Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Stars Tobe Nwigwe & Liza Koshy On Tackling Arcee & Reek!

MSN.com. By Joe Deckelmeier-SCREEN RANT, Posted June 27th 2023

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will see Maximals and Autobot Transformers team up in a new blockbuster adventure. In the latest Transformers movie, a former military and tech expert named Noah Diaz, and a history expert and museum researcher named Elena Wallace stumble upon Autobot and Maximal Transformers. The pair learn that a planet-destroying enemy of the Transformers, Unicron, is targeting Earth with his henchmen, led by Scourge, and finding a way to bring the planet devourer to them. Working with the Autobots and Maximals, Noah and Elena do whatever it takes to protect their home and those they love by saving the world.

Steven Caple Jr. directs Transformers: Rise of the Beasts from a screenplay written by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber from a story by Joby Harold. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Lauren Luna Vélez, Tobe Nwigwe, and Dean Scott Vazquez. Peter Cullen, Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, and David Sobolov are also part of the star-studded cast voicing the Transformers.

Screen Rant spoke with Tobe Nwigwe and Liza Koshy about their new movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Koshy shared why she loves Arcee and collaborating with Caple. Nwigwe discussed how he approached his character, Reek, and what he found most surprising about working on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Tobe Nwigwe & Liza Koshy on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Screen Rant: Congratulations on Transformers: Rise of the Beast. The film is incredible. The music is fire. Liza, can you talk about your character Arcee and what you wanted to bring to the character in the recording booth that wasn’t actually on the page?

Liza Koshy: Steven Caple Jr. really did have a vision for Arcee, so I got to give credit where credit is due. That man cooked it up in the kitchen, and then I ate. But I have a great time eating now. You can see, I’m so excited. I’m so excited for y’all to see my take on Arcee. We’ve seen her before in Revenge of the Fallen, but this has so much more backstory to her.

She is strong, she is resilient, she is calling the shots, she’s getting everybody back. Get in line, come on, let’s go. We’ve got a mission to accomplish. She’s just driven and she’s loyal and so I’m really honored to play this character. I keep looking at her in the poster over here. I’m like, yeah, that’s me out here. She’s a force, so I’m honored to play her.

Tobe, your character completely cracks me up. How did you approach your character and his anti-capitalism thief mentality?

Tobe Nwigwe: I approached anti-capitalism a specific way. The thief, I had to figure out how to do that because I haven’t been a thief for so long, but I did use to steal Transformers toys out of the mall. Sorry, Hasbro. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did. But you can see it’s all coming full circle. Now I’m paying my dues.

There you go.

Tobe Nwigwe: It was easy to approach. Not easy to approach it, but it was almost seamless because I do stand 10 toes down on a lot of the principles that he has and a lot of the wisdom that he uses, and a lot of love that he has for his friends and loved ones and wanting to put them in the best position that they could possibly be in. That part was pretty seamless.

Liza, what did Steven’s directing style add to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts? Are you able to talk to me about working with him as a collaborator and his directing style?

Liza Koshy: Steven is just brilliant. This man has so many puzzle pieces in his mind and we can’t see the big picture until he reels us into it and allows us in on the creative vision. And we have to trust that he’s going to put it all together. And we did. And he has. It’s brilliant how this fan, this real child of a fan has become this man that now has the opportunity to direct. I imagine this being… It’s a huge dream for him. I know that. He’s told me, but-

Tobe Nwigwe: Yeah. And it’s just his intentionality and focus that he has whenever he’s on set, it’s incredible. It’s literally incredible.

Liza Koshy: He brings you in, he catches you up. And I had the opportunity to see it while the pieces weren’t all together just yet. It was buffering a little like you were yourself earlier. And it was cool to see the process. He really let me in. He’s such a brilliant collaborator.

Transformers was a huge property in the eighties and had a resurgence in the nineties with Beast Wars. Did you guys have any Transformers as kids? I guess now we know, Tobe, you did. And are you going to be adding any Transformers after this movie?

Tobe Nwigwe: Oh, yeah.

Liza Koshy: All of them. I’ll give you my stuffed one.

Tobe Nwigwe: Exactly. I need every single Autobot and Maximal and human character, come on, in toy form for my children. Yeah. And for me. But I need it all. We got a couple being shipped to the house right now because we can’t be just going city to city carrying toys like Santa Claus. But we will have hopefully all of them shipped to the house soon.

What surprised you the most about working on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?

Tobe Nwigwe: I’ll be honest with you, I thought being on set for this was going to be a little bit insane, but the people were so like accommodating, cool, reg, the whole casting crew was Hollywood, but not Hollywood. It’s the weirdest thing. Steven really curated an environment to where it felt like you were amongst family and friends. Everything flowed very, very smooth. Specifically for me, pause, yep.

Liza Koshy: Incredible.

Tobe Nwigwe: Come on.

Liza Koshy: I know you. Freaking Ramos and Dominique freaking Fishback, they’re just warm people and made the set a family too. You know?

Tobe Nwigwe: Yes. Amazing.

In 1994 Brooklyn, New York a former soldier and a museum employee are pulled into a fight for their world when the Autobot Transformers and Maximals team up to fight against the destructive force of Unicron. The Transformers and humans must work together to protect Earth from being consumed by Unicron.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEAST IS IN THEATERS NOW