Collider Ladies Night & Collider Forces

There are a number of artists having big years right now but, dare I say, Ayo Edebiri is having one of the best of the bunch. Not only did she just score her first Emmy nomination for her work in Season 1 of The Bear, but she’s also exceptional in the recently released second season of the hit series and has three stellar films coming out back to back to back — Theater Camp, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Bottoms.Hopefully you’ve seen Molly Gordon’s episode of Collider Ladies Night and Noah Galvin’s episode of Collider Forces in honor of the release of Theater Camp, but just in case you need a refresher, the Searchlight Pictures film focuses on a theater camp struggling to stay afloat after its founder falls into a coma. Edebiri steps in as Janet, a new teacher at camp working amidst a group of AdirondACTS diehards who’ve spent their summers there for years. The film delivers big laughs as it pokes fun at camp clichés, but it also rocks a powerful beating heart that celebrates what a special experience it can be, especially when that love is shared with newcomers.On August 25th, brace yourself for Bottoms. It’s a coming-of-age comedy that doesn’t hold back in the least, delivering consistent laughs and shocking story beats via an irresistible ensemble, a combination that not only sparks the itch for repeat viewings but could ultimately turn the film into a raunchy high school comedy classic. Edebiri stars opposite longtime friend and collaborator Rachel Sennott as Josie and PJ, two unpopular high school students eager to hook up with cheerleaders. How do they go about doing that? By starting a female fight club, and it actually works.And finally, we have Edebiri’s new movie hitting theaters nationwide this weekend, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in which she takes over the iconic role of April. Edebiri’s version of the character has had enough of being dubbed “puke girl.” She wants her peers at Eastman High to respect her, and she might have found the perfect way to make that happen — by teaming up with the Ninja Turtles. Turns out, the Turtles also just want to fit in. If the Turtles can save the city by stopping Superfly and April can break the story, they might all wind up being accepted and respected.Clearly Edebiri’s career is skyrocketing at the moment, but it took some time and legwork to get there, and she took a moment to recap some of that journey on an episode of Collider Ladies Night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Noah Galvin continues to show off his boundless potential as an actor and also as a filmmaker and storyteller in general with Theater Camp. He’s already found great success on stage and screen, and now he also adds two brand-new credits to his filmography because Theater Camp marks his very first time writing and producing a feature film.Inspired by the short film of the same name, Theater Camp takes place at AdirondACTS, a theater camp in upstate New York. When its founder (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, her son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) must take over even though he knows absolutely nothing about the longstanding traditions that make a summer at AdirondACTS a deeply cherished experience.With Theater Camp now in theaters nationwide, Galvin took the time to join me for an episode of Collider Forces to look back on his journey in the industry thus far and to discuss the highly collaborative on-set environment that helped make Theater Camp a true gem oozing with love and respect for the theater camp experience — and for stage managers as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

As the role of present-day Lottie demands, Simone Kessell made a huge impression on Yellowjackets in her debut season.Season 1 introduced the 1996 version of the character played by Courtney Eaton, but viewers were left wondering whether Lottie would make it through the wilderness ordeal alive until Kessell’s casting was announced between seasons. Ultimately, present-day Lottie becomes a significant driving force of the show. She’s the one who encouraged the Yellowjackets to start listening to the wilderness and respect its voice in the past, and now she’s pursuing similar ambitions but on a larger scale via her very own wellness compound.At the start of Season 2, Lottie isn’t preaching about the power of the wilderness but rather, offering activities and sermons that encourage “turning suffering into strength so we can live as our best selves.” Lottie starts the season sound and steady with confidence and authority, but as more surviving Yellowjackets arrive at the compound, the more Lottie starts to lose herself to the trauma she was subjected to in the wilderness.With Yellowjackets in the spotlight courtesy of a significant amount of well-deserved Emmy season hype, Kessell took the time to join me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to recap her journey playing Lottie thus far, including her heartbreaking downward spiral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber Midthunder is a movie star. She’s already made a big impression in a number of projects, but an especially significant amount of Prey rests on her shoulders. She’s the beating heart of a powerful character arc, the focus of a number of very challenging set pieces, and is tasked with headlining a brand new installment of one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises out there. She exceeds expectations in all of those respects and then some in the newest Predator movie, Prey.Midthunder plays Naru, a young Comanche woman who’s a very talented healer, but dreams of becoming a great hunter alongside her brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers). Despite pushback from her mother (Michelle Thrush), other hunters, and village expectations, Naru commits to tracking down the mysterious threat that lurks in the woods nearby. Little does she know, this creature isn’t a bear or a ferocious lion, but rather, an alien that hunts for sport. It’s a Yautja, or rather, a Predator.  Prey isn’t just an exceptional Predator movie; it’s an exceptional movie, period, one deserving of the attention it’s getting this Emmy season. With Prey firmly in the mix to snag some nominations, Midthunder joined me for a Collider Forces interview to recap her journey as an actor thus far, and to put the spotlight on how Prey could serve as a model for better representation in film and television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another season of Yellowjackets, another Emmy nomination-worthy performance from Christina Ricci as one of the show's most complex characters, Misty Quigley.Ricci returns to Collider Ladies Night to recap her experience working on the second season of the hit Showtime series. Check out this video interview to get her take on how much Misty remembers about what happened in the wilderness, if Misty believes anything supernatural is really going on, why Karyn Kusama was the ideal director for the Season 2 finale, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While on Collider Ladies Night, Barry star Sarah Goldberg revisits her experience making the pivot from script to screen, and scoring a breakout role with Barry's Sally Reed.Check out this interview to hear all about her collaboration with Bill Hader and the Barry crew, to find out which Season 4 scene she dubbed the toughest to film of the entire series, to get her thoughts on Sally's final scenes in the Barry series finale, and loads more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christa Miller is no stranger to hugely successful TV shows. She appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Seinfeld, did over 180 episodes on The Drew Carey Show, over 80 on Scrubs, over 100 on Cougar Town, and now she’s a standout on an Apple TV+ gem, a series gearing up for what will hopefully be quite the awards season run, Shrinking.The series was co-created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel with Segel also starring as Jimmy Laird, a therapist struggling with the death of his wife. That means Jimmy hasn’t been the responsible, attentive parent he needs to be for his daughter, Alice (Lucite Maxwell). But, that’s where Miller’s Liz comes in. She’s the Lairds’ neighbor and the person who winds up taking responsibility for Alice when she needs support and an active guardian. Liz has a massive heart and many assets, but stepping back isn’t one of them, so Jimmy finally starts to make moves to put his life back together and reconnect with Alice, Liz isn’t quite ready to hand the reins over.In celebration of Shrinking’s acclaimed first season, Miller joined me for a Collider Ladies Night chat to recap the path she took in the industry and discuss her approach to playing Liz on Shrinking. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.