In  The Wolf, the Fox, and the Leopard by David Verbeek, viewers are thrust into a hauntingly poetic dystopia where nature, identity, and survival collide. At the heart of this arresting narrative is a feral girl (played by Jessica Reynolds), raised by wolves and untouched by the constructs of human civilization. Her abrupt capture and relocation to a decommissioned offshore oil rig—now home to a pair of eco-preppers who claim her as their daughter—marks the beginning of a turbulent transformation. Groomed to inherit a world ravaged by climate collapse, she is forced to grapple with moral complexities, ideological manipulation, and the unsettling realization that even well-meaning humans may be complicit in the systems they oppose. What unfolds is a deeply philosophical exploration of freedom, control, and the human desire to impose meaning on a wild and unknowable existence.

The movie, which premiered at this year’s TRIBECA FESTIVAL, asks a very important question: Do humans naturally embody the essence of humanity? For Verbeek, this question is the entire point of the film, and he wanted to show the real meaning of being human. Meanwhile, for the film’s lead star, Jessica Reynolds, the feral girl goes through a lot of things and understands what she is being forced to do or feel. Coastal House Media journalist Aayush Sharma sat down with David Verbeek and Jessica Reynolds to discuss various themes of The Wolf, the Fox, and the Leopard. Moreover, they opened up about what this story means for them.

(Image Courtesy: Tribeca)

Here’s the full interview:

Aayush Sharma: In the young man’s monologue, he talks about big issues like the pandemic, cancer, climate change, and artificial intelligence—all while expressing how lost or helpless he feels about his own future. Why did you decide to include all these problems at that moment? Were you trying to show how overwhelming the world feels for young people today, or did each of these represent something deeper about his character or the story?

David Verbeek: I think I really wanted to have a character that a lot of people would relate to very quickly. He doesn’t have much screen time, obviously, but I wanted to make a character that felt stereotypical of where a lot of people find themselves. The great thing is that Lucas is such an authentic person and a good actor that, especially when he’s finally attacked by the wolves, it becomes very emotional. I really wanted a character that would literally say what troubles so many people, because it’s an emblematic film about the state of the world in many ways. He represents a lot of Western humanity. And when he stands off against the wolves, I wanted it to feel like it’s not just him—it’s the collective protagonist, overwhelmed by the force, the brutality, and also the beauty of nature, which has no mercy for us, but is also an incredible force we can only watch in awe and admire.

Aayush Sharma: The first time we see your character is right after Dylan dies, and we see you running with the wolf pack. That scene really stood out—the way you moved, the energy, it felt so wild and real. Was that actually you doing the running in that moment? And if so, how physically challenging was it for you to perform that scene, especially while trying to move like someone raised by wolves?

Jessica Reynolds: It was me. I did about three months of training. I come from an athletic gymnastics background—I was a gymnast growing up my whole life—so I had that on my side. I’m a very small person, and I feel that has helped me since I’m closer to the ground. It’s funny: my brother is an athlete, stronger and bigger than me. When I was training for the role, I went home and he tried to walk on all fours; it looked like a comedy sketch—he couldn’t do it. The training was harsh on the back, but repetition and discipline paid off. My movement coaches had me doing laps around the training space, walking on all fours. It started inelegantly, but it’s a hard thing for a human to do—we don’t have the configuration an animal does. It was about adapting and finding my own way, and I think I could still do it now; it’s second nature, to be honest.

David Verbeek: You know, there was a real feral girl, I believe in Ukraine, who actually walked like that and grew up with wolves—big dogs, I believe. Her parents isolated her and put her with the dogs, and she walked like that. What we also talked about in prep, especially with the movement coach, was that we wanted it to feel clunky and unnatural. We didn’t want to beautify it. It was a long process to get that right. I knew in casting that I needed to find someone with that physical ability, but more importantly, someone who had the emotional baggage to bring to the role, and someone who related to dogs. Jessica also had a dog in her life that had passed away, and I think all of that came together. It was very easy for you to make contact with the wolves once filming began, because there was a real wolf pack trained in Germany. That was also a big part of it.

Aayush Sharma: The choice to have the narration in Japanese really stood out to me. It reminded me of watching a Studio Ghibli film, where the storytelling feels gentle, poetic, and deeply reflective, almost like a fairytale being read aloud. Why did you choose Japanese as the language for the narration? Was it connected to the tone you wanted, the themes, or something personal?

David Verbeek: It was exactly like you say—it was a tonal choice. On the deepest level, for me, the film is about how we, as human beings, are storytellers. That’s what separates us from animals. Everything is narration. And when you look at what narration is fundamentally made of, the building blocks are language. So I consciously chose to have the film narrated in a language the rest of the film is not in—to make the audience subconsciously feel that humanity itself is divided in so many ways of telling stories. It’s funny you mention Studio Ghibli, because that warm, fairy tale-like quality we also know from Japanese filmmaking is something I wanted to package it in. So it was a choice for the language first, and then came the character.

(Image Courtesy: Tribeca)

Aayush Sharma: It’s evident that you are talking about the world before the pandemic and after the pandemic, and how people reacted to it. But why did you choose an “oil rig” as the home for the One, even when the entire world knew about her? Was the oil rig just used because it was way far from the plan, which was being poisoned by the virus? Or the oil rig is used as a metaphor that the pandemic made us so lonely and far from the people we loved and cared about?

David Verbeek: Yeah, I thought of where these preppers would isolate themselves, and I also wanted to have a contrast in environment for her because she came from the wild. So I didn’t want them to be on a wild island again. I wanted to allude to an apocalyptic worldview. To my mind, there was nothing better than to put them on an artificial island, where they used to take oil out of the earth—and now the ruin of that is what they use to isolate themselves, like their own little utopian world. I wanted to make a film with very extreme chapters and different stylistic environments, one after the other. We go from the forest, which is a texture of nature, to the completely sterile environment of the institution. Then we go to a place that’s just an endless ocean, with the melancholic afterthought of what society once was.

Then we go into real society. She gets told fairy tales of what the old world looked like in the puppet show. And only at the end, she feels she’s really in those towers—like the Asian metropolises—which are the epitome of the structured world. So, yeah, it was a stylistic choice to make a film that was very clear-cut, very expressive. The story didn’t need to linger on it because it was visual already. Everything that happens in the story is interpersonal and emotional, but the settings themselves serve as evident blocks, representing where we are in society right now, with the robot at the end, of course, hinting at the future of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Aayush Sharma: Jessica, your character is new to the mainland world and approaches everything with curiosity. Almost everything the Fox and the Leopard do is unfamiliar to her. But one significant realization she has is that she’s being positioned as a beacon of hope — someone who can’t lie, because only someone rooted in truth can do something meaningful for the world. While she’s clearly intelligent, what do you think those words — and that moment — truly mean to her?

Jessica Reynolds: I think it takes her—obviously, it’s negative in the film, because it’s labeling someone. The moral of the story is not to do that, right? But in a way, it’s ironically good for her because it brings her back to where she was supposed to be. It ignites that rage to the full extent. Even just from watching it yesterday, when she throws that thing into the ocean, you can see there’s a real change in her wildness. She has truly been tamed because of the turmoil, and the level it takes her to get to that point is so intense. Whereas in the beginning, she wouldn’t have had a second thought about doing that. So by the end, she comes full circle and returns to that place, ironically, from the damage that humans have done to her. She comes out the other side, whether people like that or not. I don’t really care—but yeah, she comes out of her own other side. And I think that’s wonderful.

David Verbeek: I think what was very interesting is that, in the society part later on, she has to visit a psychiatrist and a therapist who talks to her, and that was actually my voice. So that was the one and only time when we actually acted together. I was behind the camera. And that’s just another representation of someone basically telling her, “Okay, so you think that you felt this, but it might be your social anxiety disorder.” That happens all the time—whether she’s branded by someone as a new Jesus Christ figure, or someone else tells her she’s just a member of society who needs to work on herself to get over her traumas. And there are even more versions of her, right? Or she’s an interesting potential date for the driving instructor. Everyone has their own version of who she is.

But for her, what I wanted to do as a director—and what she expressed unbelievably beautifully—is show that it’s basically almost a form of rape. It’s a very violent act to tell the story of who someone else is, like, “I’m going to tell your story.” That’s a very violent act. And as filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers, this is a fine line that we’re always walking—“I am going to tell who you are to the world.” And it’s like, wait a minute, first of all, do I agree with that? Everyone wants to have their own identity, to be in charge of their own identity. And in this film, she’s more and more betrayed by narration and identification, which she never needed when she was just free—a very tough and brutal existence, but at least she was living on her own terms.

(Image Courtesy: Tribeca)

Aayush Sharma: When Jessica’s character meets Aarav, everything seems to shift. The doubts she already had seem to grow stronger, and that meeting sparks something inside her. Aarav also seems to understand that, in a way, Jessica’s character is just as trapped as he is—only she’s been made to believe she’s free. Can you talk about that moment between them? What changes for her emotionally or mentally after that encounter, and what were you trying to show through their connection?

Jessica Reynolds: I think the most beautiful thing—and that’s how I felt from watching it during the festival—the most beautiful thing about that relationship, one’s relationship with Aarav, is that it goes beyond dialogue. Because there are two people that technically can’t communicate with each other due to the language barrier. She can barely speak English, and he’s speaking mostly Hindi, and yet their connection, compared with two years spent with Wyona and Elias, her adoptive parents, is nothing compared with the true, primal, and loving connection she has with Arav, another prisoner. Exactly. And so I think, yeah, it’s that chemistry, that thing that is just so palpable but not tangible, that they have with one another, because they are two oppressed people. And I think oppressed people in the world all hold hands together, you know, in a political sense and in a more micro sense, like in this film. Yeah, I think you can’t deny that connection and that oppression when it’s there.

David Verbeek: Yeah, we had a really powerful sense of that when we were shooting it, because he was on the other side of the floor, and just the way the interaction had a certain tenderness—it was way beyond what I had imagined for these scenes. It really came to life beautifully. But I think there’s a lot to unpack there, also, like why that character is in the film. Something I felt very strongly about is that if you’re going to show people trying to create a utopian world or make a world on their own terms, the downfall of utopias is always that there’s not room for everyone. There are always categories of people, or different people, or people who feel or think differently, who are excluded. And that is so much what is going on in the world today, right? So the fact that she—her character is not a very easily likable character because we can’t identify with her that much since she’s just so different from us—but the fact that she relates to that, and the fact that she has this connection to this character, I think is a big part of why we do very much root for her in the story.

Aayush Sharma: You are working with such a wonderful cast and crew. This question is for both of you. David, what was the audition procedure like? And when did you think that Jessica was perfect for this role? And Jessica, what was it like working with Marie and Nicholas, who portray parental figures to you in the film?

David Verbeek: We cast for a very, very long time for the role of the wolf girl—for years, really. It was a process of watching tapes from people from several countries and in several rounds, and having improvisational exercises. It was only later on, when someone else fell through, actually, that I finally discovered Jessica, who was by far the best candidate for this, for so many criteria. Yes, how great she is as an actress, but also her affinity with animals, her physical training—it all came together. That was a long process, but a very rewarding one in the end. I knew that if I didn’t find an actress for this, whom I had full confidence in from the beginning, I would choose not to make the film. Because it’s not worth it for this role—a role which is so extreme, with so many stages of showing humanity in different ways, where you have to go so extreme. If you don’t have exactly the right person doing it, you might as well not make the movie, because it’s going to feel awkward and strange. So yeah, but go ahead about how we worked with the other wonderful cast.

Jessica Reynolds: It was a really intensive experience we had. We had rehearsals for a week before we started shooting. So we had days upon days in a hotel room, figuring out each scene, talking, playing the scenes. We kind of built this fucked-up—pardon my French—family. And yeah, I mean, Marie is just… she’s so alive as an actor. All of her emotions are at the surface; everything is bubbling and flowing out of her. She’s so highly intelligent and just a very active actor—very embodied. Yeah, it was a complete blessing. And then Nicholas had this kind of opposite presence to her. They were like polar opposites, and that left me in the middle to do a lot of observation. I’ve said this before, but it was all really instinct-based. You find the chemistry you have with these people, and, for me anyway, it becomes real. And then it’s put on screen.

(Image Courtesy: Tribeca)

Aayush Sharma: What were the biggest challenges in directing a protagonist who doesn’t initially conform to human behavior or language norms?

David Verbeek: I was about to say, actually, when Jessica was talking about working with Nicholas and Marie, what was interesting is that normally when you work with actors, you talk about the dialogue, the subtext, and all that. But there was nothing like that when working with Jessica, because all the work we had to do was about finding this deep state inside her. She just had to be true to that and be reactive all the time. That had different stages, of course—in the forest, then in the institution, and then on the island. Slowly, the issue became more complex in society afterward. But it was always anchored to this feeling. We even used meditation in the woods and movement to find that. So it was really about creating situations. And it was wonderful to work with Jessica because she found that so fluently that we just worked on building the arc—how it carried through the film. I didn’t have to say much anymore. I was really directing the scenes through the other actors, mostly.

The Wolf, the Fox, and the Leopard, directed by David Verbeek, premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.

It’s really hard to believe that we live in a world where people, especially women, still have to fight for basic human rights. Women are not allowed to study and are told to wear certain kinds of clothes. But women are strong, and there are many stories that showcase their resilience. One such story is of Afghan Dreamers, a group of young women from Afghanistan who overcame every obstacle to take one of their innovations in front of the world. However, not many know about this extraordinary story that made everyone believe how greatness can be achieved if people continue to follow their dreams despite all the difficulties. This inspiring story is the premise of Bill Guttentag’s ‘Rule Breakers,’ which sees a group of women spark hope in the hearts of millions of girls like them, especially in their home country of Afghanistan. Apart from having a great narrative, it’s the performances that make this film such a riveting watch. One of the finest performances in the movie comes from Amber Afzali, who plays Esin in the movie.

Amber Afzali, a daughter of Afghan immigrant parents, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Southern California. She took a liking to acting at a very young age and started taking acting classes. But she didn’t let her studies suffer and took her degree in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. However, she never left acting, and with Rule Breakers, she starred in her first lead role. Coastal House Media journalist Aayush Sharma caught up with Amber Afzali to discuss her movie Rule Breakers and how the story of Afghan Dreamers inspired her. Moreover, she opened up about how Esin’s journey resonated with her on a more personal level.

A still of Amber Afzali as Esin in ‘Rule Breakers’ (Image Courtesy: Angel Studios)

Aayush Sharma: First of all, congratulations on the film—it’s truly brilliant and thought-provoking. I’d love to start by asking you about your journey. You began as an actor, then shifted towards studying political science and international relations, and now you’re balancing acting with activism. How has this unique journey unfolded for you, and how do you manage to juggle all these different passions and pursuits?

Amber Afzali: The journey’s definitely been like a roller coaster of emotions because I have, I did start off when I was acting as a kid, and that was something that I absolutely loved. And that’s something that really took me out of my comfort zone and broke me out of my shell. But I was always someone who highly valued education, and my family also highly valued education, and being a child actor, it’s really hard to balance and juggle both. Not saying that it can’t be done, but it is pretty difficult. And knowing what my ambitions were, knowing what my hopes were for myself academically, my parents thought it best to put acting on the back burner, focus on my education. And so, yeah, I went to college and studied political science and concentrated in international relations because of my passion for the South Asian and Middle Eastern region. And that was something that I was very passionate about, learning more about and maybe helping in the future.

When the pandemic happened, I think I had a big moment of self-reflection and realized that I’m not necessarily doing the creative side or justice, the creative side of myself. I’m not necessarily giving that its due time, and I really wanted to find a way to explore that creativity. And I remembered acting as something where I felt safe, and I absolutely loved it. So I decided to jump back into an acting class. And from that moment onward, everything happened so quickly with representation and with the audition, this being my first audition, just felt like it was what it was meant to be. And because the topic was about Afghanistan, which was about women’s rights, I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing my interests in international relations to pursue acting. They just kind of blended perfectly. But it’s been a great journey.

Aayush Sharma: Esin’s journey in Rule Breakers is marked by profound hope and moments of deep heartbreak as she pushes against societal barriers to pursue her dreams. As an actor, connecting authentically to such a powerful emotional arc can be challenging and transformative. Can you walk us through how you connected to Esin’s struggles and victories—whether through your own experiences, emotions you tapped into, or specific moments during filming that resonated with you on a deeper, more personal level?

Amber Afzali: Playing Esin, it was wonderful to be able to portray someone who’s based on the Afghan Dreamers. I’d heard about these girls before, I’d heard about their journey, and I was really rooting for them. And I knew all of the sacrifices that they did and they underwent because this was such a prominent story for girls who are Afghan or Afghan-American or part of the diaspora. So I was very inspired by these girls and I tried to make sure that when I played Esen, I played her authentically, I played her with the full range of emotions that Afghan girls have, which unfortunately isn’t seen in Western media. I really wanted to make sure that Esen was a complete, dynamic character with fears and hopes and ambitions, and she has a crush and she has friendships and she has, you know, she’s a complete girl. She’s a complete teenage girl. So I really wanted to make sure that I was tapping into that. I think that was easy because I am an Afghan girl, and I do have that background. I do speak the language, I understand the culture. So really tapping into those aspects was valuable for me. Esen’s journey is one where she finds her voice.

So, for me, I grew up pretty shy, and through acting and through some of the school activities that I did, I slowly found my voice and started to use it for things that I’m passionate about and things that I care about, like Esin does. And I love in Esen’s story, she really leans on the community around her because I have found that that has been the most helpful thing in finding your voice is leaning on those, especially the women in your circle. And so I really tried to bring that and show that into Esen’s character and her development. I think it does become a little bit emotionally taxing when you have those really heavy scenes, about when you have the bombing, or when you have scenes where her uncle isn’t allowing her to go abroad, or when her uncle is upset and pulls her out of a party. Those scenes can be emotionally heavy because you realize that this is truly what is happening in the region. This is not something that’s just fictitious, and it’s just in a movie, and we could never get to that point. It’s truly happening in real life. So I think understanding that, reflecting, and always being optimistic that we might be, that this film could spark conversation again on women’s rights and women’s education in the region—that’s kind of what kept me grounded. And that kept me feeling like the performances that I gave needed to have a full impact and needed to be sending a message to others.

Aayush Sharma: What specific preparations or research did you undertake to authentically portray a young Afghan woman pursuing STEM education under such intense societal pressures?

Amber Afzali: Well, it was very nice to be able to play a girl who might be academically inclined towards STEM, but she doesn’t have any experience with robotics. She doesn’t have any experience actually diving into these sorts of mechanics. She kind of learns it as she goes. And that’s really what I felt like my journey was like. Of course, I did preparation and I watched tons of videos of FIRST Robotics. I watched tons of videos of the girls competing and saw their journey, and read those articles. And I felt that I had that connection where I might be more academically inclined, but I’ve never had a full exposure to a lot of what STEM entails. So being on set, we had robotics teams from around the world come, showcase their designs and put them in the film, and teach us how to use their designs, and what parts we could touch, what parts we can’t touch. What is the purpose of their design? That was incredible. That really provided a lot of insight.

To have the students who built these robots actually on set with us was incredible. A lot of them are in the film too, which is amazing that we utilized real STEM-focused girls and boys from around the world. So that was really helpful.

A still from ‘Rule Breakers’ (Image Courtesy: Angel Studios)

Aayush Sharma: Since Rule Breakers is inspired by the real-life journey of the Afghan Dreamers, I’m curious—did you have the opportunity to meet any of the team members or hear their stories directly before or during production? If so, could you share how those personal interactions, or even hearing their firsthand experiences, influenced the way you approached Esin’s character?

Amber Afzali: I was able to meet up with Roya and Alaha. So Roya is the woman who started the team, and Alaha is her sister. I was able to meet up with them before filming began, and that was very helpful in understanding the gravity of what they were accomplishing and what they were doing, and also understanding Roya’s personality and how her relationship with the girls was. That really influenced the relationship that I would have with Nicole Boucheri, who played Roya. I wanted to make sure that we were keeping that in line so that it felt like the chemistry was there. And it truly was. It was beautiful because Nicole is such a fantastic actor, and she’s wonderful. And the other girls as well, I heard about the camaraderie between the girls, and luckily,y that was also a very natural chemistry between us. During filming, it was primarily Roya and Alaha, but after filming—so I used their insight and I watched TED Talks of the girls and those things to inspire my acting—but after filming, we had met Soumaya, who was on the original team, Saghar, who was on the original team as well, and Reyhana, who was on the third team and she’s studying in Doha right now. And we met Coach Ali.

So to hear their positive experiences after watching the film and to see them truly say that this was an authentic performance and that they felt they were seeing their life in double time on screen, that was incredible. And that really felt like we did the purpose, the story, justice. But Roya and Alaha’s insights were probably the most valuable before filming.

Aayush Sharma: Given the emotionally charged and often intense nature of Rule Breakers, portraying characters constantly navigating fear, resilience, and hope must have been both physically and emotionally draining. During long or particularly demanding shoot days, how did you and the rest of the cast maintain emotional stamina?

Amber Afzali: We had so many late-night conversations, especially after those long days or after those hard days of just decompressing and talking with each other and reflecting on what happened and how we feel, and having such a tight-knit community. I mean, we basically lived together for nine weeks abroad. And this was something that I’m so grateful that I had the chance to do because it really did blend that chemistry seamlessly. It was so beautiful. But on those days that were especially emotionally taxing or draining, we always knew that we had someone to talk to and someone to connect with. And in order to make sure that it wasn’t all work, work, work, and never felt like that, because to be on set with such an incredible cast and crew, you feel like it’s play all the time. But even beyond that, we wanted to make sure that we were traveling and exploring new sites. This was my first time and a lot of our first times in Morocco and in Hungary. So we wanted to make sure that we were exploring. We went to Isowera, we went to the mountains, we went to different sites and tourist things. And those really helped, like reset our minds so that we were ready for the next day.

Aayush Sharma: How did the production team create a sense of authenticity in recreating Afghanistan’s environment, and how did that impact your immersion into Esin’s world?

Amber Afzali: The production team did an incredible job in transforming Morocco into Afghanistan. I have never had the chance to go to Afghanistan. But when I sent pictures to family members of the set, they were blown away by how accurate it was. Something that I think is so unfortunate is that in Western media, we often see Afghanistan as being very bleak, very dismal, very brown, you know, and just plain. The production team did a fantastic job at showcasing the color behind every scene and all of the beautiful sites and all of the beautiful stores. A lot of ways that they made sure that they were portraying this authentically was by using one of the writers who was Roya’s sister, Elaha. Her insight was invaluable in the making of this film. Also, we had some of the writers and some of the people on production who have been to Afghanistan, who were able to kind of replicate that.

Our production, our design team, you know, set design did an insane amount of research, just trying to make sure that this was all accurate. And even the words of spelling, and those things, and the types of dialect that they portrayed on the signs had to be checked again because this was Herat. It’s a very specific dialect. It’s a specific region in Afghanistan, and they wanted to make sure that was accurate. It was honestly transformative, and it really helped me to get into the character of Esin because when you feel like you’re in Afghanistan as this young girl, you can completely shift your mindset on how valuable these opportunities really are.

(Image Courtesy: Angel Studios)

Aayush Sharma: One of Esin’s most powerful moments in Rule Breakers is when she finally stands up for herself and her dreams—particularly during her stirring speech about women’s rights and personal freedom. It’s such a pivotal turning point, not just for her character but for the emotional arc of the entire film. Can you walk us through how you prepared for that scene—both emotionally and technically? What did it mean to you personally to give voice to Esin’s defiance, and how did you ensure that the weight and authenticity of that moment truly landed with the audience?

Amber Afzali: I’m so glad to hear you say that, that you connected with that scene. That was one of my, it’s one of my favorite scenes and it’s because that took a lot of work and a lot of energy to be able to portray that speech scene with the varying levels of emotion, that timidness beforehand, that lack of self-confidence to when she looks out at the girls and she sees them cheering her on, and then she finally feels that she has that confidence to send that scene home. Then at the end of it, you really see her start to, you know, roll her shoulders back with pride and joy and feel like she’s accomplished something. And that was a beautiful scene to film. I think one of the biggest ways in which I was able to portray that scene with such authenticity was talking with our wonderful director, Bill, who really had one-on-one conversations with each of us. But he sat me down and we just kind of went through what her story arc was, what her character arc was, and why this scene is so pivotal for not just Esin’s storyline, but for the entire film and for Afghan girls around the world.

I think it’s such a beautiful scene, and when a girl can find her voice, and how impactful that can be. And for me, the thing that really helped me connect with Essence during that time was that this was my first big, long scene ever on set. This was just something that was my first time being on a set. Then we had some prominent members in the audience. You know, we have Nicole Busceri, we have Phoebe Waller-Bridge, we have an incredible production team. I just wanted to make sure that I was making everyone proud and that I didn’t screw it up, kind of like Essence for her team. So that really helped me in portraying that authentically. And Esin, when she looks out at the girls and when she looks out at Nicole or Roya and Ali, she sees them and they cheer her on, and then she’s able to send that scene home. Same way for me, I was so nervous and I was up on the stage and I was looking out at my castmates, you know, Nina, Sara, Mariam, Nikohl, Noorin, and I felt inspired to just send it and just give it my full attention and full detail and full emotion.

Aayush Sharma: You’ve mentioned how Esin’s character has impacted you personally, but as an actor, what was the most surprising discovery you made about yourself during the filming process?

Amber Afzali: That is such a good question. I think as an actor, I realized that when I have, that a lot of the acting that I do is bouncing off of other people’s emotions and other people’s insights and other people’s demeanor during a scene. I don’t, I realized something that, you know, a lot of us actors in today’s day and age are doing self-tapes and monologues in our room with a camera alone. But the type of acting that is the most fun, the best type of acting and the one where you can really perform and go all out, which is what I love to do, is when you have incredibly dedicated cast mates, when you have an incredible, incredibly realistic set design and when you’re in costume and that just transforms the performance. So I think what I really developed is a lot of confidence in my acting abilities by being on this set. And I’m so grateful to the entire team for fostering an environment where we can grow our confidence. So now I feel like an actor who is capable of delivering. And that’s, I think, the best feeling as an actor.

Aayush Sharma: You’re surrounded by such a talented cast, including the actors who play your sisters and friends, as well as Phoebe Waller-Bridge. What was the experience like working with such an incredible group of people?

Amber Afzali: They, you know, they are like my sisters. They’re incredible. I, Nina, Sara, Mariam, like we connected on a level that I didn’t know that I would find in my lifetime. You know, friends who have such similar backgrounds, such similar interests, and shared experiences culturally. That was incredible. And we really did feel like sisters. We traveled all the time together, and they’re such talented actors. I mean, it’s incredible to work with them. Noorin felt like a true brother. I mean, he played Coach Ali, and he, you know, as Coach Ali, he’s watching over the girls and making sure they get their opportunities. And as himself, as Noorin, he did the same for us girls on set. And he’s incredible.
He is so supportive. And I’m grateful to have, you know, a new brother for life. I don’t have a brother that is, you know, direct lineage, but he is someone that’s very close to being my brother.

So I appreciate that from him. And Nikohl is such a grounded actor who, you know, seeks a lot of her inspiration and solace. And she gets a lot of inspiration from one-on-one conversations with each of us or one-on-one conversations with the director. That is so beautiful. And Phoebe Waller-Bridge is effortlessly funny. She is so laid back down to earth. When you feel her walk on set, it’s just like, hey guys, like you’ve known her for a million years. She’s known you for a million years. You’re just like, ‘hey’. She’s incredible. And I talked about video games with her for so long, especially Tomb Raider, just to find out that she’s writing the new Tomb Raider series for Amazon. I was like, I was mind blown. I was shocked. So she’s, honestly, I enjoyed working with her. And I’m glad that I had a scene where she, I know that she had to clap for my speech, but it felt good knowing Phoebe Waller-Bridge is clapping after my speech in the movie.

(Image Courtesy: Angel Studios)

Aayush Sharma: You mentioned that you’ve never had the chance to visit Afghanistan, but given the current situation there, and also what’s happening here in the USA regarding women’s rights, there’s a certain parallel in the challenges women face in both places. While the circumstances may not be identical, the struggles are strikingly similar. How difficult is it for you, as a woman, to accept the fact that governments in both countries seem to be pushing women’s rights backward, almost to the point of regression?

Amber Afzali: It’s heartbreaking. It does feel like a regression. It does feel like we’re, we’re eliminating so much of the progress that we have made, you know, over time. I’m hoping that there are going to be some people, and I have faith in humanity, that there are people who are going to step up and who are going to demand that we maintain and preserve and keep expanding women’s rights. But it is truly heartbreaking to see because I, and I will say this, when you eliminate half of the population from being active members of your society, active members of the community, active members of the economy, just active members who work, who take care of children, who are out and about, who have friends, who have social settings, who are in government, you are eliminating half of your country’s potential and half of your country’s growth. And so that is, you’re just stifling your own country. So it is truly saddening to see, but I’m hoping that there’s going to be a wake-up call for everyone to see how important women, women’s contributions are to society.

Aayush Sharma: If Esin could speak directly to young women facing similar barriers today, what message do you think she would give them—and did that influence how you played her?

Amber Afzali: I think the ultimate message that Esin would give, and that really did influence the final scenes that Aisin has, where she finds her voice, would be that no matter who is telling you no, no matter who is telling you that you can’t, you 100% can and you do have a voice and your voice is more meaningful than you will ever understand. So find your voice, use your voice, and just kind of, especially use your voice in front of all of the naysayers.

Rule Breakers starring Amber Afzali is available for streaming on the official website of Angel Studios. 

In today’s interconnected world, the power of art transcends language barriers, proving that creativity knows no borders. Whether you speak one language or many, what truly matters is your ability to express, evoke emotion, and connect through your craft. The global stage now celebrates artists from every corner of the world, and one such artist is Maia Hazel. Born in the peaceful countryside of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Maia has achieved international recognition through a journey marked by both ambition and resilience. She never let difficulties stop her from doing what she loved and broke barriers through her art.

Today, Maia is a force to be reckoned with and has made a name for herself in every part of the entertainment world. Be it music, acting, or modeling, Maia has stayed true to herself, using her unique voice and vision to inspire and leave a lasting impact on people’s minds. The multi-talented artist made her debut in Hollywood in Patty Jenkins’ WONDER WOMAN and became the first Brazilian actor to be a part of a DC feature film. Since then, she has never looked back and shattered all the barriers to become a renowned figure in the industry. But things haven’t been easy for Maia, and she has overcome several obstacles in her life to reach where she is today. Coastal House Media journalist Aayush Sharma caught up with Maia Hazel to discuss her life journey and what it means to be an artist. Moreover, she opened up about how she never backs down from a challenge and never lets negativity enter her life.

Maia Hazel

Here’s the full interview:

Aayush Sharma: Your career spans such distinct artistic realms—film, theater, music, and modeling. How do you maintain creative authenticity while navigating the expectations and aesthetics of each industry?

Maia Hazel: I mean, every part of my work as an artist it’s complementary. Like, you know, the music goes with the visual. And when I am on the stage, I kind of feel so connected with the audience, with the people. Because when you’re in a theater, doing a play, there are no mistakes— you can make mistakes, like in life, but you need to come up with something in that moment, so the audience doesn’t realize that you made a mistake on stage. So it’s different when I do cinema, or when I’m producing, or doing a music video. Like, you know, I have more power to direct, to see the exact image that I want. I mean, art—everything that I do—it’s what saves my life. And yes, I can’t separate it. It’s the combo. Everything comes together.

Aayush Sharma: You’ve trained at prestigious institutions around the world—from Juilliard to Estúdio Corazza. How has this global, multilingual training shaped your approach to embodying characters across cultures?

Maia Hazel: I mean, like, I think that is the key. You know, we are living a dystopic reality right now in the world. So I try to be connected all the time, to learn something new, because I think the actor’s work, the actor’s studies, never is going to end. We’re going to study for our whole lives. What are the instruments of my work? It’s the mind, it’s the voice, and it’s the body. So all those three elements, three instruments, need to be updated, especially the mind. We are living in this dystopian world, so all the time, things change—and change fast. So I try, all the time, doing some course, some workshop, being in contact with the human being, with that eye exchange. Because it’s crazy where we are living now, this dystopic world, like the machine world—the AI is trying to get my job. So yes, I think studying is the key. You always update your mind.

Aayush Sharma: In HBO’s Todxs Nós, your character Lorena is part of a groundbreaking narrative on gender and identity. How did that role challenge or deepen your understanding of representation in media?

Maia Hazel: That was, like, you know, I was working with Vera Egito. She’s one of the biggest directors that I know in Brazil. She’s so talented. She’s so generous. And being in this HBO show, playing Lorena—there was a teacher and also an entrepreneur—it was super fun, but a challenge. Because, you know, my character is like a businesswoman, but she’s also a teacher. So I tried to navigate it and find the balance between both sides. Because, you know me, I’m more joking all the time, all the time happy. So to play this character, I tried to bring more consistency and more seriousness, like, you know, this businesswoman, this teacher—so I could connect with the audience, with the public. My mother was a teacher for many years, so it’s a beautiful job, and a big responsibility to play this character. But it was so much fun, and I had so much fun playing Lorena on HBO.

Maia Hazel (Image Courtesy: @mmaia/Instagram)

Aayush Sharma: You’ve released over 30 recordings and five original music videos. How do you decide what stories are best told through music rather than acting or writing?

Maia Hazel: I mean, I should figure out how to decide it. I haven’t decided yet. (laughs). I grew up listening to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Cartola, and Legião Urbana. And, like, you know, this mix of references—rock, jazz, pop, you know, Madonna, Britney—it comes from when I was a teenager. So I grew up with really good music because, you know, Italy, Brazil—we have very rich musical culture. So, when it comes to my music. Sometimes I’m just doing groceries, just walking the streets, or going for an audition—and then suddenly it comes to my mind, and I say, I need to write it. So I stop everything that I’m doing, and then I take my notes and I start to write down some verses. That’s how I work my creative process into songwriting. And I think music and movies—it’s like, you know, what is a movie without a soundtrack? One complements the other.

Aayush Sharma: What are some of the social or political themes that you consciously incorporate into your lyrics, and how do you ensure they remain personal yet universally resonant?

Maia Hazel: Yeah, some rap in my songs is very political. Because, I mean, I have for myself what kind of artist I want to be, what kind of message I want to send to those who need a little, you know, a little power, a little motivation. That’s what I want to do with my music. Because I come from nothing, and I built an empire. Like, you know, I’m still building, I’m still fighting, and I’m a fighter. So that’s what I want my fans, my fan base, and my Maya lovers to feel when they’re listening to my music. Like, you got the power, so go fight your dreams. Because if you don’t fight, nobody’s going to do it for you. So yeah, I try to put that in my music.

Aayush Sharma: You’ve often blurred the line between art and activism. Has there ever been a moment where that fusion felt risky—personally or professionally?

Maia Hazel: I could get canceled, too, because I did a metaphor. And then I ask myself sometimes, is the ignorance going to speak louder than your work? Because these days, in this utopian digital environment that we are living now, everyone wants to talk. Everyone wants to talk and point the finger, like, you know, at what I say. But nobody can say I’ve been canceled since I came to this world. So yeah, you can’t cancel me. So bring it up. Cancel me. I believe in my art. I believe in what I’m doing here. So if you don’t like it, do it better—or you can go away from my comment sections, because I’m going to block you. I don’t give attention to negativity in my life. I try to protect my space, my peace, and be positive always.

Maia Hazel (Image Courtesy: @mmaia/Instagram)

Aayush Sharma: Looking back on your first major acting job to now, what is something you’ve unlearned that was once central to your artistic philosophy?

Maia Hazel: So I always learn with you, you learn with me. I learn with the next. I mean, in this profession, we always learn, and we are always surprising ourselves. Life is unpredictable, you know, and being an artist, we know that. So we don’t suffer that much. But I mean, I learn many things, but I’m going to tell you—I keep trying to learn. But it’s hard for me. Like, you know, sometimes when I do a big character—like when I was playing a goddess—it was a tough time for me. Because getting out of the character was hard. Like, you know, sometimes it’s really hard for us to get out. For me, I can speak for myself—get out and, like, you know, how am I going to come back to the real world now? I love the fantasy. I love being on the set. I love doing that. That’s my passion. That’s my everything. But how do I come back to the real world? Because the fantasy is more fun when we are playing a character. So I leave like, you know, an empty balloon. I keep trying, but I think that’s the toughest part. I think I didn’t learn that yet. So I always take that to the therapist, like, how to come back to the real world?

Aayush Sharma: Is there a medium or project type you haven’t explored yet that you’re hungry to dive into—maybe directing a feature film, writing a memoir, or designing a fashion line?

Maia Hazel: I’ve been thinking about the fashion line for many years, but now I’m just in the process of finishing my book. There are some opportunities and some things that I can’t tell now, but I can say that on the 9th of next month, my next song is coming out—yeah, with my next music video, where I’ve been doing the art direction. I’ve been working with Fabio, who’s a really good director. He’s worked with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, the whole crew here, and now he’s working with me on that song “B**ch Please.” Yesterday I saw the image—it’s crazy. It’s so political, but it’s fun. The music makes you bounce, you know, and makes you dance. I’m very excited for this one.

Maia Hazel’s next track, ‘B**CH PLEASE,’ is releasing on Friday, May 9th.