Equal parts female buddy-comedy and nail-biting action flick, Paramount Pictures' latest film, the Jordan Gertner-directed Sheroes, features four gal pals -- Diamond (Sasha Luss), Ryder (Wallis Day), Ezra (Isabelle Fuhrman), and Daisy (Skai Jackson) -- embark on the ultimate vacation in Diamond's father's luxurious home in Thailand. However, things go south when the girls discover some unwanted cargo in their luggage, and Daisy is kidnapped.
In this exclusive interview with CBR -- Sasha Luss, Wallis Day, and Skai Jackson recount the many highs, chills, and thrills of filming and starring in Sheroes and the joys of shooting in the ultimate vacation paradise.
CBR: Let's talk about Sheroes. It starts as a buddy comedy with four gal pals going to Thailand and ends up being the mother of all rescue missions. Why don't you talk about your characters and how you embodied them?
Sasha Luss: I play Diamond. She's the ringleader. She's the Hollywood princess. Her Dad is a huge director. She grew up with everything she ever wanted but her father's love, attention, and care. So these girls became her family. And she'll do anything to save them and protect them.
Wallis Day: I play Ryder, and Ryder is a super cool, chilled-out, tomboy skater girl. She's super passionate. She loves her friends. You get to see a different side to her from her general day-to-day personality when she has to save the person she loves.
Skai Jackson: I play Daisy. I feel like Daisy is a very strong-minded girl, but she's also a little bit crazy! She gets herself in positions that are like, "What the heck? What is going on?" But she always finds herself getting out of them! She loves her friends, I feel like her friends love her, and they have this great bond. So you can see that on the screen. But Daisy is just a ball of craziness!
Skai, many people remember you from Disney sitcoms like Jesse and Bunk'd. And now, here you are in this raunchy, high-stakes, action-adventure comedy, playing a very different character. Why don't you describe that transition for us?
Jackson: That transition was, to me, just normal. I mean, it's expected. I'm not a child anymore. I'm an adult. So I don't know why people would expect me to still do children's TV shows. But I feel like my followers are getting used to that. They're also growing up with me. My supporters are my age. So I think they're excited for me. That transition was very easy for me. Sheroes was the best way to do it. I love the film. I love how it was written, the characters, Jordan [Gertner], and just everything combined.
Sasha and Wallis, your characters are rescuers, so there's a lot of physicality with your roles. Sasha, you have a background in dance, and Wallis, you portrayed Kate Kane in Batwoman. Could you please explain how your previous experience may have affected your roles?
Luss: I think my dancing background made it easier to memorize the segments of the choreography, but it also made it difficult because, being a ballet dancer, your gesture has to be graceful, elegant, and light. Here you have to kick ass, smash in glasses, etc. So, it helped, but also not! [laughs] At least it's a real thing. It's as real as it gets. These girls [are] not professionally trained. They're not like superheroes. They're just girls that are trying to save their friend. So whatever they can do, they do. So you don't have to be that specific. It's almost like, "What would you do?" If you only have a glass in front of you, you would smash the glass, right?
Day: I think from my background with superheroes, particularly with Batwoman, you're trying to portray a highly skilled martial artist. Whereas, like Sasha said, these are just girls. My experience helped me learn the choreography and memorize moves, but I think on camera, it was more about unlearning the technique and trying to fight as an untrained girl would fight.
Were there any challenges or exciting things about shooting in Thailand?
Day: It was an absolute dream location to shoot. Not only is everybody there super friendly, super hardworking, and passionate about what they do, but we had sun every day! [laughs] I think for all of us, it enhanced the entire experience. It felt like a massive girls' holiday, and we got to do what we love the most in the world.
Jackson: Filming in Thailand was amazing. It felt like we [were] on vacation. And like Wallis said, everyone there is so sweet. So it made the job ten times easier! It was probably one of the best months that I had.
Luss: I felt like I was in a summer camp! You know, there [are] still things you have to do there that's obligatory. But then we're there to have fun and enjoy [ourselves]. I think that's the best way for me to describe filming Sheroes because I was there with amazing girls. These three ladies [are] pure joy to work with and to hang with. Jordan was an incredibly supportive director, and we were in Thailand, where every day feels extra special because it's so beautiful. And the food there... Oh, my God. [laughs] As an actor, food is important. Catering is very important. [laughs] Like when you wake up to fresh coconut juice! So good.
What was your favorite part about this movie?
Luss: My favorite part is just how easy, cool, and fun it is. What I really want the audience to feel that whatever you're going through, whatever problems you have, just for two hours, you can put it there and hopefully leave with a smile on your face. Being part of this little joy that you can give people [is] awesome.
Jackson: My favorite part about Sheroes [was] being with Sasha, Wallis, and Isabelle [Fuhrman]. I feel like we had so much fun on and off camera. I feel like there are so many great memories. I can't just pick one. So I'm just gonna have to say all of them, honestly!
Getting to be a girl group on and off camera. That is amazing.
Day: Yeah, we lucked out. And I say this on behalf of everybody, I think we knew when we were there, we would always be like, "This is the best shoot. These are amazing days." [laughs] We knew how lucky we were, and we really appreciated every single day. We were grateful that we were in the positions that we're in. We're grateful that we got to shoot, we're grateful to tell an amazing story and work with an amazing cast and directing crew. If I had to choose, it would have to be the experience. The film is just a bonus.
Sheroes hits theaters on June 23.