Myra Molloy Steps Into the Spotlight

Just over a decade ago, the actor and musician Hayley Kiyoko released a song called “Girls Like Girls,“ a single off her second EP as she began making her shift from a Disney Channel star to a multitalented creative in her own right. Based on her own teenage experiences with lesbian attraction, the song became an online hit that earned Kiyoko the nickname of “Lesbian Jesus“ and, through the years, grew into a whole storytelling universe, including a best-selling young adult novel by Kiyoko and now a feature film she both wrote and directed. As Sonya, the conflicted object of Coley’s affection, the Thai-American actor Myra Molloy is now making her own case for multi-hyphenate status like Kiyoko. A former winner of Thailand’s Got Talent, Molloy made history as the first Thai performer to lead a Broadway show when she stepped in as Eurydice in Hadestown last year, and her latest projects demonstrate her dramatic strengths as well. In an exclusive conversation for Cero Magazine, Molloy speaks with her Girls Like Girls costar Maya da Costa about representation, self-awareness, and the many reasons Kiyoko is Mother.

Maya da Costa What was it like working with Hayley on this project? Particularly given her background as an actor and the fact that this marks her directorial debut.
Myra Molloy It was an honor of a lifetime, honestly. I didn’t grow up here; I grew up in Bangkok, but I knew of Hayley because she’s famous and she’s one of us, being mixed race. I always looked up to her. Working with her—she’s the most humble, wonderful, empathetic person ever. She’s a multihyphenate, an insane, superhuman talent. We both had such an incredible, life-changing time working with her.
MD I one-hundred-percent agree. When I met Hayley, it was like, Oh my god, this is Wonder Woman. It is unbelievable that someone could go from making a music video to a book to a movie and then a freaking album. She is the gift that never stops giving. But it’s so interesting because she’s so chill as a person.

MM Her humility knows no bounds. Every time we talk to her, or do interviews with her, she starts choking up, we start choking up, and then we’re all just crying. That’s just who she is. She feels so deeply; she’s just a boss. We love her.
MD She is Mother. How did it feel to be part of a film that expands on a story Hayley has been developing and sharing with audiences for so many years?
MM It’s incredible. It’s a testament to who she is and this ten-plus-year journey. Her perseverance is inspiring—knowing she never gave up on her community or this story. Being a part of the Girls Like Girls universe is insane; there was already such a huge Hayley Kiyoko fan base, and this is a dream come true. All I can feel is immense gratitude and relief that she can finally put this out in the world. That’s her baby. She birthed Girls Like Girls the movie, and she birthed us.

MD She’s been in labor with this movie for ten years. Imagine trying to do the same thing for ten years; the determination it takes is absolutely unreal. It reminds me of when I read The Handmaid’s Tale for the first time—the way it showed how much women have to fight to be seen, heard, and to have a life fully expressed, authentically and freely.
MM Who else has turned a song into a freaking movie? That never happens. Most people dabble, they’re dilettantes. Hayley excels in songwriting, filmmaking, acting, and directing. That’s her calling.
MD Do you have any favorite memories or behind-the-scenes anecdotes from your time working together on the film?
MM There are so many. We were shooting in the most beautiful location in Kelowna in the summer, so we were having a coming-of-age summer inside our coming-of-age shooting schedule. I loved hanging out with you on the lake and just making you break into laughter in between takes.

MD I didn’t remember this until a picture of it was sent to me, but there’s a shot of us on the stairs hugging. We were in between takes of a very packed day and were both exhausted to the point where we couldn’t even formulate a sentence. We weren’t even speaking; we just sat in stillness for ten minutes. I feel like that picture sums us up.
MM You’re so right. I want that framed. It was candid, and I truly felt like we leaned on each other on this shoot.
MD The film is set in 2006 and incorporates a lot of analog technology. How did immersing yourself in that era and drawing from your own childhood experiences inform your performance?
MM I love that there are no iPhones in the film. In ’06, I was nine, and I would wait for my crush to come online on the family desktop. Every time Sonya flipped out her Sidekick and typed, I was like, Oh my goodness, I miss this. We yearn for the quietness, peacefulness, and beauty of life before everything was documented. There’s not a selfie in sight, which feels very present.

MD It was lovely to play with that connection. These characters weren’t constantly being photographed or recorded. Sonya would have been the original influencer if she had an iPhone, though. She’d be the OG.
MM Oh, it would be over for us if Sonya had an iPhone. Coley would just have a Substack. She would log in, type away, and Sonya would be like, “Welcome to a day in my life. Come to dance camp with me.“
MD As someone with a singing background, how has music influenced your approach to acting and storytelling?
MM Singing flung me into the spotlight and allowed me to get out of my shell. As a kid, I was quite shy and introverted. Going on stage at a young age helped me learn to be more confident. That life experience has informed who I am as an actor. It’s cool that Hayley is also a singer; we really bonded over that. It’s all interconnected.
MD It’s so cool that you don’t choose just one medium. You are a true multi-hyphenate.
MM We are many threads! Triple, quadruple, quintuple—we can do it all.

MD Is this your first time portraying an LGBTQ+ character? If so, what were some of the key considerations you brought to the role?
MM It’s not my first. My first LGBTQ+ role was on an HBO Asia show when I was fifteen or sixteen. What I’ve learned this time around is that this story is very personal to Hayley and to the community. My goal was to portray that as authentically as possible. It was made easy because you were Coley and you’re perfect, and Hayley has a vision that is succinct, cohesive, and clear. It was the perfect storm to tell this tender and meaningful story.
MD What does it mean to help you tell a queer love story, and why do you think coming-of-age sapphic stories are particularly important?
MM Growing up in Bangkok, that’s the community I was surrounded by. These stories are dear to my heart. Being able to tell this in such a tender, beautiful way and share it with the world is special. I get to bring my personal experiences to it, and Hayley’s personal story is a conduit for that. I stand by the idea that to be seen is to be loved. Once you surrender to love, you become your truest self. We need more queer joy expressed in film.
MD And how cool that Thailand is one of Hayley’s biggest demographics.
MM My friends back home are gagging for the film to come there. Just seeing how much it’s impacted people during Pride feels so divine. I’ve run out of words to express my gratitude.

MD I was re-watching the trailer and your performance is so good. Sonya is a difficult character because she’s putting on an act, but you have to show the water under the bridge. Even in the scenes where she’s smiling with her friends, her eyes are so sad. You could just tell there’s so much going on.
MM I appreciate that. You made it easy. That’s the beauty of acting—getting to do the thing you love with someone so sincere. Feeling comes from doing, and I just got to be present. The rest was effortless because of you.
MD Your character is complex and at times difficult to fully read. What was your experience like bringing such a layered character to life?
MM Sonya is so misunderstood. Her heart feels one thing, but her head is thinking about societal pressure and what people think of her. When you’re that age, the stakes feel like life or death. I felt so misunderstood as a teenager, especially being in the public eye. I felt like people never got to know the real me because they had this image they thought I had to uphold. With Sonya, I was like, Girl, I know exactly what you’re going through. She has to put on a brave face, but inside, she’s fighting to figure out who she is and fighting for this love with Coley. Portraying that was extremely cathartic. I wanted to tap back into that feeling and just be human. I didn’t want to play a caricature.
MD It’s funny because every time you’ve been asked what you’d tell your younger self, it’s about compassion. And that’s exactly what Coley tells Sonya. It’s no wonder it was such a healing experience.
MM It really was.

MD Why do you think it is important to continue telling Asian-led stories today, and what significance does this film hold in that conversation?
MM When we were doing chemistry reads, I honestly thought, I’m not going to be in this movie because they’re never going to cast two Asian leads. It’s sad that we’ve limited ourselves to the narrative that it can’t happen because it hasn’t been done frequently enough. That’s why this movie is so important. I would have loved to have seen myself on screen when I was a kid in Bangkok. I would have loved to feel like what I wanted in life wasn’t unreasonable.
MD Yeah.
MM I think this is so important for a younger generation to see—to realize their real life is portrayed on screen. Bringing my family to see us ten feet tall in a theater...I will never go a day without being grateful for that. We’re pushing the needle, and I’m so excited about more representation, more women of color, and more queer stories. If we can touch just one person, that’s more than I could have ever dreamed of.

Girls Like Girls is now in theaters.