BASED ON A TRUE STORY’S LIANA LIBERATO ON FINDING HUMANITY IN THE FLAWS OF FICTIONAL WOMEN

BY IRVIN RIVERA

PHOTOGRPAHY: IRVIN RIVERA, FASHION STYLING: BRANDEN RUIZ, MAKE-UP: TAMMY YI @ EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS USING HOURGLASS COSMETICS, HAIR: RYAN TANIGUCHI, PRODUCER: PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG, PHOTO ASST: ANDREW LOPEZ, LOCATION: GRAPHICS METROPOLIS STUDIO

Liana Liberato knows the power of a good break. Fresh off her role as Tori in Peacock’s sharp and satirical Based On A True Story, the actress recently took a moment to recharge back in her home state of Texas, reconnecting with family over Thanksgiving. “Sometimes you just need to step away and remember what really fuels you,” she reflects, her words carrying the kind of grounded sincerity that draws you in. The series, a darkly comedic take on society's obsession with true crime, features Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina under the directorial lens of Alexander Buono. It offers viewers an “entertainment break” in itself, suspending reality with its thrilling, layered narrative. For Liberato, the role of Tori—a young woman navigating relationships in the shadow of shocking secrets—hit close to home in unexpected ways. "In your 20s, you’re figuring out who you are, carving out your own identity, and sometimes justifying the behavior of people you love, even when it costs you.”

Yet beyond her on-screen performances, Liberato is crafting stories of her own. In collaboration with best friend and fellow actress Brianne Tju, she’s been writing projects highlighting women's complexity, exploring unlikable but deeply human characters. “We want audiences to root for these women, even when their choices feel messy or flawed—because that’s life,” she shares, her passion for authenticity evident. Writing has become a creative sanctuary, allowing her to reclaim ownership in an industry where opportunities often require jumping through endless hoops. “As an actor, nothing is yours until you’ve fought for it. With writing, from its genesis, it’s entirely yours. That freedom is everything.” Between redefining narratives on screen and behind the scenes, Liberato is living proof of the beauty of embracing the chaos and quiet intermezzos of life.

What's keeping you creative and excited, and what's something exciting happening to you now?

I've actually been writing a lot to my best friend, Brianne Tju. We met each other on a TV show back in like 2018 and we just kind of fell in love with each other and became such good friends. After our show ended, we just didn't want to stop working together and sort of realized that there were not a lot of like projects out there that lit us up and inspired us. We decided we wanted to start writing projects highlighting women in ways that didn't feel like we were seeing a lot as actors, and we've been doing that ever since. And honestly, I think what I found as an actor is that an opportunity isn't yours until you know, you jump through a lot of hoops to get them. And something I found with writing, is that from its genesis, it's yours. And you know, whether it goes anywhere or not in this industry, it just feels nice to have a creative outlet that is solely yours.

That's beautiful because you're creating something wonderful out of your own ideas. It's especially special that you and your friend conceived it. It's just wonderful to hear that you're on that journey right now.

Yeah, I think, and I'm sure you probably feel this way a lot about photography as well. You know, there are so many moments in life where, obviously, you get into this industry because you love it and want to be a part of it. But sometimes that love gets lost at times, and it's a little watered down by many things. And so it's nice to go back to your roots and remember, like, why you fell in love with the creative process of everything. It's nice.

It keeps the passion burning, too. If it's something that you love and you're deep into it, it just keeps that burning passion going. You just love it. It doesn't feel like a job, as they say.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So yeah, I would say that that's definitely what's keeping me going so far.

That's amazing. Okay, let's go to “Based On A True Story.” Your portrayal of Tory in the show offers a nuanced look at a young woman entangled in complex relationships. How did you approach developing Tori's character and what aspects of her journey resonated with you personally?

Oh, man. You know, I think the beauty of this show is that it does provide a sense of escapism, and it's a very wild ride. I feel like, especially given the state of the world right now, people can kind of just sit back and watch a show and just be entertained and have fun. 

But it is true, like with any role that I receive, I try to ground it and find a way to connect to every character that I play. And obviously, Tori is no different. I think more than anything, this is one of the first roles that I've received where I'm really close to the character's age. And I think that 20s is when you decide what you want to, like, become the person you want to be, and be an individual and not lean too hard on influences and just carve out a life for yourself.

That's something I really related to with Tori, and I felt like I could bring some truth to it. Obviously, she's in a relationship with a serial killer, which I mean, hopefully, I will never be in a relationship with, but I can understand, you know, if, if we were to strip all of that story and just get down to the root of her intentions like, I think that all of us, in many ways, have found ourselves justifying people's behavior because we love them and we're rooting for them. And sometimes, we find ourselves giving so much energy to people who don't give the same back. It's not reciprocating, and so, yeah, I think I've definitely felt like that burst of love and drive to make a person better-  to help push them through a difficult time and be their sounding board. So I feel like those are kind of the two things, foundationally, that I tried to relate to Tori's story.

And the beautiful thing about his character, too, as an audience watching the show is that her character is so complex and layered. 

I feel like, that's the beauty of this show. You can dissect it or not. You can watch it and enjoy it, or sit back and try to dissect what our writers and showrunners are trying to get across and convey to you as an audience. but it can be interpreted in either way, which I think is fun. It's a brilliant show.

Yeah, definitely. And, I like how it treats the audience as intelligent. Love that about the show. So the show delves into society's fascination with true crime. How do you perceive this cultural obsession, and did it influence your portrayal of Tori?

You know, I think I find it pretty accurate, to be honest. Again, I think that we took it to another level in the show, but sometimes, at the same time, not really. I remember, there's a whole movement, like, even on TikTok, or just on social media where just, normal people are taking the responsibility of solving cold cases and missing persons. I mean, and you look at Kaley's (Cuoco) character, and you're like, oh, that's actually not too far off from what people in real life are doing. And in terms of Tory. We started very sensitive and not aware of, like, what's, what's happening in the world around us, and like, kind of not wanting to get too involved, which is, was definitely Tory in season one. Then all of a sudden, you're in bed with a serial killer - either in real life or metaphorically. Like you're, listening to a podcast as you put yourself to sleep at night. You're getting ready for work and watching a true crime show like you're suddenly very callous and desensitized to the world and what's happening around you. And I find that, again, it's obviously an extreme version with Tori's situation, but she goes from like from not being super aware of this, this whole true crime community to like, really being immersed in it.

Very immersed. So your career began at a young age with your roles in “Cold Case” and “Sons of Anarchy.” Now reflecting on your entire journey, how have these early experiences shaped your approach to acting?

Oh, they've been everything. I think that I feel really lucky. I think that I remember coming out to LA when I was nine years old, and the only type of media I had ever consumed was, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel. And honestly, that's kind of what I dreamt of doing when I was a kid, just because it was the only thing I knew. And then I never got those opportunities. I was never granted the opportunity to be on a Disney show or any Nickelodeon program. All I got were these, like dark, dark shows where my character is like the kid of a criminal, or like a victim, or like something along those lines, but honestly, it's funny because I have a lot of people say, like, Wow, you did a lot of dark stuff when you were younger with some really adult shows. 

And to be honest, I feel so lucky to be surrounded by adults who treated this job like a job and not just like a hobby. I was around people who took the job seriously, and they wanted to protect me. They saw me like a little girl who was very wide-eyed and vulnerable. I was surrounded by many adult actors who took me under their wings and tried to teach me good values and manners. I feel very lucky in that sense. And all I really liked as a kid, all I wanted to do was play pretend, which was the vessel for me to do that. On top of that, I was taught these beautiful life lessons and guided in the right direction. So I feel fortunate.

That's incredible. You're trained by professionals at an early age but from a different perspective. I would assume that it will be very different if you're in the business with many kids your age. 

I mean, I would imagine there would probably be a lot of competitiveness in the kids’ acting world. Probably just like raging hormones and emotions that you know would probably clash. I've heard many stories from friends who, you know, grew up on shows or did movies with other kids. I wasn't really exposed on set to the growing pains of life as much as probably some of my friends who were on shows with other kids

And then, you know, I would leave set, and I would just go home and hang out with my friends who (a lot of them) weren't actors. And so I felt like I had a pretty, weirdly, kind of normal childhood, in that sense. I just happened to go through stunts of working with adults. Sometimes, it provides you balance. 

It did the work-life balance. 

it definitely did. And I just feel so lucky that I got to work with just some really, really amazing adult actors as a kid.

Again, returning to your acting career, how do you prepare yourself for the diverse roles you get? What drives your choices when selecting your projects? 

I gravitate towards the character more than anything. If I read a script and I like the character and I feel like I can do justice to the character, then I'm gonna gun for it. 

And so yeah there really isn't a formula that gravitates me towards something every time I get a job. the demands of it are different, which keeps things exciting. Regarding preparation, I have a few go-to things I do before I walk on a set. But I kind of like to dance with my with my co-stars. I like to feed off of them and sometimes that definitely, like, determines my preparation. For instance, with Based On A True Story, I remember the sort of 180 my character has was very daunting for me. I was like, Oh, wow. I'm going from someone who was so insanely against this true crime world, to now really being behind it and supporting a serial killer. And I was like, How do I justify that? Really hard to do as much work as I could. But it wasn't until I arrived on set and started working across from Tom Bateman, who plays Matt, the serial killer, that it all started to click. I think Tori's love for Matt justifies all of her behavior. And I think it didn't make much sense without working across from Tom. And so I think a lot of it, you know, I definitely lean a lot on my co-actors.

That makes sense. Yeah, as much as you know what it is on paper, it's also energy work. You bounce off each other's energy and vibe with the people you work with.

Exactly! Luckily, I haven't had a bad experience with an actor, and so it's, it's great that I can lean on them.

Since you mentioned earlier that you're into writing and writing with your friend, what stories are you passionate about telling?

I like playing with, weirdly enough, unlikable women. I think that's something my friend and I like to explore. What we like is taking a woman and putting her in situations that stretch you or make you the most unlikable person and then finding the humanity in that. Also, finding for our reader or our audience to read the story regardless of our characters' choices- whether they're good or bad, you're always rooting for them because you’re just exposing the humanness of a woman. Because I feel like that's lost in cinema so often, although I think we're getting much better. And I like being a part of that movement. I think so often, especially with female characters, that sometimes we're put in a position where we're either just supposed to love on them and adore them, or we're not supposed to like them. And we're like, what if we just gave you a mixture of that as a person? What do you do with that? You know.

I like that. I mean, as humans, we are not just black and white. There are layers. It's so complex, nuanced and layered. And I love that. It's always exciting for me whenever I see complex characters, you know, on screen or even in books, like seeing that they're flawed, but you’re still rooting for them. Even if they make questionable decisions, you can definitely relate to it. That's beautiful.

Yeah, I think so too. And I just, I've just found that I feel like people can watch stories about men, and they're just a lot more forgiving with their choices. And I've found that with women, sometimes people can't like a woman who makes a bad decision in a movie. When she does, all of a sudden, she's a villain. it just makes me wonder why that's the case. I want our readers to view the characters and be like, gosh, man, like on on page 30, I was so angry at her. And then, by page 50, it all made sense. And then suddenly, by this page, it didn't. And like, you know, like we want people to go on an emotional journey, because, you know, such is life. That’s literally in real life as well. That's what's happening. Like, a lot of people are less forgiving of the choices that women make. 

I'm excited about whatever you will write, create, and put out there. As you continue to evolve in your career, what personal and professional aspirations guide your choices, and how do you define success for yourself in this ever-changing industry?

Oh, that's hard. Personally, honestly, I think there's no way I will be able to embrace what life has to offer if I am not gentle on myself and not like so hung up on on like the mistakes I make in life or the choices or the circumstances that come to me. Honestly, my motto probably going into next year is- Just to have a loose grip on life, and sort of allow life to teach me and not try to create answers for myself. And I think that’s the direction I'd like. 

Ultimately I just want to be happy. I feel like I don't know; it's a hard thing to achieve, but I do find that the things that I want in my life gravitate towards me when I find happiness in what's in front of me. And so I just remembered, like, it dawned on me one day, and I think this is what comes with being a kid actor- is like, you know, we just naturally put so much pressure on ourselves to be working because we grew up doing it constantly. And so when there's a lull, you think of yourself as a failure. And it kind of dawned on me a few years ago that I was only happy when I was working, which meant two or three times a year. And that was like a really, really sobering realization. I decided that I didn't want to do that anymore. And I was like, Well, how do I become happy every day, instead of every only when I'm on a set? And so I think that my idea of success is just to be pleased with what's being given to me, and obviously always strive for more and what I want, but also being content. And I think the rest will fall into place, because what's meant for me will come my way. 

You know what, yes, 1,000% And what you just said is just so very, very, very beautiful, especially what you said about being more gentle with yourself. Because I feel like in this current situation, day and age, we forget about that. We tend to. I mean, I remember back during the pandemic year when people were starting to be more mindful and nicer to themselves, because, like, we have more time to reflect, and now we're reverting to being like, let's just work, work, work, work, and just do stuff to survive. But so whatever you said, it's it's beautiful.

Oh, well, thanks. I try to read a lot of self-help books. Can't take credit for it, right.

Speaking of books, last question, if you were a book, what book would you be and why? 

A book that I, you know, I'm actually reading a book right now. It's called Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and it's one of her newer books. I haven't finished it yet. It's about two brothers who are kind of processing grief in two different ways, and I think I can relate to that right now. Like, I think that sometimes I feel like I'm two different people, and when something, when life, kind of happens to me, it kind of depends on the day, what person inside of me is gonna take that circumstance or take that emotion. And I'm not sure how it's going to be processed, and I feel like Sally Rooney, like really captures that well, because you have two brothers and their family, and you know a lot of the same things in life are happening to them, and you kind of watch or read in each chapter, like how each of them handle little bits of news that they receive, or like how they deal with love during the time and loss and stuff like that. And I also just really like the meaning of intermezzo, it's sort of the, it's like an instrumental break in between two acts. It feels kind of symbolic. Like, I think right now, having just come off of doing Based On A True Story, and entering the holidays, I feel like I'm kind of in between act breaks and just sort of trying to live in this quiet space and not trying to make it any more or less than what it is. 

I'm also reading a book called The Courage To Be Disliked, which I also really like right now,