How Karolina Wydra Plays Zosia in 'Pluribus'

All Of It with Alison Stewart

In this episode of All of It with Alison Stewart, Emmy-nominated actress Karolina Wydra discusses her role as Zosia in the Apple TV+ sci-fi series Pluribus, a post-apocalyptic drama where an

Key takeaways

Wydra's role as Zosia required deep psychological and physical preparation, including meditation, dream work, and embodying a state of perpetual serenity.
The audition process was highly secretive and culminated in a life-changing call on January 3rd while she was in Mexico.

Main topics

Karolina Wydra's audition journey for Pluribus
Character development and preparation for playing Zosia

Notable quotes

"I would love to be in Vince Gilligan's brain if I was in the hive mind."

Conclusion

Karolina Wydra's portrayal of Zosia in Pluribus exemplifies the power of deep personal preparation, emotional authenticity, and

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:16) This is All of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. The Primetime Emmy Awards are next Monday, September 14th, and my next guest, Carolina Huidra, is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role in the hit sci-fi series, Pluribus. It's set in a world where almost everyone on Earth has become part of a single, happy, peaceful hive mind. An alien virus has joined nearly everyone on the planet together. Everyone, that is, except... 13 people who remain distinctly, stubbornly themselves. And that's where Carol comes in. She's a gruff, lonely writer of hapless romance novels. Her wife was killed during the joining, along with many others. So Carol has plenty of reasons to be suspicious of this very new, very happy world. But others have their eye on Carol. They want her to join them. And they send Wyder's character, Zoja, a Hive emissary to help make that happen. Pluribus became a huge hit for Apple TV, which called it one of its most watched series ever. Carolina Wydra joined me to talk about Zoja, the strange world of Pluribus, and what was happening in her own life when she got the call to audition for the show. Speaker 1 (1:32) Oh my goodness. Well, I took a break for quite a while because I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and it was very important to me. And so at that time, I didn't have an agent or a manager. So when I was ready to get back into acting, I wasn't sure how it was going to happen. And out of the blue, I got an email from a commercial agent that I wasn't working with that there was a request for an audition from casting directors. And I didn't know what it was, what it was about. Speaker 1 (2:10) And then eventually I found out and I auditioned when I heard the name Vince Gilligan. You know, I was I was it was always a dream of mine to work with him ever since, you know, Breaking Bad. And I was I was a huge fan of his. So, yeah, so that's where basically that's where I was without an agent or a manager. And this came as a true gift from the universe. And yeah, and I put myself on tape and the rest is history, which is still I cannot believe that here I am, you know, working with Ray, working with Vince and the show has been so incredibly well received and loved. And I'm really grateful for that. So, yeah. How was the character of Zoja described in the script when you when you read it? Well, when I auditioned for it, I actually had no idea what the show was about because it was very, very secretive. And when I tested for the show, it was like the final audition process where you go in front of the studio and the network and you audition. I got to have the first two scripts. And, you know, when I read it, I was completely blown away by the idea. Speaker 1 (3:16) And what Vince created, the kind of world he created and the character of who Zosia is, where, you know, it was never done on television before. And to play someone that it's everyone, the whole world, billions of people, one person was very intimidating and very exciting. And I had a ton, a ton of questions. So, yeah, it was it was it was really exciting. What was your audition process Speaker 3 (3:43) like? Speaker 1 (3:44) So I put myself on tape when I got the audition through the commercial agent. I put myself on tape and then with a friend of mine. And two days later, I got a call. I got an email back saying that they would love to see more materials of things that I have done,