Callina Liang wasn’t on Hollywood’s radar before landing the lead role in Presence. In fact, she hadn’t even seen herself on the big screen before. Then, when the horror film premiered to critical acclaim at last January’s Sundance Film Festival, she felt all that she adores about acting suddenly crystallise amid the immense “privilege” of bringing another artist’s vision to life. Given the intense emotional demands of the role, it was an especially cathartic moment.
Under the direction of movie legend Steven Soderbergh (Contagion, Erin Brockovich), Liang plays the film’s protagonist Chloe, a teenager adrift after her best friend’s passing. Neglected by her dysfunctional family, Chloe grows aware of a spectre in their new suburban home, which in turn fixates on her.
A haunted house story told from the perspective of the ghost, Presence presented Liang with an unusual challenge: as Soderbergh operated the camera through extended, roving takes to convey the entity’s emotional investment in the domestic drama, she had to sense the presence without becoming camera-conscious. The film was shot in just 11 days in late 2023. Liang looks back on it as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” albeit one that came naturally to her. She compares the film’s unique way of shooting to “a dance: moving around spaces, playing with Steven, missing each other’s eye contact.”
Liang was born in Vancouver but raised between Beijing, Sydney and Singapore – where she earned a Diploma in Performance from the LASALLE College of Arts. Her love of acting deepened in New York, where she attended drama school, before returning to Canada – this time Toronto – to study film.
She had only just graduated when she landed her debut screen role in season 1 of the British teen drama Tell Me Everything. The show, which she moved to London for, hard-launched her career but also ensured her post-grad years were something of a geographical whirlwind. (A glance at her now-inactive TikTok reflects this jet-setting lifestyle, plus cheerfully silly posts of cats, friends and Charli D’Amelio dance trends.) Last summer, Liang resettled in Toronto and is happy to call it home – at least for now.
“Growing up, I never in my life stayed at the same school for more than two-and-a-half years, so it was a lot of instability,” she says. “Now, as I’m older, I have this kind of independence that has only come from me traveling to so many places, going into so many different environments, having to rebuild that life for myself every single time. I look back and feel like that was all so worth it, because I feel that power: I’m not scared to go anywhere.”
First things first: do you believe in ghosts?
I believe in the supernatural. I believe that spirits exist. There’s no way our souls disintegrate after our bodies finish their time on Earth. I’ve had experiences with ghosts haunting me – or not haunting, to be honest, because they didn’t hurt me. I would say I coexisted with these spirits.
Tell me more.
Basically, the first time it happened, I was at drama school in New York, and there was a spirit co-existing with us in the dorm. It was a senior home converted into student housing, so it makes a lot of sense. I’d wake up from naps to writing on the walls, and the ghosts would unplug my phone chargers. I could feel something brush behind my back; I’d see shadows here and there. I was living with three other girls at the time. We all experienced this.
Were you not scared?!
I was definitely scared at first, but it warmed me up. We spoke to the spirit. We’d say we understood we were in their space, in their house, that they might be confused. We’d say, “Hey, we’re sorry. We mean no harm. Can we please coexist?” A lot of communication. [laughs] After we verbally communicated all this, the spirit calmed down.
My second experience was when I was filming Presence. In my hotel room, my alarm clock would go off at random times, and – again! – next to the hotel where we were staying was a senior home. It wasn’t in the same building, but they shared walls. I’d hear crashing and knocking; the toilet flushed one night without me in there. That was the second time. I wasn’t scared at all. I communicated out loud, like, “Hey, no evil vibes, please.” [laughs] Since then, it’s been good.
You’ve lived all over the world. Has that informed your approach to acting?
I know whatever I go through will influence me as a performer, [and living internationally] has influenced my acting a lot. I think it even made me want to go into acting. To me, acting is about how a person brings their walks of life into the character written on the page. 20 people can get the same role, the same description, but they will do it 20 different ways. That’s because their version of reality, of their life, is what they’ve perceived.
“The Substance made me feel some type of way I’ve never felt before”
callina liang
What could you bring into this character specifically?
When I first read the script, the feeling that came to me the most was that I wanted to give this girl a hug. I felt so much love for this girl, because what she’s experiencing is so real. Not saying everyone in their teenage life will – God forbid – lose someone that they love but, personally, I only grew up with my dad. I could relate to her in the sense of feeling lost, of not knowing which direction to go. Her mum is so absent from her life, her brother is just a bit horrible, and she’s so isolated in this family. She doesn’t have the right answers, and she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. When she experiences the presence, it’s almost a sense of relief.
Steven Soderbergh is prolific. Presence aside, do you have a favourite of his films?
I’m a huge fan of Contagion. Going through the pandemic, [it’s] all I could think about. I watched it first at a really young age. When it came out, I’d just started learning English, and I’m pretty sure I watched it in Chinese. Then obviously, when I learned English and started studying film, I saw sex, lies, and videotape, and that film is amazing.
What other movies do you love?
Parasite, definitely. Killing Eve comes to mind. Sandra Oh is one of my favorite actresses ever.
Have you seen anything that you dug recently?
I mean, man, there are so many good films out. Anora, I watched it twice in the cinema, that’s all I’ll say. I wouldn’t say I loved The Substance, but that made me feel some type of way I’ve never felt before. I can appreciate that.
You posted a lot on TikTok when you were younger. What did you make of it going offline in the U.S. over the weekend?
Last night, I was really just wanting to see which restaurants in Toronto had the best happy hours, and I went on TikTok to search it up, and it was not available, so that breaks my heart. You know, I used to make TikToks, but I don’t anymore, so that doesn’t affect me in that way. I use TikTok to find restaurants and places to go, and now I’m like, “What do I do?” Thank God I live in Canada. [laughs] I’m going back home tomorrow.
What fun things do you do in Toronto?
So many things. Toronto is one of my favorite places on Earth. I love driving to random towns around Toronto, walking around them and finding new places, like Burlington. Sometimes, I’ll drive to Niagara Falls for no reason. And Asian food in Toronto is the best thing that has ever happened to me – so, so happy about that. I love everything about it. Toronto has me in a chokehold. [laughs]
What about when you’re in London?
I love going to spin class, and SoulCycle is my favorite thing to do in London. I don’t know, that’s the first thing that came into my head. What else do I like about London? My favourite steak restaurant is there. It’s called Meat & Wine Co. – changed my life.
‘Presence’ is in US and UK cinemas from Friday 24 January