Kylee Russell – Zombies 2

By starrymag | February 14, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’ve been working on one project that I can’t speak about yet. That should be coming out this year, but I’m not allowed to speak on it. There is something coming!

Q) How was Eliza originally described to you?

A) Eliza’s character was an activist who was tech savvy and I am not very tech savvy, but I do believe in equal rights for everyone and standing up for what you believe in. So, I loved Eliza’s character right away.

Q) Was there anything you added to her that wasn’t in her initial breakdown?

A) Not really. I guess in the second movie…Myself, I am a very bubbly person and Eliza isn’t bubbly really ever. So, I feel like in the second movie there is more opportunities to see her softer side. I kind of brought out my softer side into Eliza.

Q) What continues to challenge you about portraying her?

A) I think the fact that she is always trying to do right by others and making sure that she sticks to what she believes in. I wouldn’t say it challenged me, but as far as playing the role I feel like in my real life I learned from her that if I believe in something, I need to stick by it. Always speak out on injustices. And I really learned if you see something that is wrong going on than being quiet about it is just as bad as the people who are doing wrong. Eliza challenged me to be better.

Q) Going into Zombies 2 were you hoping to share some scenes with anyone in particular or any new characters?

A) I was hoping to definitely have more scenes with Carla [Jeffrey] and we had a few. So, that was exciting. Obviously, working with all of the werewolves – Pearce [Joza], Ariel [Martin] and Chandler [Kinney] – was a lot of fun. You see a lot more of Zed (Milo Manheim) and Eliza’s friendship, which is cool. Oh! And I got to have more scenes with Trevor [Tordjman] and Meg [Donnelly]. I basically got to have more scenes with everyone in the second one and that was fun. I feel like with the first movie everyone was kind of separated. So, I didn’t get much scenes with everybody. This time I felt like I got to work with everyone an equal amount, which was cool.

Q) What is it about Zed and Eliza’s friendship that bonds them so tightly?

A) Zed and Eliza have been friends since they were toddlers so they really are like brother and sister. I think Eliza feels protective of Zed. I think because Zed is very confident and knows what he wants and sometimes jumps in without thinking them all the way through. So, Eliza is there to be like, “Alright, buddy. I understand what you want to do and you can still do it, but we have to plan it out first. Let’s take it step by step.”

Q) What were some of your favorite songs from the film?

A) Definitely “Flesh and Bone.” That’s one of my favorites. I can’t say why because then it gives away something. It is one of my favorite songs and people will really like it. It’s fun and it’s empowering.

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

A) Lots and lots of sleep. Sometimes I didn’t get much sleep because as soon as we got back to the hotel, we would all hang out and have game night. Most of the time I would go up to my room, make myself some hot chocolate and try to knock out.

Q) Did the cast spend much time together off set?

A) Oh absolutely! We were together all the time. Sometimes we’d have girls night and other times with everyone game night. We went out for sushi a lot. Walking around the city. We had a blast together and we were really together all the time.

Q) What have you learned or taken away from your time portraying Eliza?

A) Just being true to myself. Eliza truly accepts herself. I know, for me, sometimes it’s a challenge to fully accept myself. By playing her, I’ve learned to accept myself more.

Q) You have inspired so many with this role and I’m sure you get a ton of fan feedback. What does it mean to you that she is such an inspiration?

A) It’s a really amazing feeling because the character helps me a lot. To know that she is helping others and especially helping young kids and young girls – teaching them about accepting themselves and teaching others to accept them for their differences. It’s a blessing, honestly. When people come up to me or message me about that it makes me feel really good and that I’m doing something right.

Q) How do you plan to celebrate the film’s release on February 14^th?

A) I am going to chillax in my living room with my family. We’re going to chill and watch it for the fourth time. A part of me is like, “Will I watch it?” Then, I’m like, “Why not?” It is a different feel seeing it on TV live with the commercials than at the premiere.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?

A) I’d like to thank all the fans for tuning in and supporting all of us. Thanks for being there because we greatly appreciate it. It’s truly a blessing and I greatly appreciate all of the fans. I just greatly appreciate every single one of them. I read all of their kind messages and comments. It pushes me to do better. It makes me feel like I’m headed in the right direction. Same thing with Zombies. We all worked really hard on this and to know that fans are enjoying it and are loving something that we worked on and love is an amazing feeling. I don’t even know how else to explain it. It is surreal.