STRIPLV: Tell us about your character in this film. LIU: I had the most amazing opportunity to play Darby, who is a bold but also timid. Sort of very powerful, very complex, and sort of horrible character, who we find in the depths of her addiction. And in a state of yearning to be by her mother's side, who is failing. I think that over the course of the film, Darby learns a lot about herself, and then hopefully, you can learn more about the character too. STRIPLV: What made you want to be a part of this movie? LIU: I was so taken by the project right off the bat. I am actually allergic to thrillers and scary things; I am quite a wimp in many ways. I have a fear of fear. So I'm not particularly attached to the genre of the thriller. So, I wasn't necessarily expecting a ton from this script, actually, but then I read it and was fully engrossed with all of the characters and really felt like I really wanted to play the part and be a part of this. So, for me, I started to see fear as a very different art form and really an art form all on its own. I think that was one motivating factor in making me want to be a part of No Exit, and I think Darby was someone I fell in love with right away. I'm relatively untrained as an actor, not relatively I am untrained as an actor. (laughing) So for me, a big part of my process is just really if I can fall in love with that person and understand them deeply. For me, Darby came almost immediately. I was gripped by her story right away, and I felt for her. And then the third thing also has to be Damien Power (the film's director); he was such a powerful force in this movie, and he made me feel safe with difficult material. And I think that he was really able to create a safe environment, a safe place where people were compassionate with each other in the face of violence and really exhibited the ways that one can establish trust. I feel forever indebted to him for being able to create an environment like that to be able to foster this kind of intensity. STRIPLV: What was it like working with the rest of the cast in No Exit? LIU: I am absolutely in love with the cast of this movie. It was such a powerful experience to be able to be so collaborative so communal in a time wherein the last few years, who knows how long it's been who knows? Where we have been in pandemic land, and I think being able to have this time where we were able to collaborate so collectively able to be in those gritty negotiations about what this film is and where its heart lies was very important. They each taught me something special and so different. About film making about acting about friendship and family and each and every one of them brought something special and deliciousness to the process of making this film. And, I still consider all of them close friends to date and honestly verging on film family. It was beyond a good experience; there was no bad egg in the mix. STRIPLV: What was it like working with Damien? LIU: Damien was such an incredible director to work with. And I have the utmost respect for him as a filmmaker. I think that he has incredible vision and really has a way of drawing out the suspense. Making you sit on the edge of your seat and feel this pit in your gut while somehow still giggling. That's a manipulative technique that I still don't understand, but he does a good job of it. He's also really one of the kindest people I've ever worked with. I remember I talked to my team about how I was going to be nervous about who would be making this movie. I wanted him to be vetted by my team moving forward in the process. Because I was like I don't know who can handle somebody who can like see pleasure in this like darkness. Damien is like the opposite of that. He makes these films in part to like to exorcise those things, and I think that I really felt that on set. Even in my personal relationship with him, I was able to feel so held and considered. Such open and beautiful communication between us that really made Darby come alive. He really made the set a place where people wanted to be. I don't think I really had any days offset. I had maybe one day, and I really missed the community that was fostered on set. People just really wanted to help one and another and be compassionate to what others were going through, and I really attribute that to our leader, our steerer of the ship Damien Powers. STRIPLV: What was it like filming in New Zealand? LIU: New Zealand is a magical place to film. I remember there was a day when I was filming a particularly difficult scene and had to reach physical and mental, and psychological depths that I had been very nervous for going into; it then I remember completing the scene feeling this rush of relief that I had just done this then I walked outside of the dark snowy studio and into New Zealand beautiful place that is New Zealand. There was a double rainbow and the most beautiful sunset that was happening all at once. Birds were singing, the plants whooshing in the trees; it really felt like a place that shouldn't exist; it is just a magical place. The people there are really a big part of it too—the most loving, generous human beings. The culture is rich; the respect they have for their indigenous communities is so powerful. I just, well, maybe I should just move to New Zealand. (laughing) It was such a beautiful place. I think about it all the time. STRIPLV: What is it like working on a scary movie like this one? LIU: Well, personally for me, I don't like scary movies because I am very easily afraid, so I won't be able to compare it to any else. But I will say this thriller has complex characters; it's a diverse cast and yet also extremely classic in its nature. It feels full of crazy surprises, and I think it can keep even that average thriller watcher on the edge of their seats. I can't think of anything better than those mix of things, so you should definitely see the movie. STRIPLV: How does it feel to be here live and in person at the premiere? LIU: I think that given that the movie is so focused on isolation, this is such a fun contrast. I've spent the majority of my career in pandemic and digitally. This is one of the first experiences where I feel like this is finally happening to me. It feels good to be reunited with my people. STRIPLV: How does your character Darby evolve during the film? LIU: I think that throughout the entire story, she changes a lot. It's a very intense pivotal moment in her life. So, who Darby is at the beginning of the film isn't who she is entirely different than who she is in the end. Still the same backbone, still the same resilience, and maybe some sass but all in all, I think her perspective on the world and thus for humanity has shifted acutely throughout the course of the film. I think Darby at this visitor center, this rest stop Darby does not want to be at the rest stop. I think it is probably the last place in the world that she wants to be. I think one of the most special things about Darby, especially in this context that all of her perceived faults that maybe society deems as faults about her history about, her habits, and her way of relating to the world end up being extreme strengths in this situation. I think that she has very specific talents that I think aid her journey. One of my favorite things about this film is that it nuances the idea of a good person or a bad person. I think that each of the characters in No Exit has their own personal trauma and their own pain. And histories that contribute to the position their in and dire circumstances and actions that they have taken. I think that each of them is a hero in some compacity and each of them is the villain, and to nuance, that is what I think is special about No Exit.