Emmanuelle Chriqui spoke with Awards Focus about connecting with the script for ‘A Love Like This’ and bringing Leah’s emotional journey to life.
“It really hit such an emotional chord with me,” Chriqui said about reading the script. “I really felt like I saw in this piece how complicated life can be, and specifically the capacity that the heart has to love despite when it doesn’t make sense or when it’s really complicated.”
In conversation with Awards Focus, Emmanuelle Chriqui spoke about the emotional pull that drew her to ‘A Love Like This’, describing how the script resonated through its portrayal of love that endures even when it “doesn’t make sense” or becomes deeply complicated. She emphasized her instinct-driven approach to choosing roles—seeking projects that spark a strong emotional reaction or even a sense of fear—while acknowledging the current realities of the industry, where opportunities are less predictable than in years past. Reflecting on the film’s whirlwind two-week shoot in Malibu shortly after the events of October 7, 2023, she recalled both the escapism and the challenge of staying present in the work. Chriqui also touched on navigating her identity as a proud Jewish actress, noting a sense of support despite broader challenges, and shared her appreciation for maintaining cultural traditions like her family’s Moroccan Passover customs.
Directed by John Asher from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Ruggles, ‘A Love Like This’ centers on Paul (Hayes MacArthur) and Leah (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a couple caught in a complicated mix of love, desire, and deception. Over the course of a long weekend in Malibu, they’re forced to confront their past choices and decide whether their intense connection is enough to hold them together.
Quiver Distribution will release ‘A Love Like This’ on VOD on April 3, 2026.
Awards Focus: It’s so nice to meet you today. How are you doing.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Hi, I’m so good. How are you?
AF: I’m doing well. It’s down to crunch time and a lot of cleaning left to do before tomorrow night.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Okay. Yes. True, true. I hear that. (Laughs)
AF: What was it about the script that drew you to Leah in ‘A Love Like This’?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: When I read this script, it really tore me up. It really hit such an emotional chord with me. I really felt like I saw in this piece how complicated life can be, and specifically the capacity that the heart has to love despite when it doesn’t make sense or when it’s really complicated. And that just really spoke to me. I loved just the evolution of them and that we ended with a they made their choice, but we really see their love celebrated, even though it’s not going to be. It was heartbreaking. It really got me.
AF: What do you typically look for in a character when you’re reading a screenplay?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Well, first, I want to feel. Ideally, I like to feel that gut punch of like, oh, wow, I would love to do this. Or, oh, wow, this scares me a little bit. I think I need to lean into this. There’s just that sixth sense that just kicks in where you’re like, this feels like something I need to do. It’s so different. It changes all the time. It’s not a specific genre. It’s not anything. It’s just like when you read it, you just get this feeling of, this is something I want to do.
AF: When you’re working on a TV series, how do you decide on which projects to work on during the hiatus?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Wow. Again, it’s what happens to come up. These days—particularly the last couple of years—are pretty tricky in our business. So, as much as it would be so amazing to be able to choose A, B, and C, it’s a little more at this point of what’s happening? What am I right for? It’s not as obvious as like, oh, yes, I’m on a show and now I have hiatus and I’m going to pick two of my favorite things to do. That feels like several years ago.
AF: I know the thing that surprised me the most as I was doing my research ahead of this interview was the casting announcement was in November 2023. I was thinking this film is one of those that was produced last year!
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Right. I know. Yeah. It was November 23. We had gotten a waiver from the union to shoot our movie. It was, my goodness, what a crazy moment in time. I remember it was two weeks after October 7, and we just were shooting for two weeks in this idyllic place in Malibu where we could somehow just block it all out. And here we are.
I mean, literally, we shot it in two weeks. It’s just wild that it’s coming out now. I’m so grateful that it’s seeing the light of day and that places like Quiver are really like championing independent film because I feel like that is more important than ever these days. Also, too, just to be able to be like, you can make a movie. You don’t need $60 million to make a movie. If you’ve got like a lot of heart and passion and a great crew and director, we can do this. There’s a lot of special parts to this.
AF: Being part of the production for two weeks, did it help to get your mind off things?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Yeah. I mean, a certain amount. I think it was always right here. But in order to do the film justice, you really just had to show up and surrender and just give it all. I was so grateful to be able to literally show up to the most beautiful place every day and just see that, that the water and the expansiveness of that and just breathe that in and be right here. So yeah, I guess it helped a little bit.
AF: Yeah. My birthday is in October and I can tell you, I saw a Scorsese film that day. I cannot tell you what happened in that Scorsese film. That was how much October was a blur.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: I know. I’m so sorry. Ugh, I know.
AF: The past few years have been a challenging time to be Jewish in America and elsewhere. Has being a proud Jew had any sort of an impact when it comes to your career as an actress as far as getting opportunities?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Thank goodness, I don’t think so. Maybe, and I’m unaware of it, but I haven’t felt it per se. I would say actually the opposite. I think I have felt pretty supported. I think initially it hit hard. The first two weeks, I think I lost like 60,000 followers and I was like, okay, cool, peace out. I don’t want you here anyway.
I mean, there’s been adjustments for sure, but has it affected my work? No, I don’t think so. I’m very careful. I think as much as I advocate for our people pretty regularly, my advocacy really stands in Jewish pride as opposed to getting political. Let the experts do that. If anything, we’ve learned that how amazing would it be if most celebrities would just shut up.
AF: Yeah.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: It’s too divisive of a thing and I think it just backfires.
AF: With Pesach starting this week, do you have any favorite holiday traditions?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Well, I’m Sephardic and I’m Moroccan—we have Bibhilu, which is specifically Moroccan. It’s when we do the prayer and you have the platter and you have it over everybody’s head. I love it. It just brings me back to my childhood days. I’ll be doing that on the second night. The first night I’ll be with friends that are not Sephardic, so it’ll be different. But I love this holiday and I’m also getting ready for it. How about you?
AF: Seders and going to Chabad—all that fun stuff.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Nice, nice.
AF: It was lovely getting to talk with you today. Chag sameach.
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Chag sameach. Thank you so much, Danielle. All the best.