Fierce. Driven. Intelligent. Those are the three words that jumped to my mind when asked to describer new PIRATES character Carina Smyth. Kaya Scolderio portrays Carina, an astronomer, in the latest installment of this globally renown franchise, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. She is a smart woman of science. When we meet her, she is imprisoned for “witchcraft” because of her knowledge of time and space. However, I love that the fact within a seconds of her being introduced to the viewers, she easily picks a lock and escapes, proving that her role is not one of a damsel in distress.
We were all psyched to chat with her! As Kaya glided into the room, she dawned this fun red dress, that reminded me of the colonial like dresses she wears in the film, but with a Springtime modern twist. We immediately commented how beautiful she looked. She humorously quipped back that the secret was “I have a really good pair of spanks underneath.” By her smile and fun demeanor, I could tell right away that this was going to be a great interview!
And speaking of fashion…
When you get dressed in your costume, how do you feel? Does it give any more motivation for the scene?
Kaya: There’s something really cool about a corset. It does feel quite empowering actually, because you have to sit up strong and… you know, the first day is awful. I’d get my husband to secretly loosen it up at lunchtime so that I could eat and stuff. But it is actually it does feel very strong and I like that Carina’s dress. It isn’t perfect. It’s actually tattered and old and ripped up and dirty. That helped me kind of understand a bit of her back story. I think this is a dress that she’s held onto because it’s kind of the only one she has. She’s managed to make it as practical as possible to her.
You’ve experienced a male dominated cast. How was it in this one?
Kaya: I’ve been incredibly… I shouldn’t say lucky because it should be like… but the guys have never made me feel like the only woman. they always treat me exactly the same. I’ve never felt like… I’ll walk on the set and they’re like “the girl is here, we have to stop farting.” They continue to do that anyway! I’ve grown up with guys. I love them. My best friends are guys and I like that energy.
Carina comes in as a brand new character for the franchise. What was it like bringing that into a completely male dominated storyline?
Kaya: It’s always important for me. Every role I look for a woman that I would have liked to have seen at thirteen (years old) on the big screen. It’s a huge responsibility because people forget in blockbusters that we’re not simple. There are multi layers and there’s a lot going on. Carina has a lot of that. She’s an orphan, she’s a survivor. She’s also stubborn and argumentative and she’s also funny and flirty and there’s so much to her. I’m grateful that they wrote her this way.
Usually with a film this size, unfortunately there isn’t time to layer out a character too much. Because there’s so much going on. I made a real effort with her to try and hit all those beats. It’s something that I hope my son grows up watching and respects in women and understands in women, that we aren’t just the Disney princess or the love interest or the damsel in distress. She’s certainly not any of those things.
There was a lot of action and stunts in this film. Do you do your own stunts?
Kaya: I really love to do all that stuff. It’s not things you do every day in life. If you get the opportunity to do it, especially when you have a great crew that you know it’s going to be safe and it’s going to be done the proper way. But I actually injured my shoulder. I popped out something in there on the Black Pearl of all places. I had to wear a sling in between takes and I had to go quite easy on it. But I did all the swimming. I swam in the Australian ocean with the sharks and every other thing that can kill you there. It was a lot of fun!
Do you have any recommendations or kids or young adults that have dyslexia that are interested in theater? Any tips for them that’s helped you?
Kaya: Well the biggest thing for me was just knowing that I wasn’t the only one. I remember when I was twelve and I was diagnosed, I was really freaked out by it because I didn’t understand what it was. For me it meant I’m dumb, that’s like all I knew, I thought well this just means that I can’t ever achieve what other people can. And then they had a poster up in my school saying “Tom Cruise has dyslexia.” That instantly to me was like, “Okay, well he’s doing all right. Maybe I’ll be okay” It’s just about having an open conversation about it… then find support groups and to make sure that the school also understand what it is. The more we can discuss it and the more resources we can bring into schools, I think the better.
Carina and Jack Sparrow have a lot of fun scenes together, what was it like working with Johnny?
How did you go about getting the role?
Kaya: I heard about it years ago, maybe four years ago. They had a first draft of the script and the character was two characters, because they still hadn’t really decided what they wanted to do with her. And then it came back around couple years later and I was shooting in Albuquerque with my MAZE RUNNER guys. I had to do a self tape… And then I flew to Los Angeles to meet with Brenton (Thwaites), and we sat down and we did a chemistry read. We just got on really well. He’s a really nice guy, he’s a nice kid. As an actor we kind of bounced off each other and we really enjoyed flushing out the scene, working out what we wanted to do with it, and it went from there.
How much input to you have into your character, in terms of improvisation?
Kaya: With this film, the words are kind of always great. What’s on the page is always the best thing possible and because we have these incredible writers that know what works for these movies. But I am very instinctual, and that’s how I like to work.
Where would you like to see this character grow in PIRATES for your son to see in this movie and your character progresses?
Kaya: I’d just like him to be a bit more interested. I took him to a screening with his little baby headphones and he just seemed to look at his feet the whole time! So I just hope by the time we do the next one that he’ll actually like to interact with it a bit more. I think he’d like to see mommy wielding a sword and getting to do some more action-y stuff!
What do you want the takeaway to be from the film?
Where would you like to see this character grow in PIRATES for your son to see in this movie and your character progresses?
Kaya: I’d just like him to be a bit more interested. I took him to a screening with his little baby headphones and he just seemed to look at his feet the whole time! So I just hope by the time we do the next one that he’ll actually like to interact with it a bit more. I think he’d like to see mommy wielding a sword and getting to do some more action-y stuff!
What was your favorite Disney classic movie?
Kaya: I was always obsessed with the Dalmatians, I don’t know why I just loved 101 DALMATIONS. I actually had a Dalmatian themed bedroom growing up. My poor mother had to paint like white walls and black splotches everywhere!
Questions / Answers Contain Spoilers
Warning!! The questions and answers below contain spoilers from the film. If you have not yet seen DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES and do not want to be spoiled, skip them!
The scene where Carina sees the tattoo was a very emotional scene. What did you tap into in order to bring those emotions forward?
Kaya: Well I have a real personal connection with all that. My father lived far away from me and he’d always say if you look up at Orion’s Belt, we’re both looking at the same star. He’s passed away. So it was very easy for me to tap into that moment and also getting to work with an actor like Geoffrey. You look in his eyes, he’s wonderful. He’s just a really giving actor. For me, with a film like PIRATES, you don’t expect to have that really strong emotional beat. I think we both really thought it was important to treat the relationship with as much respect as possible.
If there were more movies in this franchise, what would you like to see for your character?
Kaya: I would really like to see her exploring her love of the stars and astronomy, and going out to the ocean. Also this new identity that she has as the daughter of a infamous pirate, and I think that’s kind of- it’ll be cool to see whether she takes that on or not, you know, what she does with that new kind of mission in life.
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Check out Kaya in action as Carina in the DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES’ trailer!! This film is in theaters NOW!
Follow PIRATES on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In addition, to celebrate the film’s release, check out this PIRATES Activity Pack! Activities include a maze, creating your own spy glass, and much much more.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES is in theaters NOW in 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D!
Want to see more of my adventures in LA? We can connect on Twitter (@AshBG) and on Instagram (@ashb4211). I’ve posted some photos from my trip! Make sure you follow the hashtags #PiratesLifeEvent and #BambiBluray.
While I attended an expense paid trip by Disney to Los Angeles, all opinions are 100% my own.
Interview Photo Credits: www.MomStart.com
Monica says
Wow! What an amazing experience. And it’s so cool to hear about Kaya’s experience on set. We can’t wait to see this movie!
reesa says
WHat a great opportunity! I am excited to go see the new movie!!
Ashley says
I loved talking with her and hearing what it was like to be the only girl on the set. So funny! I hope there are more movies so we can see Carina in action!
Liz Mays says
Injuring her arm on set must have been rough! I’m excited to see what role her character’s expertise in astronomy has in the story.
Lois Alter Mark says
What a great interview – it’s always so much fun to get to know the actors and learn what went on behind the scenes. I can’t wait to see this movie!
Paula Atwell says
Must be a lot of fun meeting the actors and hearing their side of the story. These movies have been so popular and I imagine a lot of silliness behind the camera.
Rebecca Bryant says
Best movie so far this summer. Love the character of Corina she was brilliant. Thanks fro sharing the interview she is so inspiring how she overcame Dyslexia.
Keikilani says
My boys keep asking about the new Pirates movie! What an awesome interview to be able to be a part of. So much fun.
Jasmine says
The interview sounded like a blast! It is always fun to hear the actual actors thoughts of the movie to get a deeper look into the film.
Brandi Crawford says
I’ve heard so much about this movie and can’t wait until I see it. What a wonderful interview! I love to hear their thoughts about things. I have to remind myself they are normal people.