The Life List is now streaming on Netflix, and I recently had the chance to speak with stars Sofia Carson, Connie Britton, Kyle Allen, and Sebastian de Souza. The film is based on Lori Nelson Spielman’s novel of the same name.
When Alex Rose’s mother sends her on a quest to complete her childhood bucket list, it takes her on a journey that will make you both laugh and cry as she uncovers family secrets, finds romance, and discovers herself along the way.
“I think something happens when we become adults and we become jaded by life, that 13-year-old dreamer that felt that she could do anything and that dreams were infinite and boundless, she kind of gets lost somewhere along the way and reconnecting to her, how Elizabeth so brilliantly does with her daughter, is life-changing,” Carson explained. “Alex reconnected me to the little Sofia in my heart that you sometimes forget, and I feel that she’s so much more alive and present in me now. I think that’s such a beautiful thing that we have to be so intentional about.”
Britton, who portrays Elizabeth, then added, “There’s such an inherent curiosity in being a child and open-heartedness, and I think that those things start to get shut down as we get older and you have to sort of make yourself be more self-protected. I think for me, as an adult, I try to tap in as much as I can to a child’s curiosity, and that’s one thing that’s awesome about being a mom, is that I’m reminded of that with my son [because you’re seeing the world through his eyes]. Otherwise, we can just get so closed off and so, I try to kind of remember what it is to be inherently curious.”
Nicole Rivelli/Netflix
Allen’s character, Brad, views Alex in a different light than she sees herself. This continues to demonstrate how our loved ones can sometimes notice our potential before we do. “I think it’s probably how humans have survived that long. We just need each other. I mean, if I could see it, I’d ruin it,” the actor expressed. “I think we need other people to reflect that part of ourselves. I mean, if we see it, I think it’s game over.”
Despite a story often having fictional characters or plots, those watching can feel changed by the end or called to action in some way. Why is that? “I think it’s why we have stories. We’ve been telling each other stories forever and ever and ever, and I think that’s why, because they reflect back to us,” Souza, who plays Garrett, told me. “They explain or try to make sense of how we’re feeling, right? Better than we perhaps could.”
We discussed the story’s many beautiful themes, why remembering your childhood self can be the key to self-discovery, four questions to make sure you are truly living life, why movies can bring us to the point of action, and more.
Watch my interviews below:
