Meet 'The Sweet East' Star Talia Ryder

In her first breakout lead role, New York-born actress Talia Ryder plays Lillian in The Sweet East (2023), a picaresque film that follows a sheltered high school senior from South Carolina as she embarks on a journey of the East Coast after being separated from her class on a group trip to Washington, D.C. Along the way, Lillian meets a string of eclectic characters, all of whom live in seemingly alternate worlds. The film acts as a study of the United States and its many different communities, showcasing even the most bizarre bits and pieces of the people and places Lillian encounters on her coming-of-age adventure.

Aside from Talia Ryder in the lead role, the cast of The Sweet East features Jacob Elordi, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy O. Harris, Earl Cave, and Simon Rex. 

The Sweet East, the debut directorial project of Sean Price Williams, has been praised for its gripping, distinctive cinematography, as well as the performance of its actors. In an early December 2023 review, film critic Nick Allen praised Talia Ryder's portrayal of Lillian, describing it as "a star-affirming performance, starting with the opening credits sequence in which Ryder swoons an incredibly catchy dream pop ballad to herself in the bathroom mirror." 

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Ryder began her acting career at the age of 12, when she auditioned for Matilda: The Musical on Broadway, subsequently landing the role of Hortensia and prompting her family's move to New York City. Other early roles include a place in the Jets chorus In Steven Spielberg's 2021 adaptation of West Side Story and a lead role in Olivia Rodrigo's 2021 music video for her hit song, "Deja Vu."

Ryder's role as Lillian in The Sweet East was her first breakout lead role, but Ryder enjoyed success after her portrayal of Skylar in Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), a performance that garnered significant critical success and several award nominations. A confrontational, emotional drama, Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows Autumn, played by Sidney Flanagan, a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania on a journey to New York City, accompanied by her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), to get an abortion. After a screening at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, the film won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the second most prestigious prize at the festival. 

In praise of the film, The New Yorker culture contributor Naomi Fry wrote, "In its profound sensitivity to everyday detail, Never Rarely Sometimes Always makes the viewer aware of the mundane challenges that dog every step its heroines manage to take along that path—from the large, cheap suitcase bumped along with difficulty on subway steps, to the dwindling-down-to-nothing funds in a secreted-away pouch, to the flutter-lidded, late-night dozes taken on the subway, in lieu of a place to stay, waiting out the hours."

In between her two breakout roles, Talia Ryder portrayed Gabbi—the love interest of the protagonist Eleanor, played by Maya Hawke—in Netflix's Do Revenge (2022), a classic teen rom-com featuring a revenge plot trope with a fresh, modern twist. 

In an interview with Vogue, Ryder says "I think the thing that hopefully [The Sweet East] touches on is that people feel it’s not completely out of our control. In life, if you seek out adventure with hope, adventure finds you, and things end up going your way, too. I really like that the film closes with the line “Everything will happen.” I think that’s the most hopeful way to say it." 

At 21, Ryder's career as an actress is just beginning. With an eclectic filmography behind her and critical acclaim and praise for her diverse range of roles, Ryder has captured the eye of industry figures and the public alike, reeling us all in with both her enrapturing performances on the screen and her personality, and it's looking like in the words of The Sweet East, "everything will happen" for Talia Ryder in the pursuit of her acting career.