I moved there to train because a lot of the top kite borders are from the Dominican because it's one of the best places in the world to kite. So I was living there training with one of the pro guys. I'd be kiting 6-7 hours a day and then working with a personal trainer after. When it was it was a different life.

Joining me on the couch, the beautiful Maika Monroe. Welcome, welcome to our Humble Abode. Independence Day Resurgence is the movie. You're actually playing somebody who was in the original movie. You're playing a more grown version. And should we win the day? The 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday. Today we celebrate. Liam Hemsworth is also your love interest. Little jealous. But he's not the only very handsome gentleman you shared the screen with. There's also Zac Efron who you did a movie with. Who's the better kisser? If I had to put you on the spot.

Gosh, I know you're really throwing me on the spot there. I don't know. I don't know. I couldn't tell you. We'll call it a tie. Yeah, we'll call it a tie.

I would like to find out for myself one day. Yeah, hey, okay, please. So

Definitely, you let me know.

I will I'll let

Yeah.

We'll compare notes. Yeah, we'll we'll talk about it afterwards. Great. I love it. Well, after being in this movie, do you know how you will survive the alien invasion?

Yeah, I feel pretty prepared now.

Okay, so give it to us. Like what what do we need to know?

Um, definitely going to get food, water, get family close. Yeah.

Trust me, that's like my number one, get the food.

Yeah. And then I'd say get your family, maybe some badass weapons. Okay. But then also the aliens could be nice. We don't really know yet, so.

All right. You know, just saying. Okay. Okay. I can't believe it's been 20 years. He's still going to take his father on their anniversary. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. You grew up in Santa Barbara.

Yeah.

You're from Santa Barbara. Beautiful beach town. Actually, not not too far away from where I'm from, the same area code. It's amazing.

805.

805, baby. Uh and you're a professional kiteboarder.

Yeah.

All right. I have seen people try to kite not try to well, yes, try to kite. Try to kite yeah because I'm a surfer. Yeah. But kitesurfing, kiteboarding is a whole different game. First of all, tell me how you started.

My dad taught me uh when I was 13. And just fell in love with it. It is very difficult. And at the time when I started not that many girls did it too. So I was like the one girl out there with all these boys trying to do it. Yes. And I was getting better than them because I was I was pretty good. I was pretty good. Okay, great. We started taking trips and traveling a lot. And then decided like I want to I want to try and do this professionally.

Wow. So yeah. Well, for anyone who doesn't know, what does kiteboarding actually look like? Cuz it's

I guess yeah, the best way to describe it if you've seen wakeboarding. Um it's very similar to wakeboarding but instead of getting pulled behind a boat you have a big kite in the air.

At one point you even moved to the Dominican Republic.

I was living there.

Wow. To train or to and to compete or like what was

Yeah, I moved there to train because a lot of the top kiteboarders are from the Dominican because it's one of the best places in the world to kite. So I was living there training with one of the pro guys. I'd be kiting 6-7 hours a day and then working with a personal trainer after. When it was it was a different life.

From athlete now to actor, at what point were you like, actually, I want to pursue acting.

It just kind of happened. It was actually for an Independence Day film with Zac Efron. That was kind of changed my course, I guess. Um but I sent in an audition tape from the Dominican Republic. And I always loved acting. But what I liked about kiteboarding was that I had control over it. And in a sense you train, you get better, you see progress. And acting was really, I mean, out of your hands. And so so I was like whatever. I'm going to pursue kiteboarding, but then somehow I was pulled by the wind. The wind has changed. Came in and swooped me off.

There's a kiteboarding metaphor.

Yeah. That works. I think it works. Yeah.

Well, you're so busy. We were just saying how you're not even taking a vacation right now. What are you busy with?

Um, well, I leave tomorrow to Tokyo for press, which I'm Have you ever been? I have never been. Top of my list of places.

How excited are you?

I can't wait. I'm so excited. And then I shoot a film in Serbia for for a couple months. Yeah. So it's uh it's a busy summer for me.

When you're away then, what's what's the thing that you miss most about home?

Oh, gosh. Mom and dad. I'm I'm

That's so cute.

Yeah, I'm so close with my parents. Yes. It's hard being away from family and friends for for that long.

Sure. What's your ideal day off look like? Like if you could take a day off.

Gosh. Hanging out on the beach and go see a movie or something. That sounds like the best day.

No kiteboarding involved?

Oh, kiteboarding. If there's wind, oh, I'll be out kiteboarding. Absolutely.

So speaking about that transition into acting, what was your first audition like? What what do you remember from that?

Oh, man. Well, back when I was I was super young and and kind of starting in the industry I auditioned a lot for commercials. Okay. And so I auditioned for a Pizza Hut commercial and I actually booked it.

Mhm. That's how I like you. Why are they screaming? They're not screaming. They're celebrating. They're coming back. Make them pay. Not going up there to make friends. What's your ideal role?

Oh, gosh. That's very difficult. Not a superhero would be fun or a villain. I think I'd like to do that.

Everybody likes to play a villain.

Yeah. And I I mean I I've gotten to play some bad characters, but to really play like a evil one I think it'd be really fun.

You're in a pretty big sequel, but is there any TV show or film that you'd want to remake?

Oof. I don't know. There's so many good movies, but you got to be careful the ones that you remake. So I don't know. It's such a thing, right, now? Yeah. Yeah. I feel like, I mean, one of my all time favorite movies is The Shining. So I don't know if can you touch I don't know. That's a good one. Because I feel like you could make it really cool with the effects that we have now.

You could be I don't know one of the twins.

Oh I don't know. Yeah. Yeah, where could I fit in? All play the twins. I'll be the twins. Tell Tell my agent. Pop up on there.

Or maybe you can take Jack Nicholson's role. Really Let's do it. I'm giving you all the ideas. I think we're on to something.

I think I think we are too. I think we need to work out a treatment after this wraps up.

Maika, it was such a pleasure to meet you and have you on our set. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Yeah.