Sofia Carson on ‘The Life List’ and working with her mother Laura
Sofia Carson sits down with USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa to talk about her new film “The Life List” and her relationship with her mother Laura.
NEW YORK − Sofia Carson won’t be stepping out on a comedy club stage or a basketball court anytime soon. But after her latest film, in which her character does both as she fulfills her bucket list, the actress might be making some big plans.
In “The Life List,” (streaming now on Netflix), Carson plays Alex Rose, a young woman who loses her mother to cancer and then attempts to find herself by revisiting the goals she created as a child.
There are some parts of the role that don’t run parallel to Carson’s life; for example, her mother Laura is not only alive but present for the interview. The film’s “life list” includes getting a tattoo and shooting hoops against a New York Knicks player. Carson doesn’t have tattoos and needed a coach to assist with the basketball scene opposite Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.
But as Carson, 31, thinks about what she’d take from Alex’s bucket list to write on her own, she immediately gravitates toward one item.
“Finding love is something that should be on all of our lists,” Carson says. “Through this beautiful journey, (Alex) falls in love with herself. It’s a journey that is scary, but that all of us should go on.”
Sofia Carson’s mom championed Netflix’s ‘The Life List’
“The Life List” is based on the book of the same name by Lori Nelson Spielman. Carson received the script from her aforementioned mother, who vets all projects that are pitched to Carson.
“I remember I was in a meeting and I get a text from my mom: ‘Stop whatever you’re doing and read this script,’ ” Carson recalls of receiving “The Life List” script written by Adam Brooks, who also directs. “I might have read 15 pages in, and I just felt like I was reading something so special. I felt that in Alex Rose, I not only saw myself, but I felt that Alex Rose is all of us at some point in our lives when we feel like we’re alive, but we’re not living. And she kind of awakens us to life again.”
Connie Britton plays Alex’s mother, and Kyle Allen and Sebastian de Souza portray Alex’s love interests.
“There really isn’t a villain in the movie,” Carson says of the love triangle. “Between the two guys, one of them ends up not being right for her. But it’s beautiful in that no one’s ever villainized.”
As for working with her mother, Laura, on all aspects of her career, Carson characterizes the experience as “amazing.”
“She’s not only my mother and the person who knows me and loves me more than anyone in the world, but she’s my compass and my north star,” Carson says. “Her only care in the world is my happiness, so every decision is grounded in that.”
Sofia Carson lists her Netflix ‘guilty pleasures’
Carson is no stranger to Netflix. The actress stars in “Carry-On,” which USA TODAY’s Brian Truitt succinctly calls “Die Hard in an Airport,” alongside Taron Egerton, Theo Rossi and Jason Bateman. Carson also starred in and executive produced Netflix’s “Purple Hearts,” playing a struggling singer-songwriter who vows to never date military guys, only to wed a Marine. Carson doesn’t rule out a sequel.
But when she’s not working, what is she binging on the platform?
” ‘The Diplomat’ is one of my favorite television shows ever,” Carson says. “I mean, ‘Gilmore Girls’ is my go-to guilty pleasure. I love ‘The Crown.’ I love ‘Selling the City,’ ‘Selling Sunset,’ all those reality shows are my guilty pleasures.”
Leave a Reply