Kristanna Loken Opens Up About Her Role in Dark Night of the Soul on The Wayne Ayers Podcast

Kristanna Loken, best known for her unforgettable role as the T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, joins The Wayne Ayers Podcast for an insightful conversation about her latest project, Dark Night of the Soul. The film is a tense, survival-themed thriller in which Loken plays Alex, a scientist who finds herself in a high-stakes situation, as she holds the key to a cure for a global crisis. During the interview, Loken discussed the multi-dimensional nature of Alex, how she prepared for the role, and the deep emotional themes that were addressed within the movie context.

Loken claimed that the question of what attracted her to the role of Alex was because of Alex’s inner strength and emotional depth. Alex is not just a scientist she’s one of those trying to hold on to her humanity while the world around her falls apart. The struggle with survival and compassion-the loss of pain- truly resonated with Loken. She wanted to see how someone could still find hope even when everything was lost.

Loken elaborated on the emotional arc, pointing out that her character has a huge amount of personal growth throughout the story. Alex is dealing with a worldwide crisis, but she is also having a kind of personal crisis. Her past, especially her father, haunts her for most of the film. She’s trying to come to terms with her guilt while shouldering the responsibility for saving mankind. It’s that fragile balance between making it through the physical exhaustion and the emotional vulnerability.

Knowing full well that preparation for the role would entail much more than emotional commitment, Loken plays the role of a scientist trying to find a cure for an outbreak of prehistoric bacteria. She has done a lot of research on pandemics and viruses, while also speaking with numerous medical professionals to get a grasp on the language and process that would go into vaccine development. She wanted to bring as much authenticity to Alex as possible, all the time keeping the emotional beats intact.

One of the most distinct elements with which Dark Night of the Soul played was the use of confined spaces to heighten tension. Loken remarks on the scene’s intensity filmed in a car, often for a continuous number of hours. That space adds a layer of claustrophobia and urgency to the story. The mental and physical exhaustion from being confined in this small space with co-stars, trying to keep the energy high and the emotions raw, made moments feel real.

There were days, though, on set that took it out of Loken emotionally. A few of those scenes are with Martin Kove, where Alex is trying to work out her problems with her dad throughout her past. Those moments hit her hard, pretty intensely. It’s not just about the world ending; it’s about Alex trying to heal old wounds. Those were tough, but they brought a lot of depth to the story.

Given the general survival theme of the movie, Loken found that this aspect factored deeply into her portrayal of Alex. Survival, in this movie, was not just physical but emotional, mental, and spiritual. Alex needs to survive her inner demons as she tries to help the world survive. Loken wanted to bring across that survival was not just the fight for a living but to find strength in your weakest moments.

But working alongside Martin Kove, the veteran actor best known for his work on The Karate Kid and the related series Cobra Kai, has been one of the real highlights for Loken. The energy just bounces off the infectious Kove, and the two develop a deep father-daughter dynamic on screen. There’s lots of tension between Alex and her father, but there’s a lot of love. Kove brought gravitas to the role, and that made their scenes together so much more powerful.

Loken also shared wonderful things about her co-stars Paola Paulin, Jesse Kove, and Gabrielle Kalomiris: Paola is warm and generous as an actor. That chemistry just helps give the film a lot of heart. Jesse and Gabrielle were also fantastic to work with, and really, everyone brought something unique to their characters, making the ensemble feel like a real family on set.

Dark Night of the Soul is about a global crisis, as humanity may have reached its end after an outbreak of prehistoric bacteria. Loken reflected on how the theme permeates into today’s world, given its post-pandemic context. It’s timely, because everybody, one way or another, has gone through this global health crisis. The idea of the world being in disarray is something people understand now. But it’s not just about the pandemic-it’s about how we cope with fear and loss, and how we find the will to move forward.

Pressed on how personal this theme was to her in the making of the film, Loken reflected thoughtfully: that the movie made me think about what it means to live through a crisis and how we’re all just trying to hold on. It put into perspective that the bigger the adversity, the more resilience and compassion it requires. Career-wise, this has been one of the biggest challenges she has undertaken. Beautiful, it has been. Tough it has been. And isn’t that something to be grateful for, says Loken.

Loken also teased some exciting projects in the works. She looks forward to being pushed into different genres. She’s always wanted to do something more in space or fantasy, and maybe a superhero or villain role would be fun. She does have another passion project currently but isn’t able to say much quite yet. It’s something that speaks to her personally.

The interview ended on a more lighthearted note with a few fun, quick-fire questions: What’s your biggest guilty pleasure reality TV show? Loken laughed, as she loved The Bachelor. It’s just such a train wreck, but she can’t stop watching it. Her go-to song on repeat right now is Electric Feel by MGMT. When asked to name any dream role, Loken said she’d like to play a super-hero-Wonder Woman, perhaps, as she loves the character’s strength and complexity.

On the podcast, Wayne Ayers, gives rare insight into his leading lady’s process and take on the movie Dark Night of the Soul. The emotional depth of playing Alex to the complex themes of survival and this girl is unmistakably passionate about her craft. With her seeking out newer, exciting roles, one can be assured that even more compelling performances are in store for this talented actress.