ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Kara Wang and Kathryn Morris about starring in the new drama movie From Embers. Wang and Morris discussed what drew them to their respective roles, acting opposite Matthew Morrison, and more.
“From Embers follows the life of a recently widowed mother (Kara Wang) as she grapples with the loss of her husband Ron (London Kim) while caring for their seven-year-old autistic son, Kevin (Alexander J. Lee), and forming a bond with their new neighbor, Marty Baker (Matthew Morrison), an alcoholic whose passion for music is only surpassed by his love for his daughter Chloe (Kayla Bohan),” the synopsis reads. “Tackling grief, loss, and resilience, Lily’s life takes a turn when her and Kevin’s relationship becomes strained as secrets become revealed surrounding her husband’s sudden death.”
Following a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, From Embers will be shown in San Francisco, California’s Cineloung from November 8-14, 2024, and in New York City’s Cinema Village from November 22-28.
Brandon Schreur: To start, Kara, I just wanted to say that you were amazing in this role and I loved your character. I thought she was so complex with the different things she’s going through and all the different emotions she’s battling throughout this movie. Can you just tell me a little bit about what stood out to you about this character and what made you want to take on this role?
Kara Wang: I really was excited when I got the script across my deck. I read it first page to the last. Kind of touching on what you were saying, I just loved that the character was written in such a complex and three-dimensional way. There are, like you said, so many emotions and things that she’s going through. She is basically just struggling to survive throughout the whole thing and to provide her son with a better life while not really getting the opportunity or space to grieve the loss that has just happened. The sudden and tragic loss that just happened.
It was a really, really great challenge for me. I loved the scenes in between when she starts to meet Matty Morrison’s character and how that brings a different dimension to her life. You kind of see a shadow of who she used to be when there’s a little bit of happiness or joy that comes back into her life. It was a really great opportunity to play a complex character.
Sure. I think you totally nailed it, too. Like you said, you hit all those different emotions, and it’s so believable the whole way through. I just thought you were great. Kathryn, I wanted to talk to you about your character, too. I don’t want to get too much into the weeds because of spoilers, but the more we learn about Angela, the more things change. Obviously, you read the script before you started shooting and you knew where this was going, but was it hard doing the scenes earlier on in the movie? You’re coming off very nice and very warm at first, but you still know the ultimate direction this is headed in.
Kathryn Morris: Very savvy, you are. I saw it as a great challenge to be very subtle. I was looking forward to just trying something different. I don’t know if you’re aware but I have twin boys who are on the autism spectrum.
Oh, no, I did not know that.
Morris: I have a platform, a lifestyle brand, called The Savants. We just relaunched on socials @TheSavants. [Director] Kate Bohan must have known to send it to me because a lot of people don’t know that I have twin sons on the spectrum. She knew that my heartstrings would be pulled. I love the idea of Kara Wang. She’s so phenomenal, along with the story of being a single mother. I am a single mother myself. There are so many moms who have children with special needs. Then, either there’s a divorce or a tragedy, and it just amplifies everything. My heart definitely went out to this plot and to the plight of a single mother with autism. I was interested in seeing how they would navigate telling the story of the autistic child. Alexander Lee did a fantastic job. He’s ultimately a person who has autism and having a babysitter that isn’t consistent is a gigantic issue. That was kind of my reason, to go in.
Sure. No, definitely. I really liked the scenes between the two of you, too. You and Alexander Lee, I thought those were really great. Again, I thought you nailed it, too. There’s great acting all-around in this. Kara, you mentioned Matthew Morrison, and I wanted to ask you about that, too. I love the bond that builds between the two of you. There are some moments in the second half when things get a bit tenser, and that relationship gets challenged, but there are a lot of really sweet moments where it’s the two of you, or it’s the two of you and your character’s kids that are hanging out. What was it like working with him? Were you familiar with his stuff from before this? How did you kind of build that natural relationship when you were on-screen together?
Wang: I did know who Matty Morrison was. I mean, who hasn’t watched at least one episode of Glee, if not many? It was cool to see him in this character because everyone knows about his very extensive musical, dance, and vocal abilities, and his experience. This character was obviously a departure from that. I will say, from day one, when I met Matty on set, we clicked immediately. We have become very, very good friends. We’ve hung out a bunch outside of set as well, just because we get along. He’s a great guy to grab a drink with and grab. I think, even because of that, we built such a strong rapport with each other.
When it comes to on-set, he’s such a professional. He’s so talented — I mean, very similar to Kathryn, sitting next to me as well. I had such an easy time navigating those scenes because they are such giving scene partners. He was just great. We enjoy each other very, very much. I think we have great chemistry and I’m really looking forward to working with him again.
Sure. I’d love to see the two of you in another project. Another great thing I really liked about this movie is how it’s several different genres all at once. We touched on the personal aspect of loss and grief and being a single mother with a child who has autism. At the same time, it kind of becomes a crime thriller, in some ways, the more you dig into Kara’s character’s husband’s death. Kathryn, that then kind of plays more into your character. Kathryn, you were on Cold Case for a long, long time. I’m wondering if your role there influenced your performance in this movie at all.
Morris: That’s funny. It was nice to play not the single mother with a kid with autism because that’s my daily life. And my kids are doing phenomenally well. But to play it from the other angle, where everybody does need a friend and Angela was that woman who showed up.
No, definitely. I totally saw that in the character. Kara, I loved some of the scenes where you could see some of your character’s anger come out. You’re a single mother dealing with the loss of your husband and it seems like you keep running into men who are either complete schmucks or aren’t listening to you and are trying to talk over you, like the guy at the motel, the insurance people, or the police people. Was that something that stood out to you about the character, too? I know that this was obviously all scripted, so you knew what was going to happen, but could you feel your character’s frustration when she’s constantly being talked over by men the whole time?
Wang: Oh, absolutely, I love that you touched on that. I think one of the characteristics about Lily that really jumped out to me from the page was her resilience. This idea of constantly trying to find out something so simple as the truth — trying to find out the truth about a loved one and then continually running up against, like you said, these obstacles and these men who are not…I don’t know if the statement is not taking her seriously or standing in her way. But I think it builds her resolve. Her north star and her shining light in life is her son. I think that is the strongest driving force that a mother could have. She’s not only fighting for herself, and the truth for herself, but her truth for her son and this ability to be able to explain to him what happened.
Thanks to Kara Wang and Kathryn Morris for discussing From Embers.
