Pop Culture Unplugged w/ Elias • Interview

Shayna Benardo on The Good Daughter: Finding the Person Behind Kelly Wilson

From a long audition process to an intense first scene with Rose Byrne, Benardo opens up about the role she felt protective of before she even landed it.

For Shayna Benardo, playing Kelly Wilson in The Good Daughter began with a connection she felt during the audition. Speaking with Elias on Pop Culture Unplugged w/ Elias, the actress discussed the care she brought to Kelly, the challenge of adapting a character from Karin Slaughter’s novel, and the kindness she experienced while working alongside Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy.

At the center of the conversation is a character whose appearance and behavior invite assumptions. Benardo’s approach was to look beyond those first impressions and find the young woman underneath them.

“I'm so protective of her.”

Landing the Role—and Going Straight Back to Work

Benardo recalled receiving her initial audition in November 2024. She submitted a self-tape filmed at a friend’s house, then attended an in-person callback in Atlanta. The wait continued until January, when her agents called to tell her she had booked the role.

At the time, she was working seven days a week. Landing the part was a major milestone, but the rest of that day was surprisingly ordinary: she still had to go to work, where she found herself pouring ranch into cups.

That detail gives her casting story a wonderfully grounded quality. The opportunity had arrived, but there was still a shift to finish.

Bringing Kelly From the Page to the Screen

Between her initial audition and callback, Benardo read Slaughter’s novel and found herself racing through it. She also recognized that Kelly’s physical description differed from her own appearance. Rather than force a match, she focused on the qualities she could bring to the character through her performance.

“All I can offer is what I am and what I have.”

Asked about the adaptation, Benardo described Kelly’s characterization as close to the book, with some departures in physical appearance. Her preparation also involved extensive research, including a growing notebook of psychology notes and conversations with the creative team about how to approach Kelly’s traits and experiences.

A Character Shaped by Other People’s Perceptions

One of the interview’s most revealing passages concerns Kelly’s vulnerability to the way other people see her. Benardo described someone who can take on the identity others project onto her, making perception an essential part of how she approached the role.

For Benardo, that makes Kelly difficult to reduce to a single label. She emphasized that Kelly is still young and easily manipulated, and approached her with an awareness that seemingly contradictory qualities can exist in the same person.

“You can be two things at once.”

An Intense First Scene With Rose Byrne

Without revealing the details of the scene, Benardo recalled a challenging conversation between Kelly and Sam that marked her first opportunity to act with Rose Byrne. It was an intense introduction to working together, and one she described as exhilarating.

She credited Byrne’s generosity and kindness with making the experience easier. Benardo also spoke about learning from the atmosphere Byrne and Fahy helped create: watching their professionalism and positivity offered lessons without the need for formal advice.

How Meghann Fahy Helped Set the Tone

On her first day, Benardo admitted to Fahy that she felt awkward because this was the biggest project she had done. Fahy responded by putting an arm around her, reassuring her that others had been in that position, and inviting her to come to her with questions.

Benardo likened that welcome to having a big sister on set. The exchange helped shape her experience for the rest of the project and became one of the personal memories she shared most warmly during the interview.

Looking Beyond Kelly’s First Impression

Benardo hopes viewers will resist judging Kelly solely by how she first appears. She acknowledged that the character can look unsettling, but wants audiences to recognize the young woman at the heart of the story.

Discussing the series’ themes of trauma and justice, she also expressed hope that Kelly’s storyline would encourage more inclusive conversations about who experiences trauma and how those experiences are understood.

“Trauma has no face.”

Throughout the conversation, Benardo returned to the care behind her portrayal. From her first audition to her work with the cast, her account reveals an actress determined to understand Kelly before asking audiences to do the same.

Watch the full interview above and follow Pop Culture Unplugged w/ Elias for more conversations with the actors behind your favorite films and series.