Liza Soberano officially breaks into Hollywood
LIZA Soberano may be breaking into Hollywood via the horror comedy film “Lisa Frankenstein” — a fantasy story that’s far from reality — but she found herself playing a character not far from her in real life, in a story that a reanimated corpse aside, is very realistic at its core.
The movie is directed by Zelda Williams — daughter of the beloved Robin Williams and herself part-Filipina — and written by the award-winning author Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “Jennifer’s Body”).
Lisa Swallows is an awkward 17-year-old played by Kathryn Newton who navigates the challenges of a new school and life following her mother’s death and her father’s hasty remarriage.
Amidst her struggles, Lisa finds solace in an unexpected discovery — the reanimation of a young man’s corpse, portrayed by Cole Sprouse.
As Lisa embarks on a quest to restore humanity to her undead companion, Taffy becomes her unwavering support, offering both humor and heart to the narrative.
Soberano steps into the role of Taffy, the kind-hearted stepsister of Lisa. Taffy is empathetic and earnest, and stands as the antithesis of the stereotypical “mean girl,” welcoming Lisa into her family with open arms.
The 26-year-old actress said she relates so much with Taffy.
“I really love Taffy because she is such a fun character to play. She’s very much like me — she is such a sweetheart, she is genuinely nice to everybody,” Soberano said in an interview with iHollywoodTV.
But her character is also multilayered. She added, “Taffy can’t help the fact that she is her mother’s child and so there are instances where she talks a bit too much or doesn’t say the right things but it’s not coming from a place of malice intent, it’s just that this is what she grew up hearing. So, sometimes, it comes out but she doesn’t mean it in a mean way.”
Soberano also offered a peek into the relationship of step sisters Taffy and Lisa.
“The thing is there is a lot of context behind them because they are just new sisters. They grew up in different up bringing [and so] they are two completely different people. The way that it was showcased in the movie is in a very one-dimensional way — you have the popular cool sisters that every body sees as perfect and then you have the nerdy, quiet sister who every body thinks is a little bit of a nuisance,” the actress said in a separate interview posted on Universal Pictures Philippines’ YouTube channel.
She added, “But behind that, there’s such deeper context as to what they have experience in their personal lives that makes them them. Taffy clearly understands what Lisa has been through and she’s clearly empathetic about that but Lisa has gone through so much that I feel like she just kind of shut herself out from the world.
“I think that’s what makes it magical because it’s very realistic. For people who have experienced having step siblings, it is hard to penetrate to the emotional barriers, I would say. I guess that’s what really this movie showcases,” Soberano summed up.
Meanwhile, Soberano’s onscreen sister, Newton, has nothing but praises for the newbie Hollywood actress.
“I love Lisa, she is just a gift to the world. She is the sweetest girl I’ve ever met in my life and there is nobody that could play this role except her. Lisa is such a sweet human and Taffy is like a sideways human — kind of sweet, kind of terrible, you’re not really sure. But there’s nothing about Liza that’s not perfect and sweet.
“Working with her has been a lesson because she is so professional, this girl cries in command, she is funny on command and she is always perfect so working with her is so much fun,” Newton said in the same iHollywoodTV interview.
Soberano admitted that Lisa Frankenstein isn’t the typical movie that the Filipino market usually gravitates towards but she hopes that the local audience will enjoy her first Hollywood offering.
“I want them to feel like they had a good laugh because I feel like nowadays whenever we watch movies, people have become so hypercritical about anything and everything. None of this is meant to be taken too seriously and I hope that people will just learn to enjoy and love films for what they are again,” she ended.
“Lisa Frankenstein” hits cinemas beginning today, February 7.