she in Julio Torres’ feature directorial debut Problemista, but she also voices LYLA in the smash hit Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and leads the awards season-bound Past Lives from A24.

Lee plays Nora in Celine Song’s first feature. As a child (Moon Seung-ah) living in South Korea, she's deeply connected to her closest friend, Hae Sung (Leem Seung-min). But, that connection is severed when Nora’s family emigrates. Many years later while living in New York, Nora does reconnect with Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), but only virtually. Their in-person reunion doesn't happen until a decade later when Nora is married to an American author, Arthur played by John Magaro.

It’s a love triangle like you’ve never seen before, one that redefines what such a story can be. Past Lives respects the very real and deeply meaningful love one can have for two people in such a situation, while also emphasizing the importance of prioritizing self as well. Song explores that emotional complexity with a stunning sensitivity that well highlights Lee’s magnetic performance, a performance that’s already earned significant acclaim but could and should be heading towards even more later this year and into 2024.

With the movie now playing in theaters nationwide, Lee joined me for a Collider Forces conversation to retrace her steps in the industry the far.

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Hayley Atwell Interview: From Agent Carter to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

It can’t be easy joining a franchise in its seventh installment and holding your own opposite an industry juggernaut like Tom Cruise, but Hayley Atwell still winds up being a major standout in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.

The new M:I film introduces Atwell’s Grace, or rather “Grace,” a thief who finds herself in the middle of Ethan’s (Cruise) mission to track down both halves of a key needed to control a self-aware artificial intelligence program called The Entity. That mission lands Grace in a Fiat 500 with a mind of its own, on a train plummeting into a ravine, and in a number of other mighty dangerous situations.

Not only is Atwell an ace in the stunt department, but she also finds great success in bringing a hugely charming, well-layer, and complex character to screen in the midst of all of this mind-blowing action. It’s a performance feat that makes Grace feel real and contributes to keeping Dead Reckoning Part One somewhat grounded, which ups the suspense of the film tenfold.

With Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One now playing in theaters, Atwell took the time to join me for an episode of Collider Ladies Night. We discussed formative experiences when first beginning her journey as an actor, including an extremely valuable two-week internship with a casting director, her take on making network television after working on Agent Carter, and then jumped into some Mission: Impossible specifics.

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