Photo Credit: Rick Kern By Okla Jones ·Updated April 9, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio participant prepared…
By the time Zazie Beetz and Myha’la arrived in Austin for the world premiere of They Will Kill You, the power around the movie had reached a fever pitch. Kirill Sokolov’s newest project is a blood-soaked, fast-moving story set inside a luxurious New York high-rise where something is clearly improper.
The movie facilities on Asia and Maria (performed by Beetz and Myaha’la, respectively), two sisters who have been pulled aside by an unlucky circumstance. Years after a violent break from their previous, Asia finds her method into the Virgil, a smooth building with a fame that doesn’t fairly match its look. Maria works there, making an attempt to escape the vicissitudes of life. What unfolds inside the building is surprising for most; it’s a mix between horror and motion, with a darkish, comedic twist.
Beetz carries much of the movie’s physicality, and her preparation displays how significantly she approached it. “I started off with boxing training—I trained with Michael Olajide Jr. in New York,” she said, describing how the function started to take form. “We really wanted to get the movement of the character down so that she’d sort of learned this movement in jail essentially. So we wanted it to feel sort of scrappy.” The movie was shot in Cape Town, and stunt rehearsals pushed the actress’ efficiency to another degree, particularly as the choreography grew more complicated.
“We did conditioning every day, but then we would really sort of get in on the dance of the choreography and figuring out how Asia moves and wanting to lock in the fights as much as possible,” Beetz said. Support from the stunt crew grew to become important, not just for security, but for building confidence inside scenes that demanded fixed movement. “Really having this very easy communication, and being able to be honest with them, was huge.”
At the coronary heart of They Will Kill You is the relationship between the two sisters, and creating the connection didn’t require much effort once filming started. “It was super easy—she’s like the nicest person ever,” Myha’la said of Beetz. “I just wanted to spend time with her, because she’s really easy to be with and be around. She’s a very easy person to love.” Their off-screen dynamic carried immediately into their performances, making the movie both action-packed, and also heartbreaking at instances.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 25: Myha’la Herrold and Zazie Beetz attend SiriusXM Front Row With The Cast Of They Will Kill You at SiriusXM Studios on March 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
In addition to its stars, the film options a forged of award-winning veterans. Patricia Arquette, who performs the building’s enigmatic chief, was drawn in by the unpredictability in the script. “I thought it was fresh and interesting, but could go wrong,” she said. Watching Sokolov’s earlier work gave her confidence in his control behind the digicam, and casting Beetz sealed her choice to signal on. “I was such a huge fan of [Zazie] already. I was like, ‘She’s going to kill this part.’”
Heather Graham saw something comparable from a totally different angle, responding to the movie’s combine of humor and commentary. “I just thought, ‘wow, I have never read anything like this before,’” she said. “It was so unique. It was so original.” Action performed a half in the appeal as properly, particularly in scenes that allowed her to transfer bodily within the story. “I like a girl on girl fight. Why not?”
Physical dedication exhibits up on screen, but the situations behind it were far from snug. Much of the movie locations Beetz and Myha’la in close contact with blood results, prosthetics, and loopy surfaces. “It is literally disgusting,” she said, laughing at the reminiscence. “The blood is usually sugar syrup based, so it’s very sticky.” Myha’la’s expertise came from a totally different place. Her function as Maria is primarily based on worry and uncertainty, as viewers come to notice as the movie progresses. “I don’t love blood. I don’t love gore. I don’t like body parts not attached to the body,” she said. But, repetition modified how the substance felt over time, translating into highly effective performances from the total forged.
Working alongside Beetz has left a lasting impression on Myha’la, particularly watching how she approached the function day after day. Physical calls for could have slowed the course of, but they didn’t.
“I was so impressed and inspired by her commitment to getting it right, no matter how hard it was,” Myha’la said. “I really commend her for that, and I hope that if I ever get the opportunity to do something like this, that I have the same ferocity that she does.”
TOPICS: Zazie Beetz
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