Summary

Sofia Carson stars in the Christmas action-thriller
Carry-On
alongside Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.
Carson ensured her character in
Carry-On
could save herself independently, avoiding the damsel in distress trope.
Carson teases upcoming projects
Last Night at the Lobster
,
My Oxford Year
, and
The Life List
, showcasing her diverse acting range.

It’s been a treat for audiences to watch Sofia Carson grow before our eyes. A Disney regular, Carson made a name for herself as Evie, the evil queen’s daughter in the ongoing franchise Descendants. In addition to her film and television achievements, such as her role as Ava in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists or her guest stint on The Muppets Mayhem, Carson is a well-established and beloved singer, having dropped her eponymous debut solo album in 2022. Now she co-stars in Carry-On, a Christmastime action-thriller co-starring Taron Egerton.

In Jaume Collet-Serra’s (Black Adam) new Christmas-set action-thriller, a disturbing traveler (played to unnerving perfection by Jason Bateman) extorts TSA officer Ethan Kopek (Egerton) in order to get a dangerous package through security and onto his flight. The film also co-stars Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).

Collider’s own Steve Weintraub had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Carson to talk about Carry-On, making sure her character could save herself independent of her Kingsman co-star, her dream duet with Andrea Bocelli, and her upcoming project Last Night at the Lobster with Elisabeth Moss and Brian Tyree Henry.

Sofia Carson Went From Collecting Disney Memorabilia to Becoming a Disney Princess
“You just reminded me of such a beautiful memory.”
Image via Disney

COLLIDER: How are you doing today?

SOFIA CARSON: I’m doing well, Steve. How are you?

Good. This is not a matte painting behind me. I’m in Brazil at CCXP.

CARSON: Wow! That’s amazing.

The doors literally just opened, so it’s about to get crazy. This is a huge Comic-Con, and a lot of people here collect things. Is there anything that you collect or used to collect?

CARSON: I used to collect snow globes. I loved snow globes as a little girl and every time we’d go to Disney, or we’d go anywhere, I would get a snow globe. It felt so magical to me.

Do you still have your snowglobes?

CARSON: I don’t. They’re probably at home. You just reminded me of such a beautiful memory. Thank you.

This is what I’m here for, and we’re done. Have a great day.

CARSON: Great!

So you recorded a bunch of music. There are going to be people out there who’ve never heard anything. If someone’s never heard your music, what’s the song you want them starting with and why?

CARSON: Wow! What an excellent question, Steve. I would want them to start with a song that I released this year called “The Joke’s On Me.” It’s probably my heart in a song, is what I would say. And second, I would have them listen to “Moon River” with myself and Andrea Bocelli because that is something that I had dreamed of as a little girl. “Moon River” was sung by Audrey Hepburn, who’s always been my idol. So I would say then you’d listen to that one second.

This is my last curveball before we get into the movie. If you could be an extra in any movie or TV show going back to the beginning of cinema, what would you pick and why?

CARSON: Wow, Steve, you really brought the questions! My instinct, and I’d have to think about this more, but off the top of my head, my favorite film growing up was Moulin Rouge. To be in that world with Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor would have been a dream. I would have played anything in that movie to be in that world.

Sofia Carson “Was Never at the Mercy of a Man” in ‘Carry-On’
“It was so smartly written.”

True or false: did you take a role in Carry-On so you could go through TSA much faster going forward?

CARSON: [Laughs] False.

In all seriousness, I really enjoyed this movie, and I think it’s because the script is a lot smarter than I expected. With your and Taron’s relationship, you don’t get separated over some stupid thing. You have a good relationship where you’re honest with each other. Talk a little bit about the fact that the script is pretty good for a movie that’s a big popcorn film.

CARSON: Thank you for saying that. That’s one of the reasons I was so drawn to it. It was so smartly written and the relationship was the heart of the storyline in so many ways. Nora was the hope and heart of this film. What I also was so drawn to was she was never a damsel in distress in this film, which is so key and so necessary. Even though her life is completely at risk the entirety of the film, you never see her at the mercy of a man. I loved that so much.

Even in the action sequences, it was so important to me to be able to tell that story. We even rewrote the action sequences to make sure she could save herself in that moment. Ethan is an extraordinary hero in this film, and what he does is remarkable, and in a lot of ways, that was ignited by his partner, by Nora. That’s such a beautiful partnership, and I love to show it in a film.

I also think one of the reasons this film works so well is the villain is not just some villain.

CARSON: Correct!

Image via Netflix

Jason Bateman is so good in this. He’s not over the top, he’s just a normal guy doing his thing that happens to be super evil.

CARSON: It’s so unique to our film because most villains are written as these sleek, hard-to-reach, out-of-touch characters. Jason and Taron both are these really regular guys doing extraordinary things. Jason is so brilliant in this and, as you said, the script is so smart and clever and funny in the most unexpected moments. That’s why it’s so entertaining.

Also, I really like the line: “All you have to do is nothing.” What would you normally do? What would you do in that situation?

CARSON: No, it’s brilliant. All you have to do is nothing, but in doing nothing, you’re doing everything.

What’s Next For Sofia Carson?
Image via Netflix

You are in a few upcoming things that I want to ask you about. One of which is Wagner Moura’s Last Night at the Lobster . Have you started filming yet or when do you start filming?

CARSON: We haven’t yet. Hopefully, at the beginning of next year. I’m so excited for that film. It’ll be different from anything that I’ve done before. It’s an independent film. Wagner Moura is so brilliant. He’s writing, directing, starring, and I can’t wait to work alongside him and Elisabeth Moss and Brian Tyree Henry. Just extraordinary actors. I’m excited to sink my teeth into that story.

There are two others I want to ask you about, which is My Oxford Year and The Life List . What can you tease about both of those projects?

CARSON: I’ve had the most beautiful year stepping into these characters’ feet. The Life List I shot in New York. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age dramedy about a young girl who loses her mom suddenly. It’s a year in her life of mourning, of loss, of grief, of hope, of finding love, laughter, and learning to love life again. Connie Britton plays my mom, and she’s just magic in it. It was just the journey of a lifetime to tell that story.

My Oxford Year, I just finished filming in London and in Oxford. It’s based on a beloved book of the same title. It’s a beautiful and sad love story that I had the privilege of bringing to life alongside Corey Mylchreest, who plays my co-star, from the Bridgerton franchise, and he’s just brilliant in it. I’m so excited to be able to share these with the world.

Carry-On is on Netflix now.

A mysterious traveler blackmails a young TSA agent into letting a dangerous package slip through security and onto a Christmas Day flight.Cast Taron Egerton , Jason Bateman , Sofia Carson , Danielle Deadwyler , Tonatiuh , Theo Rossi , Logan Marshall-Green , Dean Norris , Sinqua Walls , Curtiss Cook , Joe Williamson , Gil Perez-Abraham , Josh Brener , Benito Martinez , Edwin Kho , Reisha Reynolds , Adam Stephenson , Michael Scott , Jeff Pope , Raymond Rehage Runtime 119 Minutes Expand

Watch On Netflix