Summary

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff talks with Alexandra Shipp for Violent Ends at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.

In the movie, Shipp stars opposite Billy Magnussen as a young couple looking to escape a dangerous crime family.

In this interview, Shipp talks about what drew her to Violent Ends, sharing scenes with Magnussen, and gives new details on upcoming projects Forbidden Fruits and Midnight.

Alexandra Shipp is a major star on the rise. Throughout her career, she’s dabbled in all sorts of genres, from the superhero sphere as Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse to rom-coms in Netflix’s Anyone But You, and massive blockbusters like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Shipp spoke with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff about her upcoming thriller, Violent Ends, plus a handful of other projects she has in the works. Written and directed by John-Michael Powell (The Send-Off), Violent Ends is a southern revenge thriller that tells a star-crossed love story against the stunning and formidable backdrop of the Ozark mountains. According to star Billy Magnussen, “It’s basically a redneck Godfather,” about Lucas Frost (Magnussen), an outlier of an established criminal family who wants to distance himself and create a new life with his fiancée (Shipp). Check out the full conversation in the video above or the transcript below for details on working with other powerhouse actresses like Victoria Pedretti, Lili Reinhart, and Lola Tung in Shudder’s upcoming witchy horror movie Forbidden Fruits, to hear about why she was eager to join Violent Ends, and what it was like serving as an executive producer on Midnight with Rosario Dawson and Milla Jovovich.
‘Violent Ends’ Is a Love Story at Its Core

“Love is what makes everything make sense.”

Alexandra Shipp at SDCC 2025 for Violent Ends
Image via Alex Cobian

PERRI NEMIROFF: Thank you for the next-level energy you brought to the Collider Ladies Night After Dark panel. I was feeding off of it. If I did a good job on that stage, it was because you give the best pep talks and just exude the best vibes. ALEXANDRA SHIPP: Oh, thank you. It was so great. I mean, being in a room full of badass women is always something that I think gives me life. It gives me wings. I don’t blame you. That group was something else. Now we get to focus just on you, which is good because you have a lot of cool stuff coming up. My top priority on this list, of course, is Violent Ends. When that opportunity comes your way, what is something about the project and the role that makes you think, “I have something to gain from this as an actor who is always evolving my craft?” SHIPP: I really loved this script. I loved the story. I loved what it says. I love the questions that it asks of, like, what would you do? And I think it’s important for TV and film to ask that question of the audience: what would you do? Because I think it creates empathy and understanding. So, I really loved that. But I also loved that even though it’s such a crazy, ragtag kind of action, violent, amazing movie, it’s, at the heart of it, a love story, and I think that that love is what makes everything make sense. It’s that first domino that just topples the whole thing, and so I really kind of loved that. I really wanted to dive in and have that chemistry with Billy [Magnussen], and to find that root so that you could get this huge, beautiful tree with all of this fruit to grow. I love how you’re making fruit references, and I haven’t even gotten to Forbidden Fruits yet. SHIPP: Always. [Laughs] I love food! Sticking with Violent Ends, and in particular, Billy, I want to lean into the chemistry you just referenced because, broad strokes, seeing a relationship on screen is wonderful, but this movie kind of hinges on the two of them having a next-level connection. Can you tell me about finding that with him? Is there anything that happened that made the two of you look at each other and go, “We have found specifically what their relationship needs to be?” SHIPP: If I’m going to be honest with you, Billy is so wonderful, so having chemistry with him is very easy. He is so likable and so kind and such a gentleman that I really felt comfortable trying different things. There was a beautiful conversation about intimacy and consent that we had that, I think, allowed us to kind of live freely within that space. Also, we just kind of developed a rapport. We went to breakfast one morning, and we just talked like human beings, and then we were like, “Oh, you’re cool. You’re professional. You know how to do your job. Let’s just have fun. Let’s just play pretend.” We’re so lucky that we get a chance to do that. The other thing I wanted to ask you about in terms of working with him is the fact that he’s an EP on this movie. What is something about him as not just a co-star, but an EP and a leader on this set that makes you now think, this industry is so lucky to have him stepping into a leadership role now? SHIPP: What’s great about Billy is that he is so kind and he is so empathetic, and I think it’s important for actors to be empathetic, but as a producer, for him to bring that energy into that was really great. So, when there are moments where it’s like, “Oh, I’m feeling anxious or hungry,” or whatever, he takes care of his crew in a really beautiful way, and I’m a major crew girly. My dad’s a camera guy, so I think it’s really important that you take care of your crew. When you have a happy and healthy crew, you have a happy and healthy production, and he was very mindful of that. I think that helped to create an environment in which we could all just really flourish. I have a follow-up that pertains to your work as a producer, but because you brought up food a couple of times, I need to ask this question – what’s your on-set vice? What is the thing you turn to when you need a mood boost or energy to power through a tough day? SHIPP: Okay, so I have two things. The first thing is, I always need a salty crunch around. So, that’s just a thing. And when I say salty crunch, sometimes people look at me, and they’re like, “Salty crunch?” I’m talking chips, I’m talking crackers. Some sort of salty crunch. I need a specific. SHIPP: I would go with Cheetos. The extra crunchy ones. The original. Those need to be around. The puffs are a weird texture for me. I can’t. You’re talking to one of the blandest, most boring people in the world. My friends make fun of me all the time. I’ll get Tostitos Scoops, but I won’t scoop anything with them. SHIPP: I love that. I love that. You know why? Because there’s a buttery flavor to the Tostito that I don’t want covered up. I do that all the time. I am going to repeat this the next time I’m judged. SHIPP: Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I love a sauce, I love to dip, but I also like it completely, like, flat. When we’re talking about if I need a boost, because that’s just to have something in your face, if I need a boost, I have this thing called go-go juice that I make. It used to be a Red Bull, but I can’t do Red Bull anymore because I’ll be up until 6:00 in the morning. Maybe that’s why I didn’t sleep last night. SHIPP: The thing about it is, if I’m doing night shoots like we were for Forbidden Fruits, a Red Bull is really great, but Red Bull just kind of cracks me out, so I’ve been doing Celsius. You do one part Celsius, two parts sparkling water in a cup with some ice, and you slowly drink said energy drink. That’s going to give you an even up, and you’re not going to crash as hard as you think you would. So, if we’re shooting until 10:00 in the morning like we were on Forbidden Fruits, I’ll start my go-go juice around eight, maybe 9 p.m., and I’ll be able to slowly but surely have a nice rise and a nice solid finish.

Alexandra Shipp at SDCC 2025 for Violent Ends
Image via Alex Cobian

Moderation. That’s my problem. I’ll get one of those little Red Bulls, and I’ll just chug it. SHIPP: You can’t pound it, babe. Otherwise, you’re going to be yacked, and then you’re going to be on the ground. Then again, I didn’t sleep last night. I don’t know what’s up with that. SHIPP: You don’t look like you didn’t sleep. You look real good. This is the best thing I’m going to hear all day. I love it.
Alexandra Shipp Highlights Her On-Set Priorities as a Producer

She shares producorial duties with scene partners Rosario Dawson and Milla Jovovich in Midnight.

Alexandra Shipp at SDCC 2025 for Violent Ends
Image via Alex Cobian

I have to go back to you producing. With the movie Midnight, you’re an EP on that. You’re an EP, and so are Rosario [Dawson] and Milla [Jovovich]. What is something about the three of you not only working together as actors, but as producers, that is making your work on that film better than you ever could have imagined? SHIPP: Well, it’s really cool because all three of us work very similarly on set. The way that we like to move about our sets and how we interact with our crew is very simpatico. So, it was really nice working with them because they have great attitudes, they know all of their lines. They’re funny, they’re smart, they look people in the eye. There’s no, like, don’t-talk-to-the-talent energy. It was very fun to work with them. As producers, I think we all wanted to come to the table with as many resources as we possibly could. It’s a really beautiful script. It’s a really fun movie. I got to do action while also being blind, which was so much fun and really cool, and working with a blind coach was iconic. We all kind of wanted to bring the resources that we had and the experience that we have had over our cumulative decades of work, and I think that we all just work very similarly. We’re all very professional. We like to show up, do our job, take care of our people, and then go home, and that was wonderful. You work very similarly, but can you tell me something about their approach to the work that is uniquely theirs, and perhaps might speak to why their characters wind up feeling uniquely theirs in that movie? SHIPP: What’s really cool about working with Milla as our bad guy in the film was that she was constantly doing something different every take, and I really loved that. It kept me on my toes when it comes to reacting. Also, she’s so captivating, and I’m playing blind, right? So I can’t, like, be looking at her, so it was actually really hard to work with her because she’s so captivating and she’s always trying different things, and she’s just so creative and has so many different choices. I was like, “Alex, you’re blind, you’re blind, you’re blind.” It was so hard. And then Rosario is so captivating, as well. She just brought so much warmth. She plays my big sister, and there was just so much love in the way that she approached our scenes in comparison to her badassery scenes. It was just really beautiful to see.

Gail (Rosario Dawson) smirks wickedly as she holds up an uzi in ‘Sin City’ (2005).
Image via Miramax

I want to follow up on one particular thing you said, because you mentioned before that nobody has that don’t-look-at-the-actor kind of vibe. I feel like you can crack anybody’s shell. Has there ever been a time when you had a co-star who is not open and giving, and if so, what kind of things do you like to do in order to break through and ultimately make it the kind of collaboration you want it to be? SHIPP: I’m pretty good at cracking people open. I am the Nutcracker, okay? I love working with, like, really serious, really stoic people because if I can get them to smile or laugh, boom, baby, it’s on. It’s totally on. And so it becomes like a game, right? Of being like, “Eh? Eh? Did I get you yet? I did! No, you love me. Let’s hang out.”
‘Forbidden Fruits’ Allowed Alexandra Shipp to Bring a Piece of Herself to the Film

She shares how she, Victoria Pedretti, Lola Tung, and Lili Reinhart tapped into their characters.

Alexandra Shipp at SDCC 2025 for Violent Ends
Image via Alex Cobian

Going into Forbidden Fruits now, this is Meredith [Alloway]’s feature directorial debut, which is a very, very big deal, and very well-deserved. I’m curious about your very first meetings with her. What was something you noticed in her that signaled to you, “She can do this, and I will be in good hands with her?” SHIPP: She is open to collaboration, and I think that that is so important with a relationship between an actor and a director. There has to be collaboration. I believe in her vision, and she trusts me with the character, and therefore, if there are things where I’m like, “I feel like Fig would X, Y, and Z,” she would be like, “Yeah, I love that.” It’s the “yes and” relationship between a director and an actor that I think is so important, because I have worked on jobs, especially with first-time feature directors, and they’ve been like, “Please just do it this way and say the line that way and just do it that way,” and I’ll do it, and I’m not mad at it. Like, honey, I can say a line. But it is really nice to be able to say, “Oh, I think she would tweak it this way and do it that way,” and Meredith’s like, “Yeah! And then we’ll do it this way!” When I first met her, she was really open to my interpretation of the role. Also, I practice witchcraft in my spiritual practice, so it was really fun to talk to her about witchcraft and how we would apply it and how, like, we don’t accidentally summon a demon on set, protect our crew, things like that. Can you tell me more about how you practice it in your personal life? Because that’s one thing that I’ve really been loving, whether it’s in a movie or even on social media nowadays. I feel like we had this very one-dimensional view of witchcraft as presented in movies that I love, love, love, but there are certain elements that are actually making people’s lives better now. SHIPP: Yeah. I mean, I don’t practice a type of witchcraft that’s, like, hexing and binding people. Do you know what I mean? I don’t have the energy to try and hurt other people. I only have the energy to try and bring happiness into my life, so I use witchcraft. I have an apothecary, and I’m like a little kitchen witch. I like to manifest things using candles and oils and adding different sacred herbs into food and stuff like that for friends and family. One year, I did a bunch of manifesting bath bombs as Christmas gifts because it was a full moon. So, I like to make things that make people feel happy and excited and bring good things into their lives, and not necessarily, like, destroy a man, you know? Although if you are wondering, it was me and about 10,000 witches on Zoom who were able to get Joe Biden elected. I was on that Zoom, and I will tell you right now, we did our job. This is what witchcraft should be for, always. SHIPP: 100%. Leaning into your ensemble with Forbidden Fruits, I’m a big nerd for the variety of acting techniques out there. Can you tell me something about Lili [Reinhart]’s approach to the work, [Victoria Pedretti]’s, and also Lola [Tung]’s that make them one-of-a-kind performers on set, and also make them perfect for their particular roles? SHIPP: So, Lili, we briefly touched on it, because sometimes it’s a little sacred to talk about your craft and your approach, but Lili had shared with us that she did some animal work for the role. So, she found out who Apple was as an animal, and I really loved that. Everyone had their own various approaches, which was really cool, but I thought that was the most interesting. Have you ever done that for a role? SHIPP: I have not. I genuinely haven’t, but it inspired me, and I was like, “Okay, the next job.” Who knows? She might be a ferret. That fascinates me. How about for Victoria and Lola? SHIPP: Lili was the most in-depth. I think Lola and Victoria had their own little things, and they kept it to themselves, which I totally respect. I respect that!
Alexandra Shipp Has the Perfect Storm Storyline for the MCU to Explore

“We’ve never seen that before.”

Alright, now we’re going to veer into X-Men territory. We know that there is a new version of the X-Men coming to the MCU in the near future. Given your experience, for whoever gets cast in that role, what piece of advice would you give to them in order to respect why there’s so much pressure taking on a role like that, but also still have the freedom to make it their own? SHIPP: I think it’s very much so that. You have to make it your own. I think a lot of the time, people want to compare performances. They want to compare how Halle [Berry] did her Storm to my Storm, or any other character, really, and I don’t think that that is fair to the actor, and I don’t think that that’s fair to the audience. I think it’s making that role your own, finding ways in which you can be an individual, and allowing that to kind of form. Because my Storm was much, much younger and was not trained, so she was coming from the streets in Apocalypse. So, for me, I really wanted her to be a street fighter, and we brought a lot of that into her fight style and the way that she flew. So, I would say, just make it your own. You just referenced how your Storms were at different stages in their journey. There’s so much about that character that’s been untapped on screen, and I feel like at different periods in the world, in one’s life, there’s something about a character that people need. So, let’s say that we were going to get a 2025/2026 Storm; is there anything about her backstory or a layer of her that you think audiences might need right now, versus when you played her and when Halle Berry played her? SHIPP: I would love to see Storm after her and T’Challa. You know what I mean? I want to see that part of Storm’s backstory brought into the throughline, into her story at that moment. You know what I mean? Because that Storm, that African goddess, we’ve never seen before. Check back with Collider for more updates on Violent Ends.

Violent Ends

Director

John-Michael Powell

Writers

John-Michael Powell

Producers

Vincent Sieber

X-Men: Apocalypse is currently available to steam on Disney+. Watch Here