Lisa Frankenstein may be Liza Soberano’s first Hollywood production, but she’s certainly no stranger to show business. At just 26 years old, she’s already one of the most accomplished actresses in the Philippines.

Her credits include starring roles in major Filipino blockbusters like Just The Way You Are, Everyday I Love You, My Ex and Whys, and Alone/Together, as well as TV shows such as Forevermore, Dolce Amore, Bagani, Make It With You, and Trese.

Born in California, Soberano relocated to Manila, Philippines at age 10. A talent scout discovered her at 13 years old, and the rest was history. Now, the star is taking a chance and embracing a new chapter in her career as she starts “from scratch” in Hollywood. 

Soberano plays loveable, yet oblivious cheerleader Taffy in the upcoming horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein. Penned by Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body, Juno) and directed by Zelda Williams, the film centers on “misunderstood” teenager Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton), who brings a handsome corpse from the Victorian era (Cole Sprouse) back to life. Together, the duo “embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”

To celebrate the movie’s release, The Nerds of Color sat down to chat with Soberano about Lisa Frankenstein, Filipino representation, and playing sisters with Kathryn Newton. Here’s what she had to say!

THE NERDS OF COLOR: This is your first big US project, but you’re already very successful in the Philippines. How do you feel about making your Hollywood debut?

SOBERANO: I’m honestly a little bit nervous about it, but I kind of have this sense of relief and comfort almost. Because for a while, back home in the Philippines, I was starting to get a little lost in terms of understanding whether this [acting] is really what I want for myself, or if it’s something that I’m even truly passionate about. And to be able to understand that better, I thought that maybe I would have to try exploring outside of my comfort zone, and move on to something that would present itself as more of a challenge to me… I was at a point in my career where I didn’t have to audition for certain roles anymore. I was living comfortably. And moving to America, I’m completely starting from scratch. I’m basically a rookie all over again. 

This time, I’m coming in with a lot more knowledge and experience — but even though I have that, it doesn’t mean I’m instantly going to be just as famous or successful here in Hollywood. You still have to grind and really work hard to achieve that success. 

Zelda Williams said in a recent interview that she personally asked you to read for the role. Can you tell me a little bit about your audition process and how everything came together?

We have a lot of mutual friends here in LA. I asked my management and my friends to introduce me to people that could sort of serve as, like, an ate figure (Tagalog for her older sister). I was looking for somebody that could guide me and just be there for me here in LA. [Williams] was one of the first people I was introduced to, and then I set up a follow up dinner with her and my Philippine management. As we were having dinner, she stepped out because she had to take a phone call. Then she comes back and she’s like, “Oh my gosh, the film that I’m working on just got greenlit!” It was like serendipity, because I was there as [Lisa Frankenstein] got greenlit, and I saw her reaction in real time. 

Then she was like, “You know what I just remembered? I’m actually still casting for one of the major characters of the movie. I think you should audition for it.” And I was like, “Really? Me? Why me?” I felt so flustered and shy that she even thought that I was worthy of it. But then she kind of, like, really pushed me and encouraged me to try it out. Two months later, I got the script and I fell in love right away with the story and I found out that Diablo Cody is the writer of the film. So I was like, “Okay, I need to audition for this.” Before auditioning, I asked [Williams] for a few tips and tricks, because I’d never done a self tape. … And then I did it. Two days after, I got the call that I was cast.

One thing I find really interesting about your character Taffy is that she’s popular and sort of clueless, but she also seems very genuine and well-meaning. How did you strike that balance playing her?

Honestly, I feel like it wasn’t that hard because a lot of the characteristics that she has [are] very similar to who I am as a person. That’s actually one of the main reasons why I think Zelda saw potential in me playing her. I had asked [Williams] initially, “What’s a quality or trait of mine that you think Taffy has as well?” And she was like, “The fact that you’re so earnest.” I was like, “Okay, I’ll lean into that a little bit more.” And then as I read the script, I realized on a surface level, Taffy can seem pretty shallow — she can seem like a ditzy high school student who only cares about being popular, being loved by everybody, about cheerleading, the most superficial things. But then you get to know her a little more and, as the story progresses, you see that she genuinely longs to have this sisterly relationship with Lisa. I feel like that stems from a place where she feels like everybody just pretends they like her because she’s popular [and] a cheerleader [or] because she’s pretty. She wanted Lisa to be that first, I guess genuine, relationship. They just love each other. So that’s what I leaned into [while also] keeping in mind that Janet is my mom — there’s a few characteristics of hers that I probably picked up unknowingly.

What was it like playing sisters with Kathryn Newton?

It was so easy. She made it so easy for me. I’m an older sister to 10 younger siblings, so I know exactly how it is to be a sister. Obviously, if you don’t have that type of chemistry or relationship with your co-actor, it can be kind of hard to make it seem authentic. But off the bat, like the first day we met, Kathryn was already trying to make me feel so comfortable and so welcomed on the set. It was so easy to connect with her. Aside from that, she made an effort to reach out to me on our days off and hang out with me at our hotel. The bonding really helped us build that chemistry up. She’s just an amazing actor, and I kind of fed off from her energy and talent.

We unfortunately still don’t have a ton of Filipino representation in Hollywood. What does it mean to you to be able to represent the Filipino community in this huge role?

I’m really blessed and honored to be seen as someone who is representing the Filipino community. But I feel like I’m such a small piece to a huge community… It’s really exciting to be able to show my peers or people who even dream of getting into the same industry as me that it is very much possible. While I was back home in the Philippines, I was always mentioning that I wanted to try pursuing a Hollywood career. And more often than not, people would kind of shit on my dreams and be like, “It’s not going to happen. It’s impossible. People have tried it; it didn’t work for them.” That honestly discouraged me for the longest time, and I just kind of put that dream aside. But then during the pandemic, that’s when I had the time to really think and be like, “I’m going to try it. Now’s the right time. If I’m not going to try now, when am I going to try it?” And so I’m happy I did. I’m happy I was brave enough to leave my comfort zone, and I hope I can inspire many other Filipinos to do the same.

Lisa Frankenstein arrives in theaters February 9.