Starting a career in television at a young age, Carlson Young gained a wealth of experience that would serve her well into adulthood. First appearing on the Disney Channel show As the Bell Rings, Young would go on to star in a list of popular series, including a central role in MTV’s Scream series for two seasons as Brooke Maddox. From her work in feature films, Young began to expand her repertoire as a writer and film director along the way.
Writing and directing the 2021 Horror film The Blazing World, starring the legendary Udo Kier, she would also direct the Amazon Prime 2024 Romantic Comedy Upgraded. Showing flexibility and diversity, now in 2025, she captures tension with her third directorial feature, Trust. A film that relies heavily on the theme of survival and strength, Trust features an all-star cast, including Sophie Turner, Katey Sagal, and Gianni Paolo, among others. Released in theaters on August 22, 2025, Carlson Young took a little time to discuss Trust, the trajectory of her career, her approach to directing, and more.
Cryptic Rock – You have been involved in film and television for some time. Beginning in acting at a young age, you have also worked behind the camera as a director in recent times. How would you describe your journey in entertainment to this point?
Carlson Young – Unexpected, exciting. I’m grateful. It’s been good, I guess, in some senses.
Cryptic Rock – It certainly has been diverse, too. As mentioned, with an actor’s background, you are now working in a director’s position. Do you enjoy both those dynamics?
Carlson Young – Yeah. I mean, I think acting was my first love. It was my education in this kind of space, this world.
I feel like I learned how to direct by just being on sets and observing the crew and the directors that I was working with. And I really love being on the other side of it. I love directing. I feel like I get to use my whole brain when I direct, and I love it. I’m really grateful to have kind of bridged the two.
Cryptic Rock – It is great to have both tools. You have also worked on some interesting projects thus far as a director. You have worked in Horror, Comedy, and other genres. Do you have a favorite genre that you enjoy working in as either an actress or a director, or do you enjoy the challenge of both?
Carlson Young – I love the challenge of it all. I’m motivated by places I haven’t been before. I think it’s like navigating new territory that can feel foreign. The trick is to kind of bring the new weapons into each arena. So, no, I’m really genre-agnostic. I think that the fun part is finding my voice in new genres. I’m about to start shooting a Romance. So that’s a real left turn from Trust.
Cryptic Rock – Very interesting. You mentioned Trust, which is your most recent film. Trust is more of a suspense Thriller/Horror film, but then you are going to work on a Romance.
Carlson Young – Yeah. It’s a fun turn.
Cryptic Rock – Absolutely! Looking at Trust, it arrived in theaters on August 22, 2025. So, how did Trust come about for you?
Carlson Young – I was editing a Romantic Comedy, my last film Upgraded (2024). Trust came across my table kind of at the tail end of the edit. I read it, and I was really intrigued by it. I connected deeply to Sophie’s character, Lauren. Then I was motivated by the challenge of a contained Survival Thriller. I also saw a lot of Comedy in it, frankly. It is also heavy and dark material, but there’s like a comedic element that I was interested in. So, I said yes and pursued
Cryptic Rock – Trust has several underlying themes. Like you said, survival is one of the biggest. There is also this idea of control and being controlled by others.
Carlson Young – Yes. The first film that I did, The Blazing World (2021), was kind of like a thematic dress rehearsal for this in a lot of ways. I think that there were similar energies and tones in it. I was fortunate enough to iterate on what I found in that space. It’s an evolution.
Cryptic Rock – You can certainly see that. Another interesting aspect of this is how art imitates reality. In Trust, your main character, Lauren, is pregnant, and you also found out you were pregnant while working on the film.
Carlson Young – I literally turned in the edit. I’m like, “Okay. I’m done with this project. We are mixed. We are done.” And my Ambien wasn’t working anymore. I didn’t know I was pregnant. I kept falling asleep, and then I would wake up, only to fall asleep again and wake up. I thought, “What is going on?” My sleep medicine is not working. Then I find out two weeks later, I’m pregnant.
It was so unexpected and wild. I was like, “This is truly life imitating art in this moment because, of course, I would be.” Lauren, at the end of this movie, is a mother. I think it was just kind of a wink. It was a wink from the universe for sure.
Cryptic Rock – Truly unbelievable. A lot of times, life does imitate art
Carlson Young – Yeah. It’s there if you want to see it.
Cryptic Rock – Another aspect of Trust that really stands out is Sophie Turner’s performance as Lauren. You have a good balance of veteran actresses and actors, as well as younger actors and actresses. What was it like working with Sophie as well as the rest of the crew here?
Carlson Young – Yes. It was an incredible cast. I loved working with every one of them. They all brought so much flexibility and trusted me, pun intended, and I trusted them.
Sophie is just phenomenal, and I can’t say enough good things about her. She is just emotionally navigating really heavy waters with such a breeze. It was just incredibly, creatively rewarding to work with her on this. I can’t say enough good things.
Cryptic Rock – That is positive to hear. One can imagine that with a performance like Sophie’s, your job as a director is made easier.
Carlson Young – Yes. Absolutely. It was a joy to get into the edit and put the puzzle together.
Cryptic Rock – That brings up another interesting point. Someone like yourself, who comes from a school of acting, knows how you want to be treated as a performer on the other side of the camera. How does that translate into your directing approach?
Carlson Young – I know how vulnerable it is, first of all. I know the lift that’s being asked of you. I try to communicate as much as possible with the actors that I’m working with, just about where my head is, because that’s half the battle, just understanding what your director wants. After all, we all share the same goal: to create the best version of the material possible.
I think that there’s a level of communication that I can exercise because I’ve been there. I kind of know how to set up the parameters.
Cryptic Rock – Understood. There is an adage – before you judge someone’s work, you have to walk a mile in their shoes. You have been on both sides of the equation.
Carlson Young – Absolutely. Yeah.
Cryptic Rock – With Trust out now, you mentioned you have another film you are working on, which is more of a Romance.
Carlson Young – Yeah, it’s like a hard left turn, and it’s totally new territory. And I’m really excited to explore it.
Cryptic Rock – It will be compelling to learn more about it. Last question, since you have worked in the Horror genre, are you a fan, and do you have any favorites?
Carlson Young – Yes. I mentioned it in my director’s statement, but I feel like I’ve had a whole new interaction with the movie Alien (1979), especially with its isolation element. Additionally, with my pregnancy, I’m interacting with the movie differently now.
I also love Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession (1981), which is really a big one in my head. It’s always somewhere in my creative psyche. I saw The Shining (1980) when I was like six or eight, and it changed my brain chemistry. I am a huge Horror person. It’s a very exciting space.
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