Sofia Rosinsky Introduces Mac Coyle of ‘Paper Girls’ [Interview]

Prime Video’s new sci-fi show Paper Girls, based on the best-selling graphic novels written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang, follows a group of four 12-year-old girls transported to another time and caught up in a war between time-travelers.

With little in common aside from their jobs as paper girls, the four have to learn to overcome their differences to survive.

During a press junket, I spoke to Sofia Rosinsky who plays tough girl Mac Coyle on the show. A little rougher around the edges, Mac must learn to trust the other girls and open up to them. (You can watch the full video below.)

When asked to describe Mac, Rosinsky shared that her character is, “foul-mouthed, brazen, outspoken, brash, and at times, pugilistic.” Mac has a lot of defense mechanisms thanks to a less-than-ideal childhood.

“She’s grown up in a rough household, and she’s a very hard nut to crack, but she has a heart of gold,” Rosinsky said. “She’s definitely a far more complex creature than she lets on.”

Rosinsky can’t relate to Mac on a lot of things, but they do have at least one thing in common. “One thing that we share in common is a sense of humor, and how we both managed to make a joke right at the wrong time.”

Watch the full interview with Sofia Rosinsky about Paper Girls:

Mac and the other girls start in the 80s before being transported to the future. Even though Rosinsky wasn’t born yet in the 80s she noted that she grew up around a lot of 80s pop culture.

She looked to one iconic movie about an unlikely group of friends in particular when shaping the character of Mac.

“When I got the script, my sister was reading through my sides, and she said, ‘Hey, you know, this reminds me of a lot of The Breakfast Club,’” shared Rosinsky. “And so I drew an inspiration from the character John Bender, played by Judd Nelson.”

Although Mac is initially a loner, Rosinsky said the other girls have a big impact on her character.

“These girls, I think, have had a very good influence on her. And she hasn’t really been around many other girls her age, and especially ones of such varying backgrounds.”

Like many coming-of-age stories, Paper Girls looks at the importance of friendship and the impact others can have on someone’s development.

“I love seeing their dynamics together,” Rosinsky explained. “And I love seeing how they all sort of rub off on each other.”

It’s not a surprise then that when asked what her favorite part of filming the series was, she mentioned working with the rest of the girls.

“I would say probably just being able to explore Illinois and being given the opportunity to just dive into this character and go on this journey with the other Paper Girls.”

Rosinsky joked that the hardest part of filming was the Chicago heat and humidity. Despite the elements, there were still plenty of happy moments on set.

“Those days when we were out in the streets and riding the bikes… I saw lightning bugs for the first time in my life,” said Rosinsky. “So that was quite a magical experience.”

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Paper Girls premieres July 29th on Prime Video.

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