“One Of Us Is Lying”s Zenia Marshall on Acting, Co-Stars And New Music

This triple-threat is not lying, we promise!

Actress Zenia Marshall has quickly captured our hearts. She now stars as Keely in the new hit show “One Of Us Is Lying”. You may have also seen her on CW’s iconic show “Supernatural”.

We had the amazing honor to talk with Zenia on her singing background, her brand new character, and her next goal!

Q: When did you realize that you wanted to venture into acting?

Z: “When I was younger, I was originally heavy into dance and the Nickelodeon TV series “Some Assembly Required” asked my ballet studio for a few dancers for an episode. A few fellow dancers and I had been sent to set and performed Swan Lake’s 4 little swans variation. Being there on set for the first time, I was so awestruck by how amazing the set was and wanted to do anything that would allow me to work in that magical environment! So I took my first acting class for fun at 14 years old and I fell in love!”

Q: Tell us about your amazing new role in Peacock’s “One of Us Is Lying”?

Z: “I play Keely in “One of Us Is Lying”. From the surface she is very much Bayview’s sweetheart; cheerleader, student body president, homecoming queen (nobody quite does school spirit like Keely haha). She dates the perfect top star athlete boyfriend and is best friends with Bayview’s most popular elite. But beneath the surface, she’s hiding so many secrets for others and fiercely protecting those she really cares about. And she’s also quietly protecting secrets of her own – hoping to steer clear out of being a suspected murderer in the investigation of her fellow classmate’s murder. Tune in to find out more!!”

Q: Did you gain any friendships with the cast?

Z: “The whole cast was so beautiful, sweet and hilarious. Especially being away from home for so long, we all bonded so well and became a really tight knit family in New Zealand. With journeys like this, it’s really hard not to end up like a really big family. I feel so lucky to have had some of the funnest coworkers I’ve ever had in this show!”

Q: When did you realize your love of singing?

Z: “I honestly don’t even remember the beginning of singing itself. Growing up in a family of musicians, music has always been there. Ever since I had first seen my mom singing on stage and watched the people she gave happiness to, I had always known I had wanted to do music. I think my love for singing became very transparent though when I was at the age of 5-6, realizing that I couldn’t go more than a day or two without singing. I go into withdrawal going too long without music. I get so pent up, really off balance, and it makes me feel so off. It has some grounding powers that I can’t quite explain.”

Q: Can we expect more music from you in 2022?

Z: “Yesss!! I have a single coming up and an EP as well that I’m currently working on to be released in the new year! It’s going to be quite an experimental EP with a few different sub genres of the indie pop realm with varying introspective storylines about love and self love. I’ve been sitting on so many old songs for so long and I can’t wait to start to bring those to life in my first album but this EP will be some of the most recent songs I started writing in the pandemic and I’m so excited to share it with you!”

Q: If you could star in a project with any actress, who would it be and why?

Z: “It would be unimaginably amazing to work with Christina Applegate, Mindy Kaling, Rachel Brosnahan, Gina Rodriguez, and Kristen Wiig. They’re some of my all time favourite actresses and are so incredibly talented. They’ve all made me laugh the most when it comes to comedy and brightened up so many of my days that I can only hope one day, I’ll be able to work with one of them in the future where I get to witness their magic in person!”

Q: What are your biggest goals for your acting career?

Z: “I have been blessed with opportunities to play many lighter, bubblier and sweeter characters but I really do hope to get a chance to bring more edgier, darker and rawer characters to life in film. I can tell it’s not something that pops to everyone’s minds when they first meet me but emotionally, I feel most comfortable and in love with heavy dramas and roles! But on the opposite end as well, I most definitely would love to be able to work on a comedy series or sitcom one day. I think the world needs as much comedy and happiness as it can get. Comedies have brightened up some of my saddest days and I really want to be able to somehow do that for others one day as well.”

Q: Where can we follow your amazing journey?

Z: “You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, and even Tik Tok now! (I swear I’ll start posting on Tik Tok soon!!).”

Catch Zenia on Peacock’s “One Of Us Lis Lying” streaming now!

Photo Credits: Peacock, Zenia Marshall

Interview Written and Conducted By: Je’Kayla Crawford