{"id":476853,"date":"2026-06-01T02:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/476853\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T02:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T02:19:09","slug":"karolina-wydra-on-gift-of-zosia-role-vince-gilligan-rhea-seehorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/476853\/","title":{"rendered":"Karolina Wydra On ‘Gift’ Of Zosia Role, Vince Gilligan & Rhea Seehorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhen I last spoke with<\/a> Pluribus<\/a> star Karolina Wydra<\/a>, she was just reentering the Hollywood fray, after having taken years off to have children amid the pandemic \u2014 a personal decision that led to her representation dropping her as a client. Now, her portrayal of Zosia, the hive mind emissary sent to cajole Rhea Seehorn\u2019s Carol into joining the world\u2019s collective consciousness in Vince Gilligan<\/a>\u2019s Apple TV<\/a> sci-fi tale of a happiness apocalypse, has stirred up Emmy buzz. Below, the Polish American actress discusses the intentionality that went into crafting Zosia and how well she would fare in the uncanny valley of the Others.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve worked with many greats \u2014 like David Lynch and Graham Yost \u2014 but you called working with Vince \u201ca dream.\u201d What about his work or process resonates with you, and why was he your white whale?<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve been a fan of his for a very long time, and I think he\u2019s just such an incredible storyteller; the journey that he takes you on that\u2019s always unexpected \u2026 When we do his work, you don\u2019t improvise, and you don\u2019t need to add anything because it\u2019s so good, and it\u2019s so rich. It\u2019s really hard, after working with him and you read scripts; it can be quite challenging because of [what] his writing does to you.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a visual storytelling [in] how he sets up the scenes \u2014 even the introduction to my character, the way he wanted the cameras to be far away, because she\u2019s far away, and not to be too intrusive. He\u2019s very specific with his storytelling, and it\u2019s so fun to be part of that. I was lucky enough to sit in one day and watch him do that on set. I had my headphones on. I was doing voice-over for the phone call for Rhea in Episode 2, and just listening to the dance that he does with the Camera A operator to tell the story and why he\u2019s going to set up the shot this way, it\u2019s really exhilarating, and it\u2019s so inspiring. He is a man of his own.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeside that, he\u2019s also a beautiful human being. He\u2019s such a kind man, and he\u2019s just so humble and so modest and so sweet and such a gentleman, and he really cares, and he\u2019s so thoughtful. I\u2019m a mega-fan of [his]. I get really touched when I meet someone that\u2019s a beautiful artist and a beautiful human being. I think that\u2019s just the sexiest thing in the world.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor sure, and it helps create such a collaborative and safe environment.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs an actor, it can be such a vulnerable process. And when you have someone that makes you feel seen and safe, you go, \u2018I want to give you everything and then some.\u2019 And what\u2019s better than that?<\/p>\n

\n\tLast time we spoke, you mentioned having stepped away from acting to have kids, your representation choosing to go another way. But now you\u2019re in the Emmys conversation. What does that feel like to you? How are you processing that?<\/p>\n

\n\tCome on, what?! I want to go: \u2018What is wrong with you people?\u2019 [Laughs] I go: \u2018Vince, of course. Rhea, duh.\u2019 It\u2019s wild, and also, I feel honored that people are touched by my performance, or find my performance interesting enough to have those conversations. It\u2019s beyond my wildest dreams, Natalie, everything that\u2019s been happening.<\/p>\n

\n\tI want Vince Gilligan to get all the accolades. His contribution to \u2014 should I say, humanity? \u2014 that sounds so big, but what he creates, people are given the opportunity to think for themselves and have their own experience of his shows. They get to really sit with what they see, and they have to be present for it, and they have to dissect it. It percolates in your brain, and it stays there. We wrapped a year and a half ago, and I still think about all the nuances that are there, the constant ideas that come out. We need these original shows that make us think, and they\u2019re not spoon-feeding us every little emotion; that allow us to have our own interpretations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then Rhea, what she brought to this character and her performance is just utterly magnificent. It\u2019s mastery of acting. And for me, that I get to work with her and learn from her, it\u2019s the greatest gift.<\/p>\n

\n\tI love acting so much. I remember when I started transitioning into acting, and I would be taking all these classes. I would spend hours sitting with my friends in New York, [smoking] cigarettes \u2014 when I smoked cigarettes back then \u2014 [drinking] coffee and [talking] about acting. \u2018All the different techniques,\u2019 [pantomimes smoking] \u2018and God \u2014 Al Pacino or Anna Magnani.\u2019 It was just so intense, but it was so beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a long-winded answer to what you\u2019re saying, and I\u2019m trying, probably, to avoid it too, a little bit. I feel really blown away by it, and just [am] in utter gratitude. And I do feel humbled by it. I didn\u2019t expect that. I\u2019m grateful that my performance gave birth to the vision that Vince had \u2014 that\u2019s my greatest joy.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKarolina Wydra of \u201cPluribus\u201d at the 2026 Deadline Contenders Television held at Directors Guild of America on April 25, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking of acting techniques, you did mindfulness work to tap into Zosia and how detached from emotion she can be. Did playing her teach you anything about yourself?<\/p>\n

\n\tBeing a mother, the beauty that I was able to give to Zosia is that unconditional love and understanding truly, viscerally, what it means to love something, someone, so unconditionally. And what a beautiful gift that has been for me and being able to share that with Zosia, because that\u2019s what she does for Carol, to love her that deeply and that profoundly. I do dream work too, tapping into the subconscious and going to swim into those waters has been magnificent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI had a conversation the other day; we were talking about how characters come to you as a gift, and Zosia was a gift in the sense that she made me pause and think and not be reactionary. She holds space, and she\u2019s there for Carol, and she\u2019s able to take in all of her emotions and not be affected by them. But there [were] also challenging moments for me to play, physically, because it was going against my natural instincts as an actor, as a human. Because if you start yelling at me, I would: \u2018Ah!\u2019 I would be, like, fight or flight.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Others have memories of all these things, but [the emotion] doesn\u2019t live in their body. They have this contentment and blissfulness and happiness about them. They are unflappable, but they\u2019re also beings of love. Everything is very calculated, too: every movement, every physical behavior, even the way I stand. When I started working on her, I started to [put] my hands in front of my body. Sometimes, because I slouch, [Vince\u2019s] like, \u2018Straighten your back,\u2019 so I\u2019m more inviting and more pleasant. There\u2019s no threat, so [thinking about] the physicality that goes with it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey\u2019re very lawyerly. They have the best lawyer in the world in their consciousness. I speak very proper. The words that I use, the nuances of every chosen word to tell the story, to then Episode 8, where I start to be more relaxed in my vocabulary. I say \u2018yeah\u2019 instead of \u2018yes.\u2019 Everything is done for a reason.<\/p>\n

\n\tCarol\u2019s really suffering in certain moments, and there\u2019s a knee-jerk instinct to be empathetic, but there has to be some distance there, as you mentioned. When the camera wasn\u2019t rolling, were you and Rhea able to support each other as scene partners, or did you live in that space?<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen the camera was not rolling, we would literally joke around all the time, which was awesome. We just had the best time. <\/p>\n

\n\tWe had to have a donut every day. And I never ate donuts before, but she would have to have half a donut, and then I would jump on, and I would have a whole donut, or we would split a donut.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat kind \u2014 that\u2019s the real question.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe likes it very simple. She doesn\u2019t like anything with cream inside.<\/p>\n

\n\tMe neither.<\/p>\n

\n\tOh, yeah, you should talk about that [with her]. But she hates anything that\u2019s stuffed with other things. I don\u2019t; I\u2019m all about it. I would try different ones, but that was a daily donut eating experience. And I\u2019ve never had so many donuts in my life, and funny enough, I haven\u2019t had a donut since.<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, Season 2 is coming up.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt is. I\u2019m gonna be back on my donut diet.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhich is my perfect segue: Have you read anything? I know you didn\u2019t want to know what Zosia\u2019s past looked like, but might we find out more of who she is?<\/p>\n

\n\tI wish I could be like, \u2018Let me tell you, Natalie, this is what\u2019s gonna happen.\u2019 I know nothing.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey\u2019re breaking the season, and that\u2019s what\u2019s beautiful: Vince needs his time. You see in his end result, the attention to such detail to tell the story that he wants to tell, and he doesn\u2019t want to be rushed just to put things out there.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe other day, we were at PaleyFest with [writer\/director\/EP] Gordon Smith and [writer\/co-executive producer] Jean Carroll. I\u2019m like [with a raspy voice], \u2018You guys, something? Anything? Any crumbs? Ideas?\u2019 They\u2019re like, \u2018Sorry, babe, no.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n\tBut I\u2019m excited. I can\u2019t wait to be reunited again, because I\u2019m just dying to be with the whole cast. [It\u2019s like] when you have a favorite author that comes up with their next book, and you just can\u2019t wait. I am curious where Zosia\u2019s background [is from]. I might ask him, maybe, but I might not. I\u2019m curious where that ending goes.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I\u2019m excited to go back to New Mexico; I really enjoy being there. Have you been?<\/p>\n

\n\tActually no, but my friends just went to Santa Fe, and they really enjoyed it. So it\u2019s on my list.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, you got to come through.<\/p>\n

\n\tA set visit? I\u2019m just pitching myself.<\/p>\n

\n\tLet\u2019s do it; put that out there.<\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely manifesting that. You\u2019ve mentioned doing multiple takes, different interpretations of the script. As a result, is there a version of Zosia that\u2019s settled in your mind or is she ever-shifting according to what the scene or Carol\u2019s mindset dictate?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s exactly it. You nailed it. For the scenes, it\u2019s just always dictated by Carol and the story that we need to tell to provide whatever it is for Carol so that we can get her on board to join us. So whatever \u2014 I don\u2019t want to say tactic \u2014 is necessary for that. It\u2019s always shifting and moving and evolving.<\/p>\n

\n\tZosia is different when she\u2019s with Carlos [Manuel Vesga, who plays Manousos]. She\u2019s different when she\u2019s with Samba [Schutte, who plays Mr. Diabat\u00e9]; all the others are different depending [on] who they\u2019re with. When they\u2019re with the Others, they\u2019re connected to the one hive mind and the collective, so they behave very differently. And you see those shifts.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe all had a different interpretation for things in [Episode 8]. The questions of: Is Zosia really falling for her for real? Is it [a] performative thing? Is it because she has all [of] Helen\u2019s memories? It\u2019s just so fun to discover all those things and go on that journey.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra in Pluribus. (Apple TV)<\/p>\n

\n\tSomething that was so curious to me was this lack of privacy the Others share. There\u2019s no real individuality, but there\u2019s also no shame or insecurity, like when they sleep in the same gym.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Episode 2, when I take my clothes off, for instance, they don\u2019t have shame about their bodies. There\u2019s just no awkwardness. My body is a vessel. My connection is a whole other thing to this world. We\u2019re not afraid to die; every memory, every thought is uploaded, so we live forever, but our physicality is just a vessel. We\u2019re not that precious with it. There\u2019s no jewelry, so there\u2019s no monetary value \u2014 which, that\u2019d be hard for me, I love my jewels.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut that was a conversation. The simplicity of their clothing is a transition. So the reason why I wear the clothes that I do is for Carol, to replicate a little bit of Helen\u2019s wardrobe and also the character that she created so she feels there\u2019s something familiar, something safe, something where she feels seen. That\u2019s why they choose me to be the one that goes to her.<\/p>\n

\n\tEventually clothing becomes: Everybody wears whatever, there is no connection to it. So whatever clothes are there, we would just grab it and put it on. There\u2019s a detachment from all these things that our ego is attached [to], which, it was very revealing to me of how I would not survive in this world. That scene: There\u2019s so many people, there\u2019s so many extras, and everyone [did] such a beautiful job. It was really cool to watch, but I was like, this would be really hard for me, where you\u2019re just like sardines, sleeping next to each other. But there was something beautiful about the efficiency of just caring so much about this planet that they didn\u2019t have the connection to housing, the sizes of a house. Rhea and I would just discuss it, how we would not survive.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s super enticing. I can understand, especially those moments where it\u2019s like: There\u2019s no war, there\u2019s no hunger.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s no prejudice. Everyone\u2019s tolerant of each other. There\u2019s unconditional love, understanding; there\u2019s peace. People really care about this planet. And people live by their code of: We\u2019re going to do everything to preserve it. While we\u2019re going: \u2018Well, no, my life is important to me, and I\u2019m going to destroy whatever it is in my way to preserve my thing.\u2019 And look what\u2019s happening in the world that we live in; it\u2019s really, really terrifying.<\/p>\n

\n\tRhea and I were talking about: Not being surprised again, not seeing a show for the first time, not reading a book for the first time. Somebody tells you a great joke, and you\u2019re like, \u2018God, that\u2019s really funny.\u2019 And you have that laugh that\u2019s so painful, where you\u2019re just like, \u2018That was the funniest thing.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTo not have that would be devastating \u2026 There\u2019s just things that would become a lot more muted if people don\u2019t have attachment to anything, which is quite incredible.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis interview was edited and condensed for concision and clarity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I last spoke with Pluribus star Karolina Wydra, she was just reentering the Hollywood fray, after having…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[3288,205684,321,93,61,60,205685,73455,73457],"class_list":["post-476853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-apple-tv","tag-awardsline","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-karolina-wydra","tag-pluribus","tag-vince-gilligan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}