She was obviously drained and not at her best. She also has a quirky, ironic, sense of humor (I'm not sure "sarcastic" is the right word), that comes off fine when she is perky, but since she was drained, it came off wrong.
You can see this same humor in other interviews. Like where she explained that she and her co-star really hate each other, but just pretend to get along because "we're such good actors". Or when her co-star praises her, so she pats him on the shoulder and says "I paid him to say that." In the right circumstances it comes off fine. But you have to be perky to pull it off, and she was far from perky here.
I can understand why the anchors took it the wrong way. It seems a lot of other viewers took it the same way. Still, the anchors are the ones who escalated and began getting personal with her. In the end, they were far more unprofessional than she was. There was no deliberate malice on her part. They cannot say the same.
McClary starts by calling her "Carla". But I think that's a non-issue that has nothing to do with what came afterwards.
Then comes McClary's long-winded question about whether she read the book. Curiously, the question seems to assume she might have read the book because it is taught in high schools, or because she has free time. Did McClary not realize that Cara was 22 years old? Or that an actor might think it was part of her job to read a source for her character?
Still, there is no indication that Cara took offense. Her response is simply a joke. Not only did she not read the book; in fact she did not read the script -- she just winged it. (At least one of the anchors laughs, probably Ken. So far, someone is taking her humor in the proper spirit).
Then she says, yes, she read the book; and it is a great book, and everyone should read it.
(This may have been a slight mis-step. She was asked about the book, and the obvious response is to praise it. But people don't like being told they should read books ... especially if they don't read books. But of course she was just trying to plug the book.)
Then anchor Ken Rudolph (to make a long-winded question short) asks her if she has more focus now, now that she is busier and has more on her plate?
This question is a real puzzler. Can anyone make sense of it? Does Ken have any reason to believe she once had LESS focus than she does now? The only theory that makes sense to me is that his question is aimed at the reverse of what it seems to suggest - he is in fact asking her to comment on her current low-energy levels.
Cara, her brow creased in puzzlement, is understandably confused and says so. She assures them that she loves what she does, and things are not too crazy. "I'm living my dream" she concludes, with a wan smile.
Then McClary asks her if she likes her character Margot.
Not necessarily a terrible question ... but not an ideal question if the goal is to invite a gushing positive answer. Margot is no miss perfect. She is a problem character. Many viewers do not like her, and that may be precisely the film-maker's intent.
Cara says "No, actually I hate her", which I'm sure she means as a joke. It does not come off too well, partly because her energy is so low, and partly because there just might be a little too much truth to it.
Then she gives a sincere answer. Yes, they have a lot in common. She recognized herself in things Margot said. But if she had been Margot, the entire film would have been different.
Cara has said similar things in other interviews. The implication is that she does not necessarily approve of Margot's choices. This is not a criticism of the film, but of the character ... who is no miss perfect, and is not supposed to be.
Cara is admittedly not doing a very good job promoting the film here. Her obviously-limited energy is all focused on trying to give a sincere answer to the question asked. Probably, what she really needed to do was ignore the question, except as an excuse to say gushing things about the film. But that's between her and the film's promoters. I cannot dislike an actress for being a real person.
At this point a 3rd anchor, Mark Allen, jumps in. He seems to have decided that, by her implied criticism of Margot, Cara is badmouthing the film (which was certainly not her intent). He also decides that it is his job, as anchor, to defend the film and attack Cara in the process.
Mark starts by enthusiastically giving his reasons for liking the film. These reasons are utterly stupid, but Cara listens with smiles and nods and grunts of approval. Then, to her obvious surprise, he goes on the attack, accusing her of not being enthusiastic about the film. Is she exhausted?
Taken aback, Cara assures them that she is indeed excited about the film. She does, however, admit some level of exhaustion. The premier was last night; it was very emotional, and "it's the morning". By the end of this answer, she has recovered her smile, and is obviously trying to be conciliatory, accepting part of the blame for whatever the hosts' problem with her is.
McClary is not mollified: She accuses Cara of being irritated with them, "or is it just us".
Cara goes "n ... yeah I think it's just you". Perhaps not the perfect answer, and no doubt it angered McClary even more. But there was no right answer to McClary's question -- which was really an accusation. Cara had already admitted to being tired, and it did was not enough for them. What more did they want?
McClary condescendingly tells Cara to take a nap or get a Red Bull or something.
Despite her summary dismissal, Cara is left on screen. As they jabber inanely, she sits frozen, and we hear her mutter "end now" (or "gettin out"?) and "too far". Finally, the feed is cut and her screen goes to bars. Allen then goes "OOOH" as if this was a further insult on her part. Then comes the trash talking, culminating in an image of her face onscreen, accompanies by growling cat noises and horror movie screams.
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