[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Marked Men: Rule + Shaw]

Summary

In ‘Marked Men: Rule + Shaw,’ the relationship between Rule and Shaw blurs the lines between friendship and love.

Shaw’s wealthy conservative background contrasts with Rule’s rebellious nature.

Sydney Taylor shares what the audition process was like, whether they thought about changing her hair for the role, and shooting the seduction scene.

Based on Jay Crownover’s best-selling novel, Marked Men: Rule + Shaw tells the story of Rule Archer (Chase Stokes) and Shaw Landon (Sydney Taylor), an unlikely pair whose friendship shifts into something more, but not without its fair share of bumps along the way. Known as “Casper,” the girl with the pale complexion who was roommates with Rule’s twin brother Remy until he tragically passed away three years prior, Shaw has silently loved Rule for years, watching the multitude of women in and out of his bed and knowing that the walls he put up around his heart wouldn’t allow for anything deeper than that. But when a drunken night of seduction blurs the line between friendship and love, the two try to navigate their differences in an effort to find something real.
Shaw comes from a wealthy conservative family who looks down on her for not toeing the line, but she finds herself drawn to Rule’s rebellious nature and unapologetic attitude. While his own family relationships are strained, he has managed to form deep bonds with a group of fellow tattoo artists who are loyal and supportive of each other and know how to have a good time. When they decide to see where things between them can go and Rule really starts to see Shaw for who she is, he has to work through his own fears of commitment if they’re even going have a chance.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Taylor talked about the audition process she went through for the role of Shaw, why she felt so drawn to the character, whether she ever had a conversation with director Nick Cassavetes about blonde hair that Shaw is so well known for in the book, the very memorable first time the audience sees Rule and Shaw together, shooting the tattoo shop seduction, the morning after moment with Rome (Alexander Ludwig) and Nash (Matthew Noszka), whether that “Do you wanna pull my hair?” line was scripted, the painting of Shaw on the building wall, and rooting for Ayden (Ella Balinska) and Jet (Evan Mock).
Sydney Taylor Thought There Was No Way She Would Be Cast As Shaw in ‘Marked Men’

Collider: When this came your way, what was the thing that grabbed you about it? Was it Nick Cassavetes? Was it the character and her world?
SYDNEY TAYLOR: Being an unknown actor, it was very much a normal audition process. I got the initial audition and thought there was no way I was gonna get it. Nick [Cassavetes], the director, wasn’t attached to it. Chase [Stokes] wasn’t attached. So, I did a normal audition, and then Nick ended up really taking a liking to me, and he wanted to have a personal one-on-one meeting with me, which was super not common for a normal audition process. And then, I had a chemistry read with him and Chase that went well enough, I think. But once I had gotten the job and felt like I could live in it then, it was definitely in the character. I loved her so much and I felt like she was so similar to me in so many ways. I initially put a lot more of myself into the character because that was just the in that I had to find a level of authenticity. And then, throughout the course of filming, Nick had his idea of the character, and my idea melded into what she became. I honestly like her a lot better as a good mix of our ideas than mine alone.
Did you have to wait a long time to find out if you’d actually gotten the role?
TAYLOR: Once I got really close, I didn’t have to wait too long. Once I had done the chemistry read, I heard back the next day because it was down to so few people. The morning that I heard, I couldn’t be home because I was too stressed. I was waiting by my phone because I felt that they were gonna make their decision pretty quickly. So, I made myself go to the movies. I went and watched Pearl, which I loved. I remember halfway through the movie, my manager started texting me, “Hey, are you home? Can you come here?” I didn’t think I had the job. I thought Nick wanted to meet with me to let me down easy. So, I got on a Zoom call under the guise that it was the producer wanting to ask me a couple more questions. And then, Chase’s face popped up while he was filming Valiant One, out in the forest in his camo with just trees and sky above him, and he said that he wanted to ask me one more question. And then, he asked me if I wanted to come to Bulgaria with him. That was how they told me that I got the job.

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One of the most significant changes from the book is that Shaw had blonde hair. Did you guys ever talk about changing your hair?
TAYLOR: I didn’t know the hair was such a big thing. This is my natural hair. I’ve never dyed my hair, not that I’m opposed to it. I was on the phone with Nick, talking about different physical attributes of the character, different costuming choices, and makeup and hair, and he said that he knows that she’s blonde in the book, but I could do whatever color I wanted. I asked him if I could keep my hair because I do feel like, especially within the industry now, with young girls, they’re changing their appearance so young. In sixth grade, I remember that people were drastically changing their appearance. I just wanted her to have natural hair and a natural appearance. I really didn’t know that the blonde was gonna be such a big thing with the fans.
Our introduction to Shaw is when she walks in on Rule with a woman in his bed and has a conversation with him naked. What was your reaction the first time you read that scene and what was that scene like to shoot?
TAYLOR: When I read that, even in the book, I loved it. I thought that was so funny and so ballsy, just to not care. That was one of the things I loved about her so much and loved specifically about her relationship with Rule. She is so strong-headed. He does not shake her in any way. If anything, she almost puffs out her chest a little bit around him. She most definitely isn’t gonna be pushed around or made uncomfortable. If anything, she makes him a little uncomfortable. I really loved that. A nice contrast that I didn’t do intentionally, but just in seeing the film, around her ex-boyfriend, she gets very small, and it feels like she cowers away and doesn’t have the personality that she has around everyone else. I didn’t do that intentionally, but I think it definitely came through that Rule makes her shine so much more as a person, which I thought was a nice thing.
The Tattoo Shop Seduction in ‘Marked Men’ Almost Had a Comical Tone to It

Image via Voltage

What was it like to figure out the whole seduction in the tattoo shop? Between taking your dress off, getting on the pool table, meowing, and all of that, there’s a lot happening. What was it like to figure all of that out, including climbing onto Chase Stokes on the chair without falling off? There were so many possible chances that could have gone wrong.
TAYLOR: Oh, my God, there were so many things that could have gone wrong. It was nice that that scene was actually one of my audition scenes that I did for my chemistry read with Chase. I had those lines memorized for so long that I really was able to focus on the physicality and not have to worry about remembering anything because it was so ingrained in my brain. There was a lot of choreography for that. It was initially going to be crawling on the floor, and then we saw the set and the pool table, and Nick went, “Nope, you’re crawling on that.” So then, I had to figure out how to get sexily up on a pool table, which is not a cute thing to do. And then, I had to get off of it somehow. And also, I had to get Chase back into the chair and have him trip back into it and have me not trip up into it, but not be able to look at what I’m doing because then that would break eye contact. And then, getting the dress off was a whole thing. Initially, in the script, it was supposed to be a very clumsy thing with a zipper, and her hair gets stuck, and she’s pulling on it. It was almost comical. But as we were doing the scene, that just wasn’t working, so we decided to leave it as it is. There really is so much going on in that scene.
He even picks you up at the end of it.
TAYLOR: And he could actually only pick me up with one arm. He had a staph infection in his right arm, so he could only pick me up with his left arm. When you watch it, one of his arms doesn’t move, and he’s just holding me with the one arm. So, good on him for not dropping me with one arm.

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I really liked the moment when Shaw is trying to sneak out of Rule’s bedroom and runs into Nash and Rome. It was sweet to hear Rome be supportive and say that he could see them together and that nobody was trying to shame her. What was that moment like to shoot? How did you figure out those relationships?
TAYLOR: The dynamic of all three of those characters in that scene is so fun, with Nash giving her such shit. You can just feel so much love in that scene. Alexander [Ludwig]’s character is like, “This was bound to happen.” And Nash just couldn’t believe it. I actually wrote Alexander’s line down as one of my favorite lines. He says, “I kinda see it.” He always saw it, and he was so supportive. You’re right, he didn’t try to shame her at all. I really liked shooting that scene. That was fun.
Why Was That Heartfelt ‘Marked Men’ Conversation Between Rule and Shaw One of Sydney Taylor’s Favorite Scenes?

Image via Voltage

When Rule shows up to talk to Shaw, and they have that relationship conversation, it’s funny because he’s clearly not good at putting his feelings into words, like so many guys. I was particularly struck by him saying, “You’re important to me,” and her response of, “I am?” What was that important conversation like to figure out and shoot?
TAYLOR: That scene ended up being one of my favorites. We shot that towards the end of filming, and I really enjoyed the shift in the power imbalance. You can just tell how much she cares. She’s just sitting there. She doesn’t say she’s sorry. She doesn’t say she regrets anything. She’s just sitting, waiting for him to say what he wants to say. And I thought that it was so lovely to not have her crack and say, “I’m so sorry. It was a mistake.” She knows how she feels. She doesn’t feel bad about it. She just waits for him to say what he wants to say and she’s honest with him. Her bluntness really comes out around him, and I think he’s maybe around a lot of people that aren’t so blunt. It’s a nice, refreshing thing when someone is so blunt, especially when you’re not used to it and especially when it comes from a girl. Having girls be very blunt is not super common, and I’m quite a blunt person, which is probably why I delivered it that way. She’s just listening and not trying to get him to say any particular thing. She’s just trying to get him to say what he wants to say and get to where the end of the conversation is going to be. She knows what she wants, and she knows what he wants, and it’s okay having it just be. I really enjoyed that choice in the writing.
Was the whole, “Do you wanna pull my hair,” scripted?
TAYLOR: That was scripted. That was Nick’s touch, for sure. It was fun trying to find the right delivery of it because there were so many different ways that we could have gone with that. Their relationship is so fun and new, and it’s not super serious or uptight. They’re just having fun and figuring it out. That’s what I really love about their relationship.

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What was it like to see the painting of yourself on the wall? Was that really painted on a building?
TAYLOR: The guy that painted it is a wonderful graffiti artist who I’m still friends with, to this day. That’s a gift he actually gave me. He went and got it printed on a little canvas that I have, so I did get to bring it home. They were trying to get a building to sign off in Bulgaria for them to actually paint it up on the building, but I don’t think any of the buildings signed off on it, so it was CG. But I did get to bring home my own little version that he did. I really love it.
Sydney Taylor Is Rooting for Ayden and Jet’s ‘Marked Men’ Relationship

Image via Voltage

We leave off with Shaw saying that she feels bad for leaving Ayden without a roommate, and Jet saying that he’s her roommate now. Are you rooting for another movie to get to see that relationship explored?
TAYLOR: I’m definitely rooting for that relationship. There’s such a nice mix of the guy that gets everything and the girl that never likes any guy, and then there being the one. I really enjoyed their relationship. And Ella [Balinska] and Evan [Mock] have such a nice dynamic. Even off set, they were together all the time. They love each other so much as friends that I would love to see their movie, personally, but that’s just me.
What do you think Shaw’s reaction was after the screen goes black?
TAYLOR: I think it’s intriguing. I think Shaw is happy that she isn’t left alone and that she’s left with someone that will make her life so interesting. Ayden really feeds on chaos, which Jet definitely provides. So, I think she’s excited for her friend’s new chapter in life.
Check out the trailer for Marked Men: Rule + Shaw: