It’s just days before the release of “The Old Guard 2,” but KiKi Layne is already thinking about a third movie in the action franchise. “I pray for it,” Layne says. “I’m like, ‘Please, everybody watch this movie. Come on, let’s get this greenlit.’ I would love to do it again.”
In the second installment, directed by Victoria Mahoney and available on Netflix, Layne reprises her role of Nile, an immortal ex-Marine who joins her fellow immortals (Charlize Theron, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Henry Golding) to stop two of their own Discord (franchise newcomer Uma Thurman) and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) from destroying mankind.
I talked to Layne on Zoom the day after the movie’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
You trained for five months for the first film. Did you have to train as much for the second?
Do you maintain your fitness for that long? [Laughs]. When it was greenlit, I had met my man and we were eating good so I had to make some adjustments to get ready for number two. Pushing yourself physically in a way that is a bit out of your norm, I really enjoy that as an aspect of character building. Nile is a very physical character. She’s a Marine. I see all of the training as an opportunity to honor who Nile is, while, at the same time, it’s a really nice feeling when your body’s changing and you’re feeling stronger. I’m like, “Oh, I might be able to knock somebody out now.”
You did most of your own stunts again, but were there any times when you were like, “I think I’ll let a stunt double do this?”
I see stunts and fight choreography as an extension of the character and as an extension of the storytelling, so I want to be a part of that as much as possible. But honestly, the stunt where I jumped from the balcony to the flag. We had rehearsed that numerous times, and I had done it numerous times, and there was a day that we were rehearsing it and I was scared. It’s like something in my brain was just like, “No, we’ve already let you do this five times. You cannot do it again,” and I just couldn’t make the jump. So on the day we were filming it, I go upstairs to set, and my double is ready to do it, and I’m like, “What’s happening here?” They’re like, “Oh, we’re about to do the jump.” I said, “I’m doing the jump.” And then I did it. I jumped from a balcony to a flag and swung through a window. It was amazing.
Were there any days when you wrapped and you were hurting, getting home and you were in pain?
That would be when we did all the fighting in the nuclear facility because Nile has a weapon now. It was all of the shoulder work. I had to get my first cortisone shot because I was whipping that damn [sword] around. I’m slicing and dicing and stabbing and jumping, and at some point, my shoulder said, “Ma’am, we’ve had enough.”
What was it like seeing Uma Thurman on set for the first time?
She has such a beautiful grace about her, the way that she carries herself, but it still is very warm. I loved doing scene work with her. She was so committed to really understanding each scene. She would take the time to sit together and ask each other questions: “Does this make sense? Are we on the same page?” You don’t always get time for that, and so to work with an actress who really prioritizes what’s on the page, that was one of my favorite things about working with Uma.
KiKi Layne, Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman at “The Old Guard 2” Los Angeles premiere on June 25.
Variety via Getty Images
What was it like seeing Charlize and Uma going at each other in the fight scenes?
Mind blown. I mean, that’s a dream come true, especially starring alongside them in an action film, because what they represent for women in action is unmatched. They kicked down doors for what a female action star could look like and the types of things and the types of physicality that we as women are capable of. I’m truly super grateful, and that Charlize in particular, as a producer, prioritized making space for me as a Black woman in this genre. A big part of why I wore my hair out the way that I did in the film is because of Charlize. We were in the car and I told her, “I think I’m going to braid it back.” She was like, “No, wear your hair down.” When do you see an action star with locs? So moments like that, of being given permission to take up space fully as myself as a Black woman in this genre, those are the types of gifts that Uma and Charlize gave to me during this process. I’m forever grateful to both of them for that.
How does it make you feel knowing a little Black girl may be watching the movies and thinking, “That could be me”?
That’s what I do it for. I hope to be the representation for little Black girls that I wish that I had more of growing up. Anytime that people come up to me and say that they felt seen by me playing the type of roles that I’ve been blessed to play, that means everything to me. That’s the reason to keep going because this business, it gets hard. It’s a really tough time in the industry right now. Work is scarce. There’s a lot of ups and downs regardless of what level of success you’ve reached. As they say, new levels, new devils. And so in moments where I’m feeling a bit low and unsure, thinking about who I am trying to represent, who I am trying to encourage and uplift, sometimes that can give me more of a push to keep going than just thinking about myself. I have to be reminded all of this is so much bigger than me.
Who do you turn to when things get tough?
I turn to my fiancé, Ari [Stachel]. You know, he’s also an actor, but mostly known for Broadway, so he definitely understands these ups and downs very intimately. I am blessed enough to have a partner who pushes me. He’s literally had to pull me off the floor having a panic attack because I’ve done a self-tape, and I’m just already fully convinced that I’m not going to get it. To have a partner who can be patient when I’m saying to him, “I’m gonna quit, and I’m gonna go do real estate or teach,” and he looks at me and goes, “Teach? Kiki, what are you going to teach?” [Laughs]. He’s the first one that really starts to pull me out of the funk. And then my mom, who’s been with me from the beginning of the journey and thankfully, is always praying for me in this wild business that I’ve committed myself to.
You met Ari while the two of you were making “Don’t Worry Darling.” I love that you’ve said no matter what happened with the movie (both Layne and Stachel didn’t make the final cut of the film), you had a great time making it.
That really put it into perspective for me, like we always get what we’re supposed to get from every moment – even from the stuff that hurts, even from the stuff that is frustrating. It all happens for a reason, and sometimes when you’re in it, you can’t see the reason, and maybe the only thing you’re looking forward to is getting out. But now that I’m on the other side, I’m grateful for that. The film’s going to be what the film is going to be. It doesn’t take away from the work that I did and the people I got to work with. It was so much fun. We had a great time, and I met my man.
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