Collider Conversations

Similar to Sheila Carrasco, I've been lucky enough to have many lovely short group conversations involving Utkarsh Ambudkar, but I've been itching for a longer one-on-one sit-down with the Ghosts star to discuss his journey in film and television, and it finally happened with the conclusion of the hit CBS show's fourth season.Ambudkar's Jay has been through a lot since Ghosts kicked off in October 2021. He learned his wife (Rose McIver) could see ghosts and powered through countless ghost-sparked shenanigans with Sam serving as the intermediary until he finally got the chance to see them for himself courtesy of an exorcism hiccup. On top of that, Jay's also hit a number of key personal milestones. He opened a B&B with Sam, took a significant step forward with his father (Bernard White), and opened his dream restaurant. Trouble is, Jay also inadvertently signs a deal with the devil at the end of Season 4, a deal that will likely have Elias (Matt Walsh) out to kill him in Ghosts' fifth season.There's much to love about Ghosts, but one of the show's greatest achievements is finding the ideal lead ensemble. Not only does every ghost actor play their role to perfection, but the show is expertly anchored by its living leads - Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar. In fact, the duo are so successful at making Sam and Jay so uniquely their own, it came as a shock when Ambudkar revealed that, initially, he passed on the project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the dawn of the genre, women have soared in horror. So, what better way to celebrate the return of one of its most iconic franchises than with a very special edition of Collider Ladies Night, hosted by the queen of screams herself, Perri Nemiroff? For this exclusive advanced screening edition of the interview series, Nemiroff spoke with the stars and longtime franchise producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor for Final Destination Bloodlines, the first sequel in 14 years, just in time for the 25th anniversary of the OG.After watching the movie, stars Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Kaitlyn Santa Juana (The Friendship Game), Anna Lore (Gotham Knights), Rya Kihlstedt (Superman & Lois) and Taylor joined Nemiroff on stage for an in-depth conversation about the legacy of the Final Destination franchise, from the significance of casting lesser-known actors to bringing a very particular level of realism to this Death-defying narrative.In this discussion, Taylor, who has worked on every Final Destination film, spanning nearly three decades, talks about working with directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky (Freaks), and explained why Bloodlines was a much different experience than the first film. The cast also discusses the inner workings of those gruesome Final Destination death sequences, the joys of working in horror, why certain deaths and even characters had to change from script to screen, and tons more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines.]Brec Bassinger's been racking up impressive film and television accomplishments since she was 13, but Final Destination Bloodlines is bound to send her star soaring even higher for a multitude of reasons.Bassinger is at the heart of one of the movie's most highly anticipated set pieces - the opening premonition. As a young Iris, she takes us back to 1969 when her boyfriend, Max Lloyd-Jones' Paul, attempts to whip up a very special night. He surprises Iris with a visit to the Skyview, a restaurant that sits atop a 500-foot steel-beamed tower, and proposes to her. However, soon after their magical moment, a penny sets off a chain reaction that ultimately kills everyone in the restaurant and brings the entire structure down.Due to the genius “bloodlines” concept, that's the extent of Bassinger's involvement in the movie. When the opening destruction concludes, the film shifts to the present day, where Kaitlyn Santa Juana's Stefani experiences the Skyview disaster in the form of a nightmare. Yes, we do get an older version of Iris, played by Gabrielle Rose, but as far as Bassinger's direct contribution to the movie goes, she gets a single sequence to make an impression - and she does, big time.Yes, the opening Skyview disaster is a production feat that's packed to the brim with widely impressive effects and stunts, but a big reason why all of that work hits so hard is because Bassinger doesn't waste a second filling out Iris' world and sparking a meaningful connection with the viewer. That level of engagement ensures Final Destination Bloodlines' opening premonition isn't just a cool horror set piece, but one with some real emotion and meaning.In celebration of Final Destination Bloodlines' big release, Bassinger joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit her days on Nickelodeon, to discuss making DC's Stargirl, and to dig into every ounce of her unforgettable Bloodlines performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After four seasons worth of lovely, but short and sweet group conversations, the time has finally come - I got to sit down with Ghosts star Sheila Carrasco for a lengthy conversation about her journey to the hit CBS comedy, and to dig into all of the wonderful things she's already accomplished playing Flower on the show.While Carrasco's Flower remains an impossibly lovable hippy, Season 4 continues to remind us that while she may be forgetful, Flower is often the smartest in the room. She proves as much in Season 4, Episode 18 when she outwits Trevor (Asher Grodman) and Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) and winds up doubling the $5,000 Trevor gives to her. On top of that, we mustn't forget, while living, Flower attended law school and that could make her the ghost who's best suited to help Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) with that Season 4 finale cliffhanger.Check out Sheila's Collider Ladies Night interview for loads of information on that, some of Flower's biggest Season 4 moments, and also a breakdown of her journey from being an NYU student to a series regular on a beloved CBS show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.]One of the very best parts of having a returning guest on Collider Ladies Night? Realizing how much they've accomplished during such a short period of time. Geraldine Viswanathan made her first Ladies Night appearance in 2020 for The Broken Hearts Gallery and since has completed a four-season run on Miracle Workers, starred opposite Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Snook in The Beanie Bubble, headlined Drive-Away Dolls with Margaret Qualley, made Oh, Hi! with Molly Gordon which secured distribution out of Sundance 2025, and now she's part of one of the biggest film franchises of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Viswanathan makes her first MCU appearance as Mel in Thunderbolts*. She's Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) extremely attentive and diligent assistant. Initially, she seems quite loyal too, but when Bucky (Sebastian Stan) suggests Mel secretly slip him information on Val in hopes of having her impeached, eventually, Mel concedes. While that choice may suggest Mel's willingness to double-cross her boss, ultimately, she changes course again, pushing the button that saves Val's life from the Sentry (Lewis Pullman).So where does Mel stand? Does she skew more villain than hero? Does she still admire Valentina? That's exactly what I dug into with Viswanathan during her second Collider Ladies Night interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yvonne Strahovski says it herself. “She's hateable.” Serena's run throughout The Handmaid's Tale is absolutely littered with questionable and, in some cases, heinous decisions. But, this is the power of a force like Strahovski. Sometimes, in between terrible choices, Serena will get an opportunity to turn to the light, and even after everything she's done, you can't help but hope she finally reaches out, takes the lifeline, and forges a better path forward. However, time and time again, she back pedals and becomes consumed by self-righteousness, often at others' expense, and Season 6 is no different.At the top of the Emmy-winning series' sixth and final season, Serena was close to finding a way out. She winds up on a train to Alaska with June (Elisabeth Moss) where she can get a fresh start with Noah. However, old habits die hard and her behavior ultimately exposes her identity and turns the train passengers into an angry mob. Thanks to June, she manages to escape the riot, but rather than continue her pursuit of a new path forward, she returns to Gilead to settle in Commander Lawrence's (Bradley Whitford) New Bethlehem. While she's promised things will be different there, it quickly becomes clear that that's not the case, something Serena's own leadership tactics perpetuate.With The Handmaid's Tale nearing its big finish, Strahovski returned to Collider Ladies Night to dig into some of Serena's biggest moments in this final go-around, and to reflect on her experience tackling the character for six seasons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yellowjackets features some of the very best ensemble casting across the board, but there's no denying we got an extra special duo in Liv Hewson and Lauren Ambrose. At the start of the Showtime and Paramount+ series, Van Palmer was not meant to make it out of the wilderness alive. However, thanks to Hewson's screen presence and creative spark, it became abundantly clear that they deserved more time to shine. Not only did the showrunners shift gears and have Van survive the wolf attack in Season 1, Episode 7, but at the start of Season 2, they revealed that Van makes it home from wilderness with the introduction of Ambrose's present-day version of the character. From that point on, we've enjoyed a breathtaking level of connectivity between the two actors.However, as of Season 3, Episode 9, “How the Story Ends,” the time of Van Palmer being a dual role has ended. The character doesn't succumb to her cancer diagnosis, but rather, is stabbed by Hilary Swank's present-day Melissa. It's a crushing end for a fan-favorite character, one that Ambrose admits, doesn't offer closure, but because it was never meant to. However, Ambrose herself has found peace in the feeling that she “was just handing [Van] back to Liv.”With all of Yellowjackets Season 3 available to stream on Paramount+, and with the show's Emmy campaign picking up steam, I got the opportunity to welcome Ambrose to Collider Ladies Night. During our 40-minute chat, we revisited some pivotal moments of her career, many of which pointed toward a deep appreciation of the rehearsal process. And, it turns out, that love of rehearsing is what helped her and Swank figure out how to play Van's death and deliver a scene that feels “crackling and real and exciting and weird.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yellowjackets has a phenomenal team at the helm. Showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco do a top-tier job steering the ship. However, one thing that's been apparent since the very beginning is how much their ensemble cares about their characters. It's a level of passion, dedication and collaboration that undoubtedly bolsters their presence in the show and their impact on the narrative. A prime example of that? How Liv Hewson changed the game for their character, Van Palmer.In May 2023, Hewson became the very first guest on Collider Forces, a show they inspired. Collider Forces is a Collider Ladies Night spin-off series designed to use a similar style of conversation to highlight even more need-to-know voices in this industry, ones that are changing it for the better. Hewson's inspired significant change in recent years. Change for themself, change for non-binary representation in Hollywood, and also a significant change to the Yellowjackets narrative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Nélisse's Shauna Shipman has been through quite a bit since crashing in the wilderness at the start of Yellowjackets, and in Season 3, all of that heartbreak, fear, and anger comes to a head in a very dangerous way for everyone around her. After losing Jackie (Ella Purnell) and her baby, Shauna is consumed with rage, and discovers she has a taste for power, the dangers of the wilderness, and the blood-soaked thrills it offers. That results in her consistently hurting other characters to get what she wants.Just to name a few, she has it out for Mari (Alexa Barajas) all season, she essentially bullies the other Yellowjackets into voting Coach Scott (Steven Krueger) guilty of burning down the cabin, and in one of the most crushing scenes of the season, she shatters Melissa's (Jenna Burgess) heart, putting an end to the ShaunaHat romance. It's cruel and often unforgivable behavior, however, Nélisse insists that she's still rooting for Shauna, and her reasoning ties to an essential building block of a good villain figure. “You see all of her roots and all of the reasons that led her to the person that she is in the third season.” She added, “I wouldn't say that everything that she's done is obviously forgivable, but I understand where it all stems from.”During her visit to Collider Ladies Night, Nélisse weighed in on the fan reaction to Shauna's behavior in Yellowjackets Season 3, shared her devastating take on the demise of ShaunaHat, and also revealed what 90s Shauna would think of who Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) is in the present day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courtney Eaton's Lottie Matthews continues to be one of the most enigmatic characters in the Yellowjackets ensemble, making her one of the most exciting to track. And while it's nearly impossible to explain away all of Lottie's choices and actions, especially in Season 3, the character is still shockingly grounded courtesy of the fact that Eaton understands her and has successfully established an anchor for the character via her own intuition and instincts as an actor.As Eaton noted during her first Collider Ladies Night appearance for Yellowjackets Season 2, “Lottie does everything from the best place. She's trying to give her heart to everyone. It might not come across in the right way sometimes, but she's always well intentioned.” Does that thinking still apply when it comes to axe murder, ruining the group's chance of recuse, pushing Travis (Kevin Alves) to the brink, and then some in Season 3? Eaton does, indeed, hold tight to that mentality. “[Lottie] knows that the best version of herself is once she's connected [to the wilderness] and that can help the group.”During her second go-around on Collider Ladies Night, Eaton digs into how that thinking influenced Lottie's choices this season, offers her thoughts on Lottie possibly being the one who burned down the cabin, confirms how far Lottie walked over the pit during that scene with Travis, reveals if Lottie was really trying to help Mari during the hunt, and so much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's Note: We experienced some technical difficulties with the audio of this episode. Our apologies, and thank you for your understanding!]Meghann Fahy's been thriving on screen for quite some time now. She was in over 80 episodes of One Life to Live as Hannah O'Connor and starred in the hit Freeform series The Bold Type which ran for five seasons. But, there's no denying that The White Lotus was a different kind of game-changer. Not only did Mike White's HBO series continue to be a pop culture sensation in its second season, but the quality of the new episodes earned nine members of the ensemble Emmy nominations, including Fahy.Since that Emmy nomination? Fahy's downright soaring. She had a role in the 2024 genre mash-up gem Your Monster starring a Collider Ladies Night favorite, Melissa Barrera. She was in The Perfect Couple with Nicole Kidman, she was in Rebuilding with Josh O'Connor which earned high praise at Sundance, and is also in Molly Smith Metzler's highly anticipated Netflix series Sirens with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock. All very exciting achievements, but there's something extra special about the movie Fahy has hitting theaters on April 11. Christopher Landon's Drop marks the very first time Fahy is #1 on the call sheet for a feature film.She headlines as Violent, a widowed mother reluctantly going on her first date in years. While dining in an upscale restaurant with her dating app match, Brandon Sklenar's Henry, Violet starts getting a string of unusual and alarming anonymous drops to her phone. Is it her date? Is it another diner? Or perhaps it's an employee at the restaurant. Violet doesn't know and she'll have to figure it out on her own because the assailant is watching and they insist she tell no one - or else.Drop rocks a sharp script and the much-needed skilled mind and eye to execute it in Landon, but the success of the film heavily depends on Fahy's ability to deftly navigate the production challenges that come with such a concept while also ensuring the viewer can feel the threat Violet's under, and she excels tackling both - big time. While celebrating Drop's World Premiere screening at SXSW, Fahy visited the Collider Media Studio at the Cinema Center for a Collider Ladies Night interview to go back to the beginning and recap her journey to landing at the top of the call sheet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samara Weaving's firmly cemented herself as a genre icon. Thanks to The Babysitter, Ready or Not and then some, she's become one of the most trusted and exciting artists in horror. When her name popped up on yet another genre movie roster, it instantly became a highly anticipated production, and Weaving made due on that hype. Her latest, Borderline, is an outrageous and twisted delight.Marking the feature writing and directing debut of her husband, Jimmy Warden, Borderline stars Weaving as Sofia, an extremely popular 90s pop star with a dangerously obsessive fan, Paul Duerson, played to over-the-top perfection by Ray Nicholson. While Sofia often has her loyal bodyguard (Eric Dane) at her back, one night, Paul slips through the cracks, determined to carry out his grand delusion, marrying Sofia.Borderline is wonderfully bonkers in many respects, but it's also an effective edge-of-your-seat thrill because Weaving successfully crafts an anchor character who can play with the extreme while feeling just grounded enough to convey she's fighting for something real. It's a reminder that, yes, Weaving is an absolute ace in the horror genre, but she's also got the endless range to deftly handle a horror genre mash-up - and any other type of film she wants to tackle, for that matter.With Borderline now available to watch in theaters and on digital, Weaving joined me for a Collider Ladies Night interview to revisit her film professor father's early influence, to look back on her very first trip to LA and what it was like finding her place in Hollywood, and to discuss how she pushed herself in new ways in Borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the greatest treats of Collider Ladies Night is getting to welcome a longtime favorite to show. That happened this time around with Tatiana Maslany, who currently has The Monkey playing in theaters nationwide. One of my earliest experiences doing week-to-week series coverage was Orphan Black. Not only did I absolutely adore the show and frequently marvel at Maslany's work in it, but given my investment, it heavily defined some of the earlier years of my career, paving the way to consistent work, work that I was excited to do and quite proud of. While I have crossed paths with Maslany a number of times since for short-form conversations, I was itching to get the opportunity to sit down for a longer chat, and now, thanks to a downright wild Stephen King adaptation from Osgood Perkins, that time has finally come.Maslany plays Lois in The Monkey, mother to twins Hal and Bill, both played brilliantly by Christian Convery. Lois' husband (Adam Scott) thought a drum-playing monkey would be a great gift to bring home to his boys - until he discovers its tendency to kill victims in especially outrageous and horrific ways. He disappears, leaving Lois a single mother. The trio forge forward well enough until Hal and Bill unearth their father's monkey.With The Monkey currently in theaters, Maslany joined me for a Ladies Night chat to discuss her experience working with Perkins on not one, but two feature films - The Monkey and also Keeper, which was filmed before The Monkey and is due in theaters via Neon later this year. She also took the time to highlight another exciting upcoming project, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, looked back on her experience joining the MCU via She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and discussed what it was like winning a breakout performance award for Grown Up Movie Star as well as an Emmy for Orphan Black. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets, Season 3, Episode 4, "12 Angry Girls and 1 Drunk Travis."]Tawny Cypress is an absolute powerhouse on Yellowjackets. In fact, Cypress was so immediately captivating in the hit Showtime and Paramount+ series that I frequently caught myself wondering, how have we not been getting a steady stream of Tawny content for years now? Cypress' first main role on a TV series was playing Simone Deveaux in Heroes, but that run only lasted one season. After that, it was Unforgettable on CBS, but Cypress jumped into that one when the show was already in its second season. Next up was a main role in The Blacklist: Redemption, but again, that foundation had already been built pror to Cypress' involvement because, of course, it was a The Blacklist spin-off. Cypress needed more, and she deserved more. In fact, she wished for just that. “I want a really good show. I want the best job I've ever had, and I want it to be good, and I want it to last.” That wish was granted. It was Yellowjackets.Cypress stars as the present day version of Taissa Turner, played in the 90s by past Ladies Night guest Jasmin Savoy Brown. At the start of the series, Cypress' Taissa is running to become a New Jersey state senator. However, when her past in the wilderness catches up with her, Taissa starts to unravel, threatening her chances of winning the election. Shocking many, including herself, Tai wins the race, but at that point it's too late. The wilderness has firmly dug its claws back into the surviving Yellowjackets, reuniting Taissa with Van (Lauren Ambrose), and then bringing the whole (?) group back together at Lottie's (Simone Kessell) compound to sort through the wealth of complications the 1996 plane crash left them with as adults. Their get-together concludes with an especially twisted hunt, one that results in Natalie's (Juliette Lewis) demise. When Season 3 kicks off, forget politics. Taissa has narrowed her focus to one thing and one thing only, keeping Van alive - even if she has to turn to the wilderness to do so.With Yellowjackets Season 3, Episodes 1-4 now available to stream on Paramount+, Cypress swung by the Collider Ladies Night studio to discuss her journey to Yellowjackets, and offer some insight into the most powerful and cryptic moments of Season 3 thus far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets, Season 3, Episode 3, "Dislocation."]Raise your hand if you judged Callie way too soon during Season 1 of Yellowjackets. Callie is the only teenager in the present day timeline, and she often acts like it. She's moody, rarely listens to her parents and, in Season 1, Episode 5, crossed a major line by wearing Jackie's (Ella Purnell) Yellowjackets jersey as a Halloween costume. Sure, one could label that bratty, if not cruel behavior, but as Sarah Desjardins pointed out during her Collider Ladies Night interview, we can't forget that Callie is a child, and she's a child that's been subjected to quite a few head-spinning and disturbing situations courtesy of her parents' (Melanie Lynskey and Warren Kole) twisted past and present.While Callie appears to be keeping it somewhat cool at the start of Season 3, there's no doubt there's a lot bubbling up underneath because, as Jeff explains, Callie just witnessed her mother's friends wearing animal masks chasing her through the woods with knives, she shot one of them, and then saw Natalie (Juliette Lewis) die. Sure, they arrived at Lottie's (Simone Kessell) wellness center with “five Dateline's worth of problems,” but the problems they added to that list while there changed the game big time for Callie. In the first few episodes of Season 3, we start to get a sense of how.With the first three episodes of Yellowjackets Season 3 now available to stream on Paramount+, Desjardins swung by the Collider Ladies Night studio to explain how she took the character from a seemingly stereotypical bratty teenager, to a highly determined - and often manipulative - young adult who's been heavily shaped by her mother's mysterious past and will stop at nothing to get answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the series finale of Cobra Kai.]From the moment I met Mary Mouser during the earliest stages of Cobra Kai's run on YouTube, one thing was abundantly clear - this is a wildly talented artist who pours her whole heart into her work and is quite excited to talk about the extensive amount of thought and care she puts into it. That immediately made her an interviewee I'd keep chasing and now, seven years later, not only have we had many wonderful press day conversations, but Mouser has officially become our second Collider Ladies Night three-time guest.On top of that, that great care and attention to detail Mouser has when tackling her work makes her an optimal fit to play the Cobra Kai character with an especially mature and nuanced arc throughout the show's six-season run. At the start of Season 6, Part 3, Sam LaRusso and the other Miyagi-do fighters think the Sekai Taikai is over. When that changes, Sam is put in an especially complex situation. Not only would she have to face off against her friend, Tory (Peyton List), but she'd be doing so for nothing in the grand scheme of things because of Miyagi-do's extreme point deficit. Sam opts to quit, a choice that, more often than not, is frowned upon on screen, and in life. However, courtesy of strong writing and development from Cobra Kai's Big 3, Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg, and Mouser's dedication to understanding and justifying the choice from the character perspective, Cobra Kai manages to recontextualize what it means to quit.During her third appearance on Collider Ladies Night, Mouser looks back on some early Cobra Kai scenes that set the foundation for Sam to be able to make such a choice, she discusses where things land for Sam and her father, and also for Sam and Miguel, and she explains what Cobra Kai means to her and her character after six seasons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a wealth of wonderfully talented actors who got their start making Disney shows and films. But, as often discussed on Collider Ladies Night, this is an industry with a habit of boxing artists in to the first they do well. One particularly popular box? The Disney box, and that's the one I focused on with Heart Eyes star, Olivia Holt.Holt's star started to rise with not one, but two Disney shows and a Disney Channel Original Movie. First it was Disney XD's Kickin' It, then came the movie Girl vs. Monster, and after that it was the Disney Channel Original Series, I Didn't Do It. All fantastic opportunities for a young actor getting a foothold in the industry, but all projects that would wind up labeling Holt as a particular kind of actor. When the time came to grow beyond Disney projects, Holt cared a good deal about that carrying label - until she didn't. “I just couldn't care anymore. I think I cared so deeply about people not wanting to view me as a Disney star, and now I just embrace it.”Embracing it has served Holt exceptionally well since the end of I Didn't Do It. While making the most of the invaluable lessons learned on those Disney sets, Holt has gone on to headline the short-lived but beloved Marvel series Cloak & Dagger. She also delivered big starring in the Hulu series Cruel Summer. She starred opposite Kiernan Shipka in Prime Video's horror comedy Totally Killer, and now she leads yet another slasher movie that's a total blast, Heart Eyes. Holt plays Ally in the Josh Ruben-directed romantic comedy slasher film. After a setback at work, Ally agrees to have dinner with Jay (Mason Gooding), the hotshot designer her boss brought in to oversee her assignment. Trouble is, it's Valentine's Day and the Heart Eyes Killer is out for blood. When HEK suspects Ali and Jay are on a date, they become HEK's next target.With Heart Eyes now playing in theaters nationwide, Holt took the time to swing by the Collider Ladies Night studio to recap her journey to becoming an undeniable force in the genre space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Magaro has quietly built one of the most impressive filmographies in Hollywood. So quietly, in fact, that he's still often being dubbed a “breakout” with each new hit he delivers. Magaro insists his priority is being an artist, not a movie star. However, given the pace with which he's churning out standout performances in phenomenal films, the latter is more undeniable than ever. John Magaro is a star and any production would be lucky to have him.The two most recent films to have Magaro as a headliner are an Oscar nominee and a Sundance 2025 Grand Jury Prize nominee. The former is September 5, a film that masterfully brings the viewer into ABC Sports' control room at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics as they redefine live news when they have to shift from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. The film recently scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and was deserving of far more.The other film Magaro is in the midst of celebrating is his Sundance 2025 selection, Omaha. In Cole Webley's feature directorial debut, Magaro plays a father who suddenly wakes his two young children, Ella and Charlie, and insists they must go on a road trip. Ella soon comes to suspect that what seems like a fun family adventure is actually something wholly different for her father.In honor of Omaha's big debut at the Sundance Film Festival and September 5's Oscar run, Magaro took the time to swing by the Collider interview studio at Sundance, brought to you by Rendezvous Capital, for a Collider Forces interview. While paving the way to his experience making those two films, Magaro explained how he came to embrace his truth as an actor, a truth that's sparked some of the very best performances we've seen in recent years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Garner has amassed an incredibly varied filmography over the years. Her first feature credit was the Sundance darling Martha Marcy May Marlene, she won three Emmys for playing Ruth Langmore in Netflix's hit crime drama Ozark, and she's about to make her franchise debut in one of the most anticipated films of the year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, there's one particular genre she keeps coming back to, and given it's a personal favorite genre, I'm thrilled about it. Garner is delivering a steady stream of horror movies.Her latest in that department is Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man, a new spin on the 1941 classic. In this version, Christopher Abbott and Garner play Blake and Charlotte, a husband and wife struggling with their relationship. When Blake receives a death certificate for his estranged father and the keys to his childhood home, he thinks that could be just the getaway they need to get things back on track. Along with their young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), they head out to the remote house in the mountains of Oregon. However, just before arriving, they're attacked and Blake suffers a scratch that kicks off a horrific transformation. With Wolf Man now playing in theaters nationwide, Garner joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit her journey in film and television thus far, with an extra special emphasis on her experience working in the horror genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just a year after celebrating a Best International Feature Film nomination at the Oscars for The Teachers' Lounge, which marked her first lead role in a feature, Leonie Benesch is back on the awards circuit with a filmmaking feat, Tim Fehlbaum's unique approach to depicting the devastating events at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, September 5. The film features a top-tier ensemble that includes Benesch, John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and more as the ABC Sports broadcasting team in Munich, a team that must shift from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage, marking the very first time such an event was covered by a live broadcast. In September 5, the story is told entirely from their perspective, exploring the intricacies of high-tech broadcast capabilities and the responsibilities that come with them, a combination that's become increasingly relevant with each passing day.With September 5 expanding nationwide on January 17th, I got the opportunity to sit down with Benesch for a Collider Ladies Night chat to revisit her journey in film and television thus far, and to dig into the prep work necessary to accurately portray a translator in September 5. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Bakalova knows what she's doing when it comes to finding top-tier creative partners in film and television. As a student studying at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Bulgaria, she gravitated toward acclaimed filmmakers Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, a directing duo she still works with to this day. She met Julian Kostov in 2019 when he shared a casting notice for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the movie that'd ultimately earn Bakalova an Oscar nomination. Now, Kostov is Bakalova's producing partner. Under their Five Oceans banner they produced Triumph with Grozeva and Valchanov directing. The film was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Next up on Bakalova's list of dream collaborators she's hoping to establish a long-standing creative partnership with? James Gunn. In fact, during her Collider Ladies Night interview, Bakalova noted, “If I have to choose one person that I want to stick with the rest of my life, it will be him.”Bakalova worked with Gunn for the first time on Guardians on the Galaxy Vol. 3 in which she played Cosmo the Space Dog. While Gunn's run with the Marvel Cinematic Universe would come to an end there, his working relationship with Bakalova wouldn't. Gunn made the shift from Marvel to DC, and brought Bakalova along with him. He cast her as Princess Ilana Rostovic in his adult animated series, Creature Commandos, the project that'd kick off the new DC Universe. At the start of the show, Task Force M is brought in to protect the Princess and the nation of Pokolistan from Circe (voiced by Anya Chalotra) and the Sons of Themyscira. However, as the season progresses, those involved start to question who they're protecting the Princess from - and if she needs protecting at all.With all seven episodes of Creature Commandos Season 1 now available to stream on Max, Bakalova joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit her journey to the DC animated series, and to share her take on what goes down during the finale episode of the season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robbie Williams is a hugely popular singer and songwriter. He set a record by winning 18 Brit Awards and has two Grammy nominations to his name. Williams has churned out six of the top 100 best-selling albums in British history, amassed an audience of 375,000 fans over three nights performing at Knebworth, setting a record that's yet to be surpassed, and has sold 85 million album worldwide. The list of achievements and accolades goes on and on, but he insists, “I didn't derive any joy from all the success that I had.” However, at 50, things have changed. “I am experiencing joy and I'm experiencing happiness. I'm also experiencing gratitude, a great deal of gratitude where I didn't have gratitude before. So, these are my golden years.”Williams has been enjoying a different kind of spotlight since August 2024. That's when his film, Better Man, premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival before moving on to the Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and more. Based on Williams' true rise, fall and resurgence, Better Man chronicles his journey from finding fame as a teenager with the boy band Take That, to parting ways with the group and mounting a solo career. While Williams did find great success on that path, it was one that also came with a significant number of struggles that, as Williams himself lists, included, “childhood trauma, fame too early, mental illness, addiction, [and] rehab.” Better Man shows how he powered through those challenges as Williams sees himself, as a “performing monkey.”With Better Man gearing up to celebrate its nationwide release on January 10th, Williams took the time to join me for a Collider Forces conversation to revisit the early days of his music career, explain how his definition of having “it” has evolved over the years, discuss why he trusted Gracey with his story, and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I note during this new edition of Collider Ladies Night, while watching a A Complete Unknown, during Monica Barbaro's first scene of the film, I scribbled down one note — “Monica — WOW,” and then proceeded to underline it quite a few times. She's downright electric as Joan Baez, the renowned singer, songwriter and musician who developed a professional and personal relationship with Bob Dylan.Timothée Chalamet plays Dylan in the James Mangold-directed film, which follows the all-time great from meeting his icon, Woody Guthrie (Scott McNairy), to becoming one himself. With guidance from Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Dylan begins his rise in the New York City folk scene. However, the higher he rises, the more he feels constrained by the expectations of the folk community, constraints Dylan opts to demolish via a controversial and groundbreaking performance.With A Complete Unknown now playing in theaters nationwide and surging on the awards circuit, I got the opportunity to sit down with Barbaro for a For Your Consideration edition of Collider Ladies Night. During our 30-minute chat, we covered Barbaro's experience transitioning from dancing to acting, the project that gave her confidence she could make it in the film and television industry, how she was inspired by Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, of course, her experience making A Complete Unknown alongside Chalamet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had to wait until December 19th, but I finally got my greatest belly laugh of 2024 courtesy of Ghosts. In "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1,” while attempting to fix the water heater, Sam and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) suffer a shock, sparking another possession. Pete (Richie Moriarty) possesses Jay while Rose McIver's Sam, a certified people-pleaser with a big heart who's often quite concerned about what others think of her, is possessed by Betsy Sodaro's Nancy, the super brash Cholera ghost who marches to the beat of her own drum to the fullest. Not only is the idea genius, but McIver and Sodaro's execution of the concept is brilliant.In celebration of the release of the double dose of Christmas special episodes, McIver returned to Collider Ladies Night to look back on some pivotal moments of her career, like working with her acting coaching and moving to Hollywood, and to dig into two unforgettable aspects of these new episodes — McIver channeling Sodaro's one-of-a-kind work as Nancy, and Jay finally being able to see the ghosts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Barden is an undeniable force on screen. I first saw her in The End of the F***ing World on Netflix and immediately knew she had a one-of-a-kind energy that was bound to make any project she was part of sizzle. Sure enough, she did just that for a number of independent features, including Nicole Riegel's Holler, which was named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of 2021 by the National Board of Review. Now Barden is busy stealing scenes in yet another significant way. She's doing so in one of the most popular franchises out there opposite some of the industry's greatest icons.Barden plays a young Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy. While living on Lankiveil, Valya frequently butts heads with her family who seemingly have no urgency to restore the Harkonnen name by taking revenge on the Atreides. After her brother's murder, allegedly at the hands of Vorian Atreides, Valya joins the Sisterhood where she quickly discovers she holds great power and has few limitations when it comes to using it on others to get what she wants.With Dune: Prophecy wrapping up its first season, Barden joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit her journey to the franchise and to dig into how she found her Dune character alongside Emily Watson. Barden also offers her thoughts on a number of key scenes for Valya this season, and pinpoints what she'd love to see happen in the show's recently announced second season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is epic. In fact, it's a three hour and 35 minute epic that afforded Felicity Jones a rather unique performance opportunity. Her character, Erzsébet Tóth, doesn't appear on screen until about halfway through the film, after its 15-minute intermission. The Brutalist begins by focusing on Adrien Brody's László Toth, a famous architect who flees post-war Europe with hopes of building a new life in America. Separated from his wife, Jones' Erzsébet, during the war, he settles in Pennsylvania alone with hopes she'll join him there soon. Eventually, László gets what appears to be a dreamy offer from a wealthy industrialist, Guy Pearce's Harrison Lee Van Buren. After coming to learn about László's famed work overseas, Harrison hires him to craft his own dream project, to build a grand scale community center in honor of his late mother. It's an opportunity for László to establish a foundation in his new home no doubt, but it's also one that's riddled with complications involving legacy and power.While Jones may not appear on screen during that period, Erzsébet's presence is felt via her own voice over and what she means to László. Essentially, the audience spends half the film awaiting her arrival and fantasizing about how it might play out. When the moment does finally come, anticipation is through the roof, and Jones makes the most of it. When Erzsébet enters the picture, alongside their niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy), it quickly becomes abundantly clear that she is an undeniable force determined to build the best possible life for her family in their new home.With The Brutalist now playing in select theaters, Jones joined me for a Collider Ladies Night interview to revisit the path she's carved for herself in cinema thus far, and to discuss making The Brutalist with Corbet, including her experience working on one particularly intense emotional beat that might very well be one of the best scenes of 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to the success of the beloved Comedy Central series, Broad City, Abbi Jacobson is widely known as a comedic force in film and television. But, as of late, she's busy uniting her comedy skillset with more dramatic performance opportunities, and the power of her ability to do both is undeniable. After soaring in the canceled-too-soon Prime Video series, A League of Their Own, Jacobson joins the ensemble of yet another brilliant comedy and drama combo, Netflix's No Good Deed.At the center of Liz Feldman's (Dead to Me) latest for the streamer, we find Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano as Lydia and Paul Morgan, a couple gearing up to sell their gorgeous 1920s Spanish-style Los Feliz villa. The appeal of the property sparks a bidding war, a war Jacobson's Leslie finds herself right smack in the middle of. Leslie and her wife Sarah, played by Poppy Liu, are ready to do just about anything to snag the house, but then they start to suspect there might be some dark and dangerous secrets tied to the property — secrets that'll test how far they're truly willing to go to get their dream home. As we now come to expect from a Liz Feldman show, No Good Deed is a laugh-out-loud romp that's also brimming with heart and pathos. Jacobson is especially adept at achieving a pitch-perfect blend of the two qualities, further cementing the fact that she's not only a hugely talented comedic actress, but a dramatic star, too. In celebration of No Good Deed's release on Netflix, Jacobson swung by for a Collider Ladies Night chat to revisit her choice to leave the Atlantic Theater Company for the The Upright Citizens Brigade, and how, all these years later, she's finally come to accept that she didn't have to study at an acting conservatory to take on dramatic roles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we near the New Year, awards season has come into focus and things are looking quite good for international feature contender I'm Still Here. Set in Brazil in the 1970s, a time of military dictatorship, the biographical drama puts the spotlight on Eunice Paiva (Torres), a mother of five who's forced to forge forward after the disappearance of her husband, former Brazilian Labour Party congressman Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello). Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's book, I'm Still Here chronicles the deeply profound fortitude Eunice exhibits as she both keeps her family together and earns a law degree in hopes of contributing to holding the government accountable for the human rights abuses committed during this period.While the movie itself appears to be in good shape in Best International Feature, Best Actress has proven to be an especially competitive category this year. Many prognosticators are favoring the work of Mikey Madison in Anora, Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez, Cynthia Erivo in Wicked, Nicole Kidman in Babygirl, and Angelina Jolie in Maria in particular. All phenomenal performances worthy of the praise they're receiving, but don't be surprised if we see someone climb those ranks in the coming weeks, and I'm predicting that someone could and should be Fernanda Torres.In celebration of the film's award season run and upcoming theatrical release, Torres joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit the significant moments that molded her as an actor and artist, and to discuss her experience making I'm Still Here, an experience that often transcended acting and felt more like being. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June Squibb is a legend. She's a legend with a slew of stage experience, dozens and dozens of film and TV credits to her name, and an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Nebraska. However, it wasn't until just now, in her 90s, that she finally scored her first lead role in a film, Josh Margolin's feature directorial debut, Thelma. An absurdity, in my opinion. But, that's not how Squibb looks at it. As she noted during our Collider Ladies Night conversation, “It's never occurred to me that what I was doing was not the most important role in the film.” This year, however, the most important role in the film put her at #1 on the call sheet.Not only did Squibb finally get the chance to headline a film, but she plays the title character in one of the best movies of 2024. In Thelma, Squibb plays Thelma Post, a 93-year-old woman living alone in Los Angeles. Her grandson, Danny (Fred Hechinger), checks on her often, but not often enough to stop her from giving up $10,000 in a scam. Determined to fix the mistake herself, Thelma sets off with her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) and his scooter to track down her money.After celebrating its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and amassing a slew of wildly positive reviews leading up to its summer 2024 release, Thelma is now in the midst of an awards season push, specifically for Squibb's lead performance. While celebrating Thelma's success, Squibb visited the Collider Ladies Night studio to walk us through her journey from stage to screen, and to discuss what it was like finally getting the opportunity to headline a movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for the rise of Chloe East. She headlined 2016's Jessica Darling's It List, appeared in a number of episodes of Liv and Maddie, and was a series regular on both Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and the 2021 HBO Max series Generation, but the one-two punch of The Fabelmans and Heretic in the feature film realm will undoubtedly put East on the map in a wholly different way. In fact, it already has. She's got a number of highly anticipated projects on the horizon including Liz Feldman's new Netflix series No Good Deed, Kogonada's A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, and At the Sea starring Amy Adams.East was a scene-stealer in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award nominated feature playing Monica, Sammy's devoutly Christian (Gabriel LaBelle) girlfriend. However, it's Heretic that proves she's a true powerhouse in a leading role. She headlines alongside Sophie Thatcher as Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes, respective. They're two young missionaries making the rounds in suburban Colorado telling the locals about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eventually, they knock on Hugh Grant's Mr. Reed's door. Little do they know, he's ready for them, and he's determined upend their beliefs in the church.With Heretic now playing in theaters nationwide, East joined me for a Collider Ladies Night chat to revisit her earliest inspirations, general love and knowledge of cinema, what it's been like finding her voice in Hollywood thus far, and pinpointing the pitch-perfect tone for her character in Heretic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you frequent Collider Ladies Night, you're likely well aware that I'm a massive Scream fan. The franchise heavily contributed to making me the movie lover I am today, and it's also a big reason why I pursued a career in the industry. Given that, it'll probably come as no surprise that I especially love seeing Scream alum soar in film and television, and one particular Scream star is having a game-changing 2024. It's Scream 2022's Mikey Madison, who's currently in the midst of an awards season run courtesy of her electrifying performance in Sean Baker's Anora.The Palme d'Or winner stars Madison as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn who finds herself in the middle of a rather unusual and frequently madcap adventure of sorts after meeting Vanya, the son of a Russian billionaire. After hiring Ani a few times, Vanya offers her a larger sum to be exclusive for the week. During that week, the two impulsively marry in Vegas. Convinced the love is genuine, Ani is excited to begin her new life as Vanya's wife, but when his parents find out about their marriage, they send their henchmen to annul it, an assignment that ultimately sparks a wild chase through the streets of New York.With Anora continuing its successful run in theaters while its awards season buzz builds, Madison joined me for a special FYC edition of Collider Ladies Night to break down the pivotal career moments that teed her up for success headlining a likely Best Picture nominee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I first became aware of Wunmi Mosaku at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Her feature, His House, premiered there and not only was the film itself exquisite, but Mosaku herself was a top-tier interview, brimming with passion and enthusiasm for her craft. From that point on, I've made it a priority to seek out Mosaku's past work and keep up with all of her new releases, and it's paid off big time.Since His House's release on Netflix, Mosaku became a scene-stealer in Lovecraft Country, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Loki, she did her first voice performance for the acclaimed animated series Scavengers Reign, and now, for the very first time, she's at the top of the call sheet for a series, ITV's Passenger, which is now available to stream on BritBox.Mosaku leads as Riya, a former Metropolitan Police officer who decides to relocate to the tiny town of Chadder Vale to care for her mother-in-law. After the one-two punch of a gruesome discovery and a strange disappearance, Riya becomes convinced that something isn't quite right in Chadder Vale. However, her Chief Constable, Linda (Jo Hartley), refuses to entertain any of Riya's theories. She's far too focused on maintaining the town's reputation and winning Best Kept Village. But is it all a facade? Are past troubles and recent unsettling events uncovering the sinister truth of Chadder Vale? Riya is determined to find out.With all six episodes of Passenger Season 1 now available to stream on BritBox, Mosaku took the time to make her second appearance on Collider Ladies Night. After recapping many key credits during her last Ladies Night interview, this time around, the focus fell heavily on her growing voice and presence in film and television, and how she aims to use them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pressure was on for Genesis Rodriguez in Lioness Season 2. Not only is the show, in general, a heavy lift, tackling complex subject matter loaded with hugely demanding story beats, but she also had to follow in the footsteps of Laysla De Oliveira, the titular Lioness of Season 1.Special Ops: Lioness stars Zoe Saldaña as Joe, the head of a clandestine CIA operation — the Lioness program. Joe recruits female operatives called Lionesses to essentially put everything on the line to fight the war on terror. In Season 1, De Oliveira was an absolute powerhouse as Cruz Manuelos to say the least. There was a staggering ferocity to her performance, and it gave the show an energy that felt uniquely hers. Given that, one couldn't help but roll into Season 2 wondering, how could they possibly do that again, but with a different Lioness? From the moment Rodriguez appears on screen as US Army Apache pilot, Captain Josephina Carrillo, it's instantly undeniable that Taylor Sheridan and co. had done it again. They found another actor who'd give 110% of herself to the Lioness role and absolutely soar while navigating the pressure and complications of her character's situation.With Lioness Season 2 four episodes into its eight-episode run on Paramount+, Rodriguez joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit how she built her foundation as an artist, and why the opportunity to be on a show like Lioness was a long time coming, one that offered her a role that made her feel validated as an actor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phillipa Soo first saw her star soar courtesy of one of the greatest successes in Broadway history, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. Ever since scoring a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Eliza, Soo's been scooping up new opportunities on stage and screen, prioritizing being grateful and present for every single one of them, including her latest, Ryan Murphy's new show, Doctor Odyssey.In the ABC medical drama, Soo headlines alongside Joshua Jackson, Sean Teale and Don Johnson. Johnson plays the captain of a luxury cruise ship called The Odyssey, while Soo and Teale step in as Avery and Tristan, the ship's nurses who are well versed in both the social drama and medical challenges the ships' passengers tend to pose. Now, however, they're led by a new head physician. It's Jackson's Max Bankman, an experienced doctor who thinks he knows best, but quickly learns he'll need to lean on Avery and Tristan's experience dealing with and caring for folks on the high seas.With Doctor Odyssey in the midst of its Season 1 run on ABC, and streaming on Hulu, Soo took the time to join me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to go back to her earliest sources of inspiration, and to break down her journey from stage to screen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Sophie Thatcher's managed to accomplish in recent years, in general, is downright phenomenal. But, as someone who proudly dubs horror her #1, I can't help but be especially excited about how Thatcher's solidified herself as a dominant force in the genre. Soon after Yellowjackets proved Thatcher was an all-around powerhouse when it debuted in late 2021, she scored the lead role in Rob Savage's big screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Boogeyman, became a part of Ti West's X trilogy via MaXXXine, and now she stars opposite Hugh Grant and Chloe East in A24's latest release, Heretic.The wickedly sharp and chilling feature stars Thatcher and East as Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, two young missionaries who are busy ringing doorbells in suburban Colorado. Trouble is, on this day, they ring the wrong one. When Grant's Mr. Reed welcomes them inside, they think it's an opportunity to get out of the rain while also telling him all about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, little do they know, Mr. Reed is well versed in their religion and others, and he's determined to rock their beliefs to the core.With Heretic hitting theaters nationwide, Thatcher joined me for a Collider Ladies Night interview to chat about her wonderfully horror-heavy path in film and television thus far. She looks back on that heartbreaking Yellowjackets Season 2 finale and discusses how it impacted her Season 3 performance. She also breaks down her experience working opposite Grant and East in Heretic to create a pitch-perfect lead trio for the film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.