Kylie Rogers is having quite the moment. Fresh off Beau Is Afraid, she’s been basking in the mix of praise and bewilderment that comes with starring in one of the year’s most bizarre films. “We shot it two years ago, so it’s surreal that people are finally seeing it,” she says. “And yeah, I had to read the script three times just to understand what was happening.”
That’s to be expected when working with Ari Aster. “I’ve loved all of Ari’s work, so I knew it would be brilliant. But the script? It was almost 300 pages. My first reaction was just, ‘What did I just read?’” The trust, though, was instant. “Ari, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane… it was the dream cast.”
Kylie got to push her limits as Toni, a deeply unhinged character who makes Joaquin’s life a living hell. “I was so nervous,” she admits. “But when everyone else is going all in, it frees you to do the same.” To prep for her wildest scene, she took an unusual approach: Blue Velvet. “Ari told me Toni was basically Dennis Hopper if he had a TikTok,” she laughs. “So I watched Blue Velvet the morning of my big scene and just channeled that energy.”
The shoot wasn’t without its challenges—like chugging fake paint. “It was coconut milk yogurt, and it was disgusting,” she groans. “I was actually choking. But the worst part? The next day, the set reeked of spoiled yogurt. It had marinated overnight.”
And yes, the K-pop posters in Toni’s bedroom were very intentional. “Ari told me, ‘Teenage girls are the worst, so why not make her just a normal K-pop stan?’” The irony? Kylie actually has met BTS. “I commented on a Charlie Puth tweet about them, and somehow that got me backstage,” she laughs. “But the way I had to meet them? I walked down this endless hallway while they all stood at the other end, calling my name. It felt like a fever dream.”
Next up, Kylie stars in Landscape with Invisible Hand, a sci-fi film about aliens taking over through capitalism. “It’s so different from Beau, but it has that same weird, interesting energy.” Between that, Yellowstone, and whatever else she does next, Kylie Rogers is making a habit of picking roles that leave an impression.
Watch the interview above and then check out the trailer below.
