SOFIA MASSON TALKS CASTAWAYS

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

In ‘Castaways’, two women find themselves washed ashore on a deserted island. As the girls fight to survive their shared experience bonds them together in ways they could never have imagined. What made you want to dive deeper?

When I first read the script, I was immediately captivated. I had never read a script like it before and loved the dynamic between the two lead characters. Each woman needed the other to survive and I loved how their relationship evolves into something unexpectedly intimate. I think that is what interested me the most and made me want to dive deeper. I found there to be a lot of parallels between 'Castaways' and 'Thelma and Louise', which is one of my favorite films. One woman is not stronger or more capable than the other and each character is full of surprises. There are various layers to both Cara and to Emily and that was fun to explore too. Also, I’ve never played a queer character. There aren’t a ton of female love stories, queer stories are only now starting to make their way to mainstream media. I’m happy to be taking part in this movement to establish LGBTQ plus relationships as a norm in our society.

Cara is a tough cookie yet also someone with a big heart. How did you view her and the reasons as to why she has all these different sides?

I was brought on pretty late into the pre-production process, so I worked very instinctually when creating Cara. On the page she reads as a tough, blunt, and fearless woman which she very much is especially as a result of the dystopian world she finds herself in. Whenever I approach my characters, I like to create a backstory that helps contextualize their behavior and the way that they think. Cara is a product of a difficult upbringing in a difficult time where people are dying around her, so naturally, she has toughened. But what she discovers on the island when she meets Emily is what it means to feel loved, something she never really felt before. This unlocks a softness in her and a childishness too. She is able to escape from the harsh realities of society and live peacefully on the island. It was a great challenge to embody Cara because she is drastically different from me in various ways. Her upbringing, the way she talks, walks, and even dresses. But finding that softness under that tough-girl facade was really fun and I loved exploring her vulnerability because there’s so much beauty in that. I cut my hair for the role, which immediately helped me drop in and wearing boots and tattoos were helpful as well. I found this character from the outside-in, meaning I found her physically, which helped me find her emotionally, psychologically, and so forth.

Can location be a bit like wardrobe as well?

Being on the island undoubtedly helped us get into character and better understand the world we were creating. The island is more of a third character than it is like wardrobe. It played a huge part in affecting the relationship between Cara and Emily, sometimes pulling us apart and other times, bringing us closer together. I definitely felt like once I landed on the ground in Belize, I started to sink into Cara more seamlessly and the difficult elements, the heat, bugs, sun, sand and water, grounded us in this survival mentality.

It is not unlike a theatre play in how most is spent between you and Paige playing off of each other in such a close-knit way. Did you and Paige get any chance to get to know each other before being stranded on a paradise island together?

Paige and I were ready to dive in and do whatever was necessary to make this story the best it could be. I remember the night before our first day of filming, Paige and I sat at a little restaurant near our hotel in Belize and shared a dish for dinner. We chatted about how lucky we felt to be able to be in a foreign country and to do what we love. We were both also a little nervous before our first day, but we were there for each other through the entire process and held each other accountable to bring this story to life to its greatest potential. That chemistry on-screen is largely due to the friendship we built over the course of filming and that friendship continues to this day.

What are your earliest memories of wanting to act?

I had always been performing for my parents, friends, and family even if that meant simply putting on a tutu and dancing in the living room or singing for my grandfather who was always filming my sister and I. Joining Miami Children’s Theatre was definitely a milestone in my artistic journey. Performing musical theatre at a young age and working with other artists for hours on end for many weeks before our show was so much fun and so memorable. From an early age, I learned that being an artist demands consistency and a strong work ethic. I loved rehearsing and practicing and simply collaborating with other artists from all over the world. The same goes for when I started doing student films in college. I love how different the film process is from theatre, but they are both challenging in their own ways and that collaborative energy is found in both art forms.

Is there a role you’ve played on the theatre-stage that you would love to get to explore in film?

I’ve done a lot of theatre throughout high school and college, many of my characters were Shakespearean. One of my favorite roles was playing The Duchess in Shakespeare’s 'Cymbeline'. She was evil and twisted in so many ways, but she also suffered great loss and was a very loving mother, so finding these character dualities is always fascinating. She would be fun to explore in film.

For many actors taking the leap and move to Los Angeles can feel a bit like being alone on an island. What was that first time like for you?

I moved to Los Angeles two months before the pandemic shut the world down, and of course, the industry shut down as well for a few months. It was challenging, but I kept my chin up. I continued my acting training via Zoom classes, where I found a great community and tried to remind myself that using that time to further develop my craft, and work on myself, would pay off in the future. I must say, I think it is now.

Do you feel that you have found your community there now?

Finding a community in LA is not easy and it definitely takes time, but being a self-starter and finally getting a car, has helped me find my people, and make LA feel more like home.