Presence Breakout Callina Liang Is No Stranger to Ghostly Encounters

As someone who appreciates a suspenseful haunted house tale, I'm quite excited to see a film like Presence, directed by Steven Soderbergh, turn the classic genre on its head. Clever in its execution, Presence is strictly shot from the ghost's point of view in a newly renovated suburban home, creating a unique and eerie "fly on the wall" experience for the audience. The result is a thrilling slow burn that will have you questioning the intention of the presence at every turn.

In a series of unbroken sequences, the presence witnesses a family divided, led by Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, as they move in looking for a fresh start and discover they may not be alone. It's not long before the presence takes particular interest in the daughter Chloe—played by newcomer Callina Liang, who is a standout in the film. Grieving the death of her best friend Nadia, Chloe is lost and detached from her family, especially her work-focused mother. Her life seemingly out of control, the teen finds an unlikely comfort in her connection with the presence.

Coming off her first-ever film Bad Genius and straight into a Soderbergh project, Liang, who grew up between Australia and Singapore and attended The New School in New York, is establishing herself as one to watch in Hollywood. We caught up with the actress to talk about the intimidating yet exciting adventure that was filming Presence, real-life ghost encounters, and the surprising Chinese television show that ignited her passion for acting.

Presence is shot solely from the ghost's POV, which is a unique form of filmmaking. Did that aspect make you nervous at all?

It definitely did make me nervous. I booked this job right after I wrapped on Bad Genius, which was my first-ever film. This was my second-ever film project, and it's very, very different to what I experienced, obviously, on Bad Genius. When I first read it, I was like, "Okay, I actually need to reread it one more time." I was like, "Wow, what's going on?" I think something like this has been done before, but if I'm not wrong, it was a couple years ago, like 10 or something. It's been a while since something like this has been done.

Personally, I've never seen anything like this before. I'm in the same boat as you, so when I read the script, I was like, "How is this going to happen?" I was excited. I was intrigued and a little bit scared, but definitely, the excitement overpowered that. It ended up being super fun, and the fact that all of the actors put all of our faith into Steven and Steven put all of his faith into us, we were able to create this very magical, creative working environment. We were just completely entrusting each other and the cast too. It was just very fun to explore, very fun to see what Steven had planned, and very fun to see it all come to life. It was a very magical experience.

Did I read correctly that it was shot in just 11 days?

Yes. Originally, it was planned for 13, and then [Steven] was like, "Okay, we're done. It's 11 days. We're done."

In what ways was this filmmaking process unique and/or challenging?

A lot of different ways. The first one that comes to mind is I had to act a lot with the camera. Most of my scenes are with [the] presence, which is Steven because he's the DP. I didn't really think about that aspect until we had to rehearse a lot of our movements, and it really felt like a dance. It was like, "Okay, at this point, Steven's going to come to my right side. I need to look this way and then this way, and then he comes to my left." So that was new and very fun.

Also, the fact that everything is done in one shot, there is no coverage. Every scene is just one take, and at first, I was like, "Wow, how's this going to work?" As filming went on, we settled in, and it became really fun because it gave all the actors the opportunity to explore and play. There were no issues with continuity. Every take is a brand-new slate, and you just go ahead and try anything. Steven gave us a very safe environment to do that in, and I was very comfortable. Me, Lucy, Chris, Eddy [Maday], and West [Mulholland] rehearsed a lot in our own time. We became very comfortable with each other, so on the day, we'd just go in and play.

What conversations did you have with Soderbergh about the role of Chloe and interacting with the camera?

I'm going to be so honest. I don't think we talked about the character at all. At least, I don't remember. He just expected us all to be very prepared. The fact that he chose to cast us was enough, and we're going to take these characters and do what we think is best with them. That is equal parts liberating and equal parts terrifying. I was feeling all of that. Steven is just such an amazing director, and he has a very unique approach to the way he directs, and it's obviously working. But the thing is it was very different to what I experienced before with J.C. [Lee] on Bad Genius. Steven didn't say a lot. He actually doesn't say much at all. If he's happy, he goes, "Alright, we're moving on." The first couple of days, I remember going up to Lucy and Chris and being like, "Guys, are you getting any notes? I'm scared. I don't know if I'm doing it right." They were like, "No, we've heard absolutely nothing." And I'm like, "Okay, if Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan are not hearing anything, I think I'm okay!"

In terms of making sure you showed up prepared, what did that look like for you?

It required a lot of us actors getting together during our downtime and just making sure that we were so fluid with the text that, on the day, it just comes out of us and we're in the moment completely. We wanted it to look as natural as possible, and because everything is all one take, there's no chance for any of the dialogue to be edited in post. We made sure that we were on top of dialogue and would try a lot of ways of doing a lot of different things. Me and West especially did a lot of work together with the choreography.

Let's talk about Chloe. She's going through a lot. She's grieving the death of her friend Nadia, and her family is a bit dysfunctional. How did you tap into that?

I did a lot of journaling as the character. That's my favorite way to approach a character and start embodying that [person]. I did find a lot of similarities between me and Chloe. She's 16, she's very lost, and she's in a very isolated space in her family. I grew up only with my dad. I had no siblings. I had no cousins. Literally, my family is just me and dad, and it was interesting how, in the script, the person [Chloe] connects with the most is [her] dad. That came very easy and natural to me, and that want for motherly love, I can definitely relate to that as a girl, too, figuring out such a difficult time, that 16–18 period.

She's just very lost, and if anything, I just felt a lot of love for her because… Not to say that I went through exactly what she went through because I absolutely did not, but we all grow up. We all experience personal trauma. We've all experienced that feeling of being lost and not knowing who you are, so I really tapped into that for Chloe. I think a lot of her actions and decisions were made because of the headspace she was in, and I actually think that applies to all the family members. Everyone is broken in their own way, and we just don't know how to navigate that. It's quite heartbreaking, the whole dynamic.

Chloe is the first person in her family who experiences the presence, and she thinks it's her friend Nadia. What do you think?

Chloe has this comfortable relationship with the presence, and I think she feels that way because everything else in her life is so chaotic and unstable that that actually is one of the most stable things that she's trying to grasp and hold on to. I think that's why she is so desperate to connect with the presence in the beginning, and I think the character thinks it's Nadia. I think [Chloe] wants to believe it is because she misses [Nadia] a lot. But personally, when I read it at first, I thought maybe it could be [Nadia], and the second time, I was like, "It must be something else." I 100% agree it has this purpose. It needs to do something, but I feel like the presence doesn't know what. So that's why I think it's really interesting for Chloe and the presence to both be in this confused state and both trying to connect with each other. It's very fun to explore. David [Koepp] did an amazing job of writing the script.

This being such a unique film in the way it was shot, how was it for you watching it for the first time as an audience member?

Oh man. I watched it for the first time when it premiered at Sundance to a couple hundred people. I had to go do a live Q&A right after, and I just remember walking up on the stage like, "Guys, I need to take a second. I don't think I can speak right now." Obviously, filming it was one experience, and then seeing it with the sound, the way it's edited, I was blown away by the way it looked and also just disturbed. When I watch myself perform, I like to separate me and the person who is on-screen, but yeah, it was disturbing to watch. Just on the edge of my seat and tense the entire time. If anything, that goes to show how much of a success it is. Steven and David both achieved their goals, but I definitely needed a moment afterward to recoup and take a deep breath.

Have you had any real-life experiences with a presence or ghost?

Yes, I have. Twice actually! I'm definitely a big believer in ghosts. I'm also a huge horror fan. My first experience was when I was in drama school. I went to The New School in New York, and I was in the dorms that were converted from an old people's home, so you could imagine this building had a lot of spirits inside. That was where I experienced my first paranormal activity. I would wake up, and there would be writing on the wall, and I would see a shadow behind me if I was looking in the mirror. Sometimes if I was cooking, I could feel someone brush behind me. I lived with three other girls, so we literally all lived with this ghost together. We ended up talking to the ghost and were like, "Look, you're definitely not going anywhere. We're not going anywhere. Let's just be friends." And it calmed down. After that experience, I was like, "One-hundred percent, ghosts are real." And then I experienced paranormal activity while filming Presence.

In the house?

No, it was in the hotel. I would wake up to my alarm blaring even though I didn't set it. I remember [this] vividly. In the middle of the night, I went to use the bathroom, and I literally watched the toilet flush, and I didn't press anything. I told Eddy and West about it, which was a really bad idea because they started pranking me. At least, the ghost didn't have any ill intent.

You've already worked with a couple of Hollywood legends in Steven Soderbergh and Lucy Liu. Who are you dying to work with next?

So many people—where do I even begin? I think Sandra Oh. That would actually change my entire life. … Mikey Madison is insane. Margaret Qualley, I loved her ever since Maid. Michelle Yeoh [is] just a legend.

Is there a film or performance that was really influential for you early on?

That's actually a very good question. Actually, I was obsessed with Chinese doctor TV shows growing up. It's like a Chinese version of Grey's Anatomy, and I started watching that at like 3 years old. I would always require it on TV, and my family would always be like, "Why?" I don't know. I just enjoyed watching it so much that I was like, "I need to go be a doctor." I actually went to school to become a doctor, and then after a couple of years, I realized, "Wait, I think it's the acting I really want to do." I just started feeling like I was dropping more into myself and the craft, and I was like, "This is what ignites me. This is what gets me going." Now looking back, it all makes sense. I just really love watching people act on-screen. It all started with the Chinese version of Grey's Anatomy.

What's next?

I honestly am just drawn [to] meaty and unique storylines. Any story that, after I read the script, makes me do a double take, those are the scripts I'm most drawn to. Every other week, I'm reading a cool script, so I think there's a lot of really cool stories to be told. A great example is something like Heretic. That script was phenomenal. I guess another dream of mine is to do a role that involves martial arts because I've been training for a couple of years now, and it's just one of those bucket-list things for me at this point.

Before I let you go, I have to ask about being photographed by Annie Leibovitz for a Vogue profile spotlighting Zac Posen's new Gap collection. Would you consider yourself a fashion girlie?

It was a dream! The day was so fun. The energy was so great. Annie is just an industry legend. She asked what music I liked, and I said Charli XCX and Chappell Roan, so I did the entire shoot listening to Charli XCX and Chappell Roan. I peaked. But no, I'm definitely a fashion girlie. I love my clothes. I love styling. I'm actually self-styling myself for this shoot, and I'm actually having a really fun time.

Catch Presence in theaters January 24.

Photographer: Alvaro Goveia

Stylist: Ayelet Joelle

Hair and Makeup Artist: Liv Tsai