Alexis Molnar is set to captivate audiences with her portrayal of Raya in Netflix’s upcoming mini series, “ERIC,” a psychological thriller that follows a distressed father searching for his missing nine-year-old son in gritty 1980s New York City. Created by Emmy and BAFTA winner Abi Morgan (“The Iron Lady,” “The Split”), the series stars Academy Award winner Benedict Cumberbatch and is set to premiere on May 30th, 2024. Declaring, “the more complex and dark the better,” the New Jersey native and ‘Fiona Apple scholar’ reveals her attraction to intense characters, and further marvels at the opportunity to delve into such depth with Raya, a homeless drug addict dwelling among the city’s underground mole people.

Beginning her acting journey at a young age and later graduating from Pace University’s Musical Theater Program, Molnar has originated numerous theatrical roles. She portrayed Alana Beck in the original cast of “Dear Evan Hansen,” as well as Lottie Adams in “Harbor,” for which she received the 2013 CT Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut. Her affinity for complex characters also extends to other projects, such as the short punk horror film “BOYHOARDER,” in which Molnar both stars and serves as a producer.

Molnar’s passion for deep storytelling transcends acting into music with her cabaret the “Fiona Apple Songbook” at Don’t Tell Mama NYC, which earned a nomination for BroadwayWorld’s Best Cabaret of 2021. Proficient enough in Apple’s language to give a lecture on “each one of her songs singularly,” Molnar also draws inspiration from similarly complex musical artists such as Patti Smith and Prince.

Your artistic journey began in childhood, primarily centered around music. What inspired your shift towards acting, and what factors led you to commit to it as a full- time career?
Ever since I was little, I always enjoyed going to the local theater in town with my parents to see plays and bands, to PaperMill Playhouse and to the Performing Arts Center to see the ballet - so in some ways, I was always familiar with the world of entertainment and truly had the classic “At The Ballet” experience of thinking it looked like the most beautiful thing to be part of. Once I started taking training more seriously and frequently attended showcase intensives in NYC, it exposed me to the industry from a business standpoint. I still enjoyed it, and thought if I am both supported and good enough - why not pursue it. Naively, it was never a question to me to pursue anything else.

Tell us about the upcoming short horror film “BOYHOARDER,” which you produced and star in. How was your experience on the production side, and what initially intrigued you about the story? Were there any challenges or learning moments along the way?
”BOYHOARDER” is my punk horror thriller short directed by Gabrielle Carrubba about an underground band and a fan who takes their blood-lusting lyrics a bit too literally. I have always wanted to be part of anything horror related or getting to play with a more grotesque character than usual, while getting to sing the incredible music of my co star Liza Anne and their writing partner Kyle Ryan. Productions always come with their challenges, especially when working with a limited budget - you truly have to rely on your community to support you in a lot of ways, and we try to work with people who understand that there may be imperfect moments but we all believe in the art.

You describe yourself as an unlicensed Fiona Apple scholar, and sing the “Fiona Apple Songbook” at Don't Tell Mama NYC - what fuels your passion for Fiona Apple?
Fiona Apple is like gospel to me. To me, there isn’t another artist as unique as her in terms of musicality and lyricism. If you listen to “TIDAL” and think about how she was a teenager articulating so much depth in both her words and melodies. Each album is a masterpiece in its own right, and all are no skips to me. She has expanded me as a human being and think she has made me more magnanimous. I love her anger, her tact, her taste, her humor, and yet I try to not fall into idolatry too hard. That being said, I do have an apple tattoo in honor of her and could seriously start a lecture series of each one of her songs singularly.

In the upcoming Netflix mini-series “ERIC,” you portray Raya alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Raya is depicted as a drug addict living among New York’s mole people, who reside beneath the city’s subway system. What was your experience like delving into such a complex character, and how did you find being part of such an intense and compelling project?
Playing Raya was a very intense and gratifying experience. Since her situation deals with
both homelessness and addiction, it was important to me to make sure that there was nothing exploitative or insensitive about my performance. “DARK DAYS” was an incredible documentary to delve into which explores the real communities of people living in subway tunnels, as well as being provided meetings with addiction specialists to understand the effects of what the drugs Raya is addicted to does to her and her choices. Characters like Raya are ideal for a person like me, the more complex and dark the better - I think it’s an extremely fascinating opportunity to receive and beyond a gift to get to be part of the world Abi Morgan brilliantly created alongside so many talented departments.

How was working with academy award winner Benedict Cumberbatch? Were there any notable moments on set?
Benedict Cumberbatch is an incredibly lovely and talented person, and getting an
opportunity to get to see him work was an endless masterclass of both on and off screen. I think when you’re working with such a legendary group of artists, the notable moments never end.

Growing up in the present-day tri-state area, what was it like stepping into the vintage world of “ERIC,”, which is set in 1980s New York City?
When you grow up in the tri-state area in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, you always hear about what a disaster NYC was - all the socioeconomic issues we unfortunately are still faced with in present day, but things looked a lot less pretty and expensive then. All the departments did really exceptional work in transforming all of us and the sets into the 1980’s that the world came easily - and cool to see references to things you heard your parents tell you about. That being said, Raya’s underground world of 1980’s NYC might be a bit different than the above ground world due to her situation.

You’ve noted that watching television is not really your “thing,” why do you think you’re interested in being part of television projects but not a huge fan of watching them?
I do think owning a television would assist in my interest in watching shows, but it really comes down to what I want to spend my time consuming. If I get into a series, I really have to make the time to dedicate myself to it and my schedule + brain are more compatible to watching films - plus, most if not all my favorite shows of the past decade have since been cancelled. I never want to be oversaturated with consumption after the binging during the beginning of the pandemic, and I simply watch too many films. If something seems personally compelling to me, I will do my best to take the time to watch.

Where would you like to see yourself in the next couple of years - any dream costars or projects?
In the next couple years, I would love to have a few more on screen roles under my belt - whether it be film or series. Anything horror related, psychological related, drama related, I would be thrilled to explore. If I had to pick a dream director to work with, it would be Michael Haneke and my dream co star would be Isabelle Huppert. However, there is a massive and unending list of people and production companies I would jump to work with if given the opportunity. I would love to do more straight plays, I would love to write more and develop my own work granted that they are able to be produced, and I would also love to be able to grant accessibility to all of my creative friends who want to put their hearts into making art.

What was it like being part of the original cast of “Dear Evan Hansen?”
”Dear Evan Hansen” was an incredibly formative and educational experience. There was a lot of trust put into me when I joined the show, and was and still am very appreciative of the chance to be part of the development of that show. It taught me a lot about the demands of being in a musical, the rapid changes of building a new work, and gave me some lifelong friends.

How did you get into Pilates and what prompted you to become a certified instructor?
I got into Pilates after needing an emergency appendectomy in April of 2020 - it was a time where most everything was shut down due to the beginning of the pandemic, so recovery was having to stay home alone and relearning to use my abdominal muscles. A dear friend of mine from my college class is an instructor, and she and I started doing two virtual sessions a week for a little over a year. From there, I started working on the administration side of a Pilates studio of which I am still part of the community. Being an instructor for both my own personal practice and the beauty teaching was something I had always wanted to do. When I was finally able to make an investment into instructor training, it was like a dream come true. It is nice to invest yourself in something sometimes that has nothing to do with the world of film, though teaching definitely does come with an air of performance. I love making people feel functional and feel the best in their body all in a non stressful or judgmental environment.

What are some artists that inspire you?
Some artists that inspire me are (but are not limited to): Fiona Apple, David Lynch, Debbie Harry, Prince, Cookie Mueller, Donna Summer, Fran Leibowitz, and Patti Smith.

I've noticed your fondness for unique license plate names on Instagram. Despite living the true New York City lifestyle without a license, if you were to have one, what would your plate say?
It’s a little off color, but if I had a license plate it would say something along the lines of B1TCH or RATLUVR. Not sorry about it!

As a Jersey girl, what are some of your favorite places and establishments in New Jersey?
I definitely enjoy visiting my hometown, all the local restaurants to see the people I grew up with and neighbors who are supporting me from home. My dad found this local fish market that we often take a scenic drive to and splurge on a special meal whenever I come to visit. I worked very hard to leave New Jersey, though this is always something specially nostalgic when I come back.

Social Media.
https://www.instagram.com/alexiskaymolnar/

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz
Photographer: Sylvie Rosokoff
Talent:Alexis Molnar
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Romi Bachar, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine