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The second you see Zazie Beetzs Stagecoach Mary inThe Harder They Fall, its clear that shes a force.
Miss Mary suffers no fools in this 1890s-set, male-dominated Western world, not even the man she loves.
She is audacious and loyal, but also fiercely independent.
This is something that I think about a lot and consider when contemplating any role that I take.
And I find that just fascinating to play with as an actor.
With Stagecoach Mary, while were carrying the names of these real-life historical figures, the story is fictional.
There were a lot of elements that didnt fit into the actual historical narrative.
All of us had to do a lot of fleshing out of our backstories.
For example, the love story between [Mary] and Nat never happened.
So there was a lot of making it up as we went along.
The real Mary Fields is such a swaggering historical figure.
Also, I just dont like being told what to do.
Yes, in the film, Mary is busy operating businesses across the States, doing her.
Shes not pressed about Nat, despite loving him.Exactly.
But I can thrive on my own as well.
The Harder They Falls cast list is the creme de la crop.
I can now effectively say, These are my peers.
Theres a reason why people like Regina are successful.
On set, Regina commands respect, but she is also so kind.
She stood up for everyone around her, asking if anyone needed help.
I was watching and learning from her on set and want to emulate that in my work.
Given that this is a Western, there were a lot of firearms on set.
Did you feel safe during filming?I did.
So, whether it was a mistake or a fluke, it should not have happened.
It was a tragedy for everyone involved, especially for Halyna [Hutchins].
My heart goes out to her family.
That is number one in safety, and nobody cared about anything else.
Shifting gears a bit.
What can you tell us about the newest season ofAtlanta?
Season four is still being worked on, but know that we have things in the can.
Something will come out next year.
Three entire years passed between the filming of seasons two and three, including delays because of the pandemic.
What was it like to finally be back on set?Oh, it felt so good.
I was so happy to be on set.
And I mean that in the sense that this show changed all of our lives completely, including Donalds.
So being with them will always feel like a homecoming.
I can only imagine what yall talk about there.Itssogood.
Maybe it was a press tour, Sundance, the BAFTAs, the Oscars.
What was I doing?
I dont even remember, but whatever it was, it was a lot of traveling and interviews.
People dont realize these events are like office parties.
Its mad people you dont really know, so you mingle with somebody you know and then you leave.
I had like 800 unread text messages.
Like you mentioned, your work onAtlantachanged a lot for you.
Now youre also in blockbusters likeDeadpoolandJoker.
I dont know … things always work out for me.
That doesnt mean it was easy.
I had day jobs and was running around auditioning and was spreading myself thin trying to succeed.
But it felt just like a part of the journey.
Now, I dont know if success means becoming like Brad Pitt famous, which Im not.
I wouldnt even venture to say Im A-list.
But to me, my first marker of success was gettinganyjob.
And then it was like, I want to pay my bills with this.
And thats such a wonderful privilege.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
