Exclusive Interview: Liza Soberano Discusses Her Starring Role in Her U.S. Film Debut in ‘Lisa Frankenstein,’ Her Collaboration with Zelda Williams, and More

Liza Soberano is an international superstar renowned for her nuanced performances in projects including Alone/Together, Everyday I Love You, and Must Be…Love. This February, she makes her U.S. film debut in the must-see dramedy, Lisa Frankenstein.

Starring opposite Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, and Henry Eikenberry, Lisa Frankenstein is a coming-of-rage love story from acclaimed writer Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances brings him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness…and a few missing body parts along the way. Liza slays in the film as Taffy, the stepsister to Kathryn Newton’s character, known for her stylish outfits and heart of gold.

Pop Culturalist was fortunate enough to speak with Liza about Lisa Frankenstein, how she landed the role of Taffy, collaborating with director Zelda Williams, the incredible women in front of and behind the camera, and more.

PC: Director Zelda Williams reached out to you about this role after having trouble finding the perfect person to play Taffy, and I can’t imagine another actress playing this role. What were some of the early conversations that you had with her about this part? What was it about this character that resonated with you?
Liza: The day that Zelda asked me to audition for it was only the second time I had ever met her. We were having dinner with my management team, and it was a follow-up meeting because I was trying to become friends with Zelda, looking for an older sister figure in L.A. who could teach me some lessons about Hollywood and everything.

It was serendipitous because the second time we met up was the day that Lisa Frankenstein got greenlit. She shared the news in the middle of our dinner. I was like, “Oh my gosh. I’m so happy for you.” She said, “Wait, I’m in the middle of casting one of our major characters in the movie. You should audition!” That’s what she said. I was like, “Huh? Me? Why are you asking me to audition? You just met me. You haven’t seen any of my movies yet.” She said, “I’ve been auditioning a bunch of people, and I feel like they don’t understand what it is that I’m looking for in this character.” I was like, “Oh okay. Why do you think I would do a good job at portraying her?” [laughs] She said, “This character requires this type of earnest quality, and I see that in you.” I felt so touched. There’s this Filipino word called kilig. I was so kilig that she even thought I would be able to portray the character and give it justice.

PC: You’re such a standout in this film, and you have such an affinity for filmmaking that you recently started your own production studio. Have you found that the work you’ve done behind the camera has impacted the way you approach your work on-screen as an actor or vice versa?
Liza: For sure! Now that I’ve been doing a lot more work behind the scenes, I have a much better understanding and appreciation for film in general. It’s crazy because on the backend side, you’re thinking about all the business aspects, but also nurturing and developing the story. That’s something that I’m more passionate about. It’s the storytelling of it all. But now, being more aware of the business and technical side, I never really understood how hard it is to actually make or produce a film. Now, I genuinely have empathy for all these producers and directors out there. I truly understand now why they ask us to extend sometimes and whatnot.

But as an actor, it’s affected me in a different way. I think about the more technical side of things. I’m more conscious of the camera, the lighting, and everything that’s going on behind the scenes. Putting on the director-producer hat, I have so much input as an actor because I’ve been doing this for so many years, and I feel like it helps me with storytelling a lot more being able to explain and describe things to people that I work with.

PC: Your comedic timing in this film is absolutely hilarious. As you were saying, you bring such an earnest quality to Taffy that’s so compelling to watch. Has comedy always come easy to you? How much of what we see in this film is scripted versus improvised?
Liza: I wouldn’t say that comedy comes easy to me. If anything, I think it’s the hardest genre to pull off. I get very nervous when it comes to the scenes where I have to be extra funny because I don’t find myself to be funny, to be honest. I feel like I’m very dry and awkward, but I think the important thing about comedy is trying not to be funny. That’s also what Zelda had to remind me. She said, “You don’t realize it, but you’re actually very funny. That’s how I need Taffy to be. I don’t need her to try to be funny. I just need her to be herself. That’s when the genuine funniness comes out.”

There were a few scenes that were ad-libs. So the phone call that I had with the police and my father where we’re looking for Janet was actually improvised because the original script was very descriptive. They were referencing a lot of the popular looks from back in the ’80s, and Janet doesn’t look like anything that was described in the script. Zelda came up to me and said, “The script says that Janet has frosted tips, but she doesn’t look like that right now, so I’m going to need you to improvise and describe Janet as someone who truly knows her inside and out, and really loves, admires, and is kind of obsessed with her.” She said, “You know when you see your dog, and you can remember every tiny little quirk about them. I want you to talk about Janet as if you’re looking for your lost puppy or something like that.” That’s where the whole line about how a Labrador looks reddish-brown under the light came from. [laughs] That was all improvised. I’m sure Kathryn [Newton] came up with a lot of her own ad-libs as well.

PC: The two of you have such electric chemistry on-screen. You’ve been such a trailblazer throughout your career, and it’s amazing to see so many incredible women in front of and behind the camera on this project, especially women of color. What does this moment mean to you, especially as you make your U.S. film debut? What will you remember most from this experience?
Liza: I think what I’ll remember most from this filming experience was how much fun I had and how much of a good time we all genuinely had on set. I remember this one conversation that I had with Cole [Sprouse], and it was on the last day of filming. I was coming from a place where I felt lost in my career back home. I wasn’t really sure about my whole move to Hollywood or L.A., and if it was going to be good for me or not. During that conversation with Cole, I mentioned that I felt so happy throughout the whole process of making this film. I didn’t feel pressured or scared. I didn’t feel as nervous as I thought I was going to feel. I was like, “How come it felt so easy and felt so fun?” He said, “You know what? This is actually a very special set that I’ve been on. I’ve been making films since I was six months old. I can tell you that this is very rare.” I thought Hollywood was always like this. But he said, “No, this is actually very rare for me too.” I’ll always remember how much of a good time we all had and how we all bonded. Zelda was an amazing leader on the set. She made sure that everyone felt heard. Everyone felt like they were equally as important on the set as everyone else, and I think that played a very important role in the overall working environment.

To keep up with Liza, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Lisa Frankenstein is out in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Michele K. Short / 2024 Focus Features LLC