Cape Fear Star Malia Pyles Says Yes to Almost Everything

Malia Pyles has spent the last few years building a career on the promise of what’s next, moving between the FX cult favorite Baskets and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. In Cape Fear, Apple TV+’s starry reinvention of the Scorsese classic, that promise finally pays off. Pyles plays Nevaeh Valentine, the enigmatic and often terrifying young woman who slips into the Bowden family’s orbit and wreaks havoc, holding her own against Javier Bardem and Amy Adams in the process. It’s the kind of decadent role that introduces an actor to a whole new audience. Ahead of the show’s final batch of episodes, Pyles took our questionnaire to talk trans rights, Twilight, and what happens when we die.

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What’s on your mind?
Rosalía’s Lux Tour performance.

What time do you wake up?
When the streets do. My walls are thin.

What’s your summer about?
Saying yes to almost everything.

What does it feel like to be you?
A humid summer day after the rain, when the ground is still wet and everything has a certain sheen. You feel vaguely uncomfortable, but it’s still really beautiful.

What are you running from?
Currently: comfortability.

What’s the last thing you cooked?
Just microwaved last night’s green curry.

What do you do when you’re nervous?
Tell myself I’m just excited, and pick my fingernails.

What’s a hill you’ll die on?
Every artist deserves their dreams, but no one is entitled to them. Also, Twilight is a great movie.

What are you over?
Trans people not being treated with dignity and respect.

What doesn’t make sense?
How I’m supposed to stay young forever.

What do you love?
Soft fabrics that drape just right.

Who makes you happy?
Watching my friends chase what they love.

Who do you miss?
The time before I knew better.

What’s your favorite taste?
Mom’s arroz caldo.

What’s your greatest temptation?
Staying horizontal for the whole day and not checking my phone.

What are you allergic to?
People who look around the room when you talk to them.

How do you get around?
My two feet and the 2 train.

What’s the last thing you bought?
I filled a cavity today and had to pay out of pocket for the porcelain.

What happens when we die?
The TV turns off.

What are you ignoring?
My sublet ending in New York and having to apartment hunt all over again.

What do you drink too much of?
Iced oat milk lattes with maple syrup.

What do you do with a free day?
Sneak a beer and a carton of blueberries into the theater and watch a movie by myself.

What are you ready to let go of?
Shame.