Interview by Laasya Gadiyaram
With the highly anticipated The Old Guard 2 finally making its debut, audiences are once again drawn into the thrilling world of immortal warriors. At the heart of it is actress KiKi Layne, reprising her role as Nile Freeman. In this exclusive interview, Layne opens up about the physical and emotional demands of stepping back into the character, her dynamic experiences working alongside industry icons like Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman, and how her dramatic roots continue to inform her work in action films. From honoring the legacy of If Beale Street Could Talk to evolving Nile’s journey in this high-stakes sequel, Layne reflects on growth, storytelling, and the powerful human questions that transcend even immortality.
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LG: Congratulations on The Old Guard 2! How has the process been so far?
KL: Everything has been really great! It feels wonderful to finally talk about the film and speak with people who have seen it. I enjoy being able to feel the excitement that people still have for the franchise after this much time since the first film came out.
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach: MIU MIU F25
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach and Boots: MIU MIU F25
LG: How did you approach developing your character, Nile?
KL: Nile is such a physical character, so a big part of it was challenging myself physically. I had to be in the gym more than I ever have been in my life. Also being attentive to Nile’s identity as a Marine. This was especially important in the first film. I studied a lot of videos on Marine life, Marine training, how people become Marines, which was definitely a big part of my process and developing her character. I had to push myself physically which was challenging but also very exciting. Then, I did the work that I do with all my characters: being attentive to the areas where there is a lot of overlap, understanding between who I am and who the character is, and embracing areas where there are disconnects. Really understanding those things of where I naturally align with a character and where I don’t align as much.
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach and Boots: MIU MIU F25
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach, and Boots: MIU MIU F25
LG: What similarities do you see between yourself and Nile? What differences do you see?
KL: A big similarity I leaned into with Nile is her love for her family and her faith. Faith and family are two things that are super important to me and guide me throughout my life. I definitely saw that similarity between myself and Nile. The biggest difference is probably the physicality. I go to the gym a bit, training a little, but it is nothing like what I had to do to prepare for Nile and capture her physical presence.
Bra Top, Pants, Socks, Loafers: MIU MIU F25
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach and Boots: MIU MIU F25
Bra Top, Pants, Socks, Loafers: MIU MIU F25
LG: What was it like to act alongside industry legends like Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman? What lessons did you take from their performances?
KL: Acting alongside Charlize and Uma was a dream come true. They represent so much for women in the action genre. They have opened so many doors and broken so many barriers for women in this genre, so starring in an action film alongside them, you can’t top that. One of the biggest lessons I learned is from their commitment to sharp storytelling and their knowledge about filmmaking. On days when Uma and I had a scene together we would sit and go through the script and try to understand what we were both saying in the scene, and made sure we felt good about that. I was grateful that she was really adamant about this process and took the lead in creating space and time for us to sit together and look at the scenes.
For Charlize, from day one working with her on the first film, I clocked how much she understands about making a film. From the set ups, the lenses, why we are shooting in one direction instead of the other, why we are shooting in a certain order, it was amazing to me to watch an actor with that much knowledge of filmmaking and the technical aspects of creating a project. That was super powerful for me to witness.
I am lucky to work alongside both of them. They have been doing this for so long and have so much knowledge that they share so naturally in the way they carry themselves on set. Even if it is not necessarily specific advice they have given while speaking to me, just being able to watch them gave me so much to learn on set.
It was also very cool to see them continue to push themselves physically and continue to challenge themselves with the stunts they were doing and the fight choreography. Once both of them were up in helicopters…it was so amazing to see them push themselves even more than what they have done in the past!
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach, Boots and Eyewear: MIU MIU F25
Fleece Jacket, Leather Top, Skirt, Broach, Boots and Eyewear: MIU MIU F25
LG: Besides The Old Guard series, your work is predominantly on dramatic films. How did you use this background in your approach to this action franchise?
KL: One of the special things about The Old Guard, and I think it is the reason why so many people love it, is that while it still feels less like an action film, like the stereotypical action film, it feels more like a dramatic film with action elements. They assembled a really incredible cast of actors who brought that skill and brought that commitment to storytelling to the film. There are cool action bits, but mostly viewers are witnessing a group of human beings who just so happen to be immortal. You are witnessing them still wrestling with very human things like grief, loss, loneliness, and what is the meaning of the time that they have. Sure, they have a bit more time than the average human being has, but these are all things that we as humans wrestle with from day to day. It was great to see these characters do the same. Approaching it in that way, really being committed to the storytelling and dramatic elements that these characters are going through, the very human elements these characters are wrestling with, that was the biggest thing that this entire cast brought to this franchise and why it works so well.
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Bra Top, Pants, Socks, Loafers: MIU MIU F25
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LG: Prior to The Old Guard, you starred in If Beale Street Could Talk. What was it like to bring such a beloved classic novel to life on screen?
KL: Beale Street was amazing to work on. The people I got to work with, Barry Jenkins, Regina, Colman, Stephan, Teyonah, I feel so blessed that is where my big break was, where my entire career really started. I am grateful to have been given that opportunity. It was amazing and I wish
I had more words for it. It truly was something special to work with the artists that I was working with while bringing a James Baldwin novel to life. It just felt so incredibly special, and I am so moved that the film continues to touch so many people.
Jacket, Skirt, Jewelry and Bag: CHANEL PF25
Jacket, Skirt, Jewelry and Bag: CHANEL PF25
LG: This isn’t your first sequel, having starred in Coming 2 America in 2021. Has that experience informed your approach to the second Old Guard film?
KL: Not necessarily, I wasn’t born when the first Coming to America came out. It was a little different with The Old Guard, returning to a role I had previously played after some years away. Of course, you have some iconic characters coming back for the second Coming to America film, but it was pretty different in that sense. Coming back for The Old Guard sequel was an interesting acting challenge actually, in regards to being away from a character for that many years and then jumping back in. Now that I am a bit older, it was interesting to navigate which new aspects of my lived experience I could bring to Nile in the second film that I didn’t have in the first one.
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LG: The Old Guard follows a group of immortal warriors as they battle a series of daunting obstacles. How does Nile fit into this dynamic?
KL: Nile is the newest member of The Old Guard so she is really still figuring out her place. In the second film, we feel that she is a bit more confident. She is understanding a bit more of where she fits into all of this, but she still does have a lot of questions. There still are a lot of things she doesn’t know, so we see her wrestling with that in the second film.
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LG: How does Nile evolve as a character in this second season? How does her role within the group change?
KL: I think the biggest thing is we see her taking the lead a bit more on some of the missions and carrying herself with a bit more confidence and leadership with the team. She is still the youngest so there is a lot she doesn’t know. The second film still makes space for that. It is not like she was a total newbie in the first film and now she knows everything in the second film. She still is being challenged by not quite fully understanding the depths of immortality and what it means for her to connect with these other immortals. That is an interesting thing that we get to see her still navigate in the second film while also seeing her be a bit more confident in these moments of taking the lead, she goes in first on some of the missions, she has a new weapon, she is a bit more physically daunting. It is cool to see her go on that journey but know that there is still so much more for her to learn and she still has a lot to figure out.
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