00:00It is 105.1 The Bounce. I am your girl, Leisha B., and today is a big day. We've got
00:05a huge
00:06film coming out, a horror action comedy. It's called They Will Kill You. You've probably seen
00:10the trailers, and you've probably seen this woman kill the game in other films like The Bad Guys 2,
00:16Joker, Deadpool, Atlanta. They Will Fall Harder. They Will... The harder they fall, excuse me.
00:22The harder they fall, yeah. Our girl Zassi Beetz is here. How are you doing this morning?
00:28I'm good. I'm doing well. How are you? I'm doing fantastic. I am so excited for this movie.
00:34My AMC stubs is ready for me to see it, and I... No problem. I know that the film throws
00:42a lot at
00:43you, both genre-wise and just, like, for your character in general. So what was your first
00:48reaction when you read the script and you were just absorbing it all? I honestly... I thought it was
00:55really funny. Like, I kept laughing reading the script, and I... It was very fun, like,
01:00every 10 pages, like, new stuff was happening. It feels like the genre was switching up, and...
01:05And I just felt very, like, stimulated reading the script. I just felt very, like, fresh and...
01:12And different for even this... This genre of film. Yeah. It's, like, kind of horror style
01:17of film. And... Yeah. So I just thought it was exciting, and... And most importantly, I was laughing
01:25a lot when I was reading the script. So hopefully that comes across on screen, too.
01:29I love that. Can you tell us a little bit about your character? Because I know that you
01:32are sisters with Mahala. But can you tell us what your character is essentially going through
01:38for people who may not have seen the trailer just yet? Yeah. So my... Sorry. My character, Asia,
01:44she and her sisters sort of suffer this core trauma, and that leads them to be separated for
01:50a long period of time. And then I want to find her and reconcile. And this leads me to find
01:58getting
01:58this job at this hotel. And... But then I realized that I'm supposed to be this sacrificial offering
02:05for a satanic cult. And so I basically spend the night fighting all while still trying to pursue
02:10my sister. And yeah, that's basically the story in a nutshell, and sort of chaos ensues.
02:18I feel like that's a lot to get through. A lot of real life situations as well, while also trying
02:24to be funny at the same time. But I know that you and my good sis Mahala are able to
02:29handle the
02:29assignment very well. But when it comes to you as Zazie, do you think that you would be able to
02:36like
02:36take on what your character has to deal with in that hotel? Absolutely not. No, definitely. I am acting for
02:44sure. Definitely acting is my profession. And I definitely would not make it through
02:51that night personally. But the thing is, is I don't even know if I would have ended up in that
02:56situation, is really the real question. That should have been the first question I asked.
03:03I know. I will say though, it's funny, like, there are situations in the movie where you're like,
03:07we'll get out of there. But I, you know, my character is definitely very like, she wants to
03:12get her sister. And so she's sort of led by this like mama bear protective energy. And so I think
03:19she
03:19does things in order to find her sister. So that's like, her beacon of light, even as things are
03:27happening around her. Right. And because of the wide range of films and TV that you've been in,
03:34how did you really tap into this character? Because you've done other films and genre and in this genre,
03:40but how did you tap into this character Asia Pacific specifically?
03:45I thought a lot about my, well, I thought a lot about sort of like shame or, or guilt,
03:54because my character kind of has a lot of guilt. And also thinking of my own personal relationship
04:00with my brother, and the protective feeling I have around him, and how that translates for this movie.
04:08So yeah, a lot of, yeah, I guess real sort of personal experiences that drive me throughout,
04:17throughout this, my emotional drive throughout the movie.
04:20I'm always wondering what actors bring a part of themselves, because I would only assume
04:24that a little bit of yourself is in every character. So I was just wondering,
04:28and then with each of your characters, do you think any character that you've played before,
04:33would they be able to handle this situation? Oh yeah, definitely. I think Domino would have been,
04:39I think Sage Coach Mary would have been able to do it. I'm trying to think if anyone else.
04:45Those are the two that I was thinking for sure. Yeah, exactly. I have a little tiny role in Bullet
04:50Train. Not tiny at all, girl. You ate up that screen. It's literally a cameo. It's literally like
04:58one and a half scenes. It's so funny. And I got excited to see you. Oh, I appreciate it. No,
05:05I love the new Bullet Train, but I think she might be able to handle herself, maybe.
05:12I feel like she could. That Bullet Train was a lot going on. It was a lot going on in
05:16Bullet Train.
05:19And with great horror films, there's always some real life aspects to it that will obviously have
05:26you thinking once you get past what's actually happening in front of you. Do you think that
05:30there are some themes that people will be able to relate to today?
05:37Yes, I do. I think there's sort of a, the underlying message is really about the corruption
05:42of the wealthy and how they take advantage of the marginalized. So I think that's incredibly
05:47relevant to today. You know, of course, the movie is like a horror, fun thriller, but that
05:52really is the message of the movie. And I do think that comes across. I also think, yeah,
06:03it is really sort of this exploration of like a person who these people are counting on failing,
06:09which you could kind of see as, as the people who are in our world who are disadvantaged. And she
06:19comes in
06:19and kind of like F's it up. So yeah, so I think that there's sort of that theme for sure
06:28that I
06:29think is very relevant to today. I love that. And then last question for you. Do you feel as though
06:35you learned something about yourself throughout this process, whether it's filming the movie or doing
06:41the press run for this movie? Is there anything that you feel like you've learned about yourself
06:44doing this? Absolutely. I think that doing a stunt heavy movie like this. Well, a I think just this
06:53is really kind of my first lead in a movie in a real way, like where I'm really like leading
06:59it.
07:00And there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that when you're on set, like it's a lot of like
07:06setting the tone and showing up fully. And that was really empowering experience for me,
07:15which was really cool. And then also, I think being able to, you know, with all the stunt stuff
07:21you do, you really you do get injured, like it's impossible to avoid. And it's really empowering,
07:27actually, to realize, like, oh, I can take a hit, and I can get back up and keep going, like
07:32to
07:33not let physicality get in my way of my mindset, and what my abilities really are. Of course,
07:40it's different, like a real injury is very different, but like something minor that is
07:44uncomfortable in the moment, but that I can get over, like literally just like taking a hit.
07:52It's really empowering. You're like, oh, I'm I'm more resilient than I thought I was,
07:57because you had to be. And so, of course, all within a controlled environment. But I,
08:04I found that incredibly empowering. I didn't really expect that.
08:08Well, I love that. And I can't wait to see you in more leading roles,
08:13because I know that you did your big one in this. Everyone's talking about it. I mean,
08:17we're in a black film renaissance. So what purpose for this film to come out?
08:23I know, right after the Oscars and everything. I mean, you know, a different kind of movie,
08:29I guess. But still, I'm like, very excited for us.
08:33Well, I'm excited for you, too. And I can't wait to see all the things that you have coming
08:38out very, very soon. And what you do in the future. You are incredible, if no one has told
08:43you today. I truly get excited to see you on my screen. And I'm not just saying that,
08:47because I interviewed you right now. So I'm wishing you so much goodness in your life. And thank you for
08:52speaking with me today. Thanks, Leisha. You too. Thank you.
Comments