Although one of his first film roles was in 2011‘s Scream 4it took a while to Alison Brie feeling ready to jump back into horror. After all, once You have been killed by Ghostfaceyou have already achieved a milestone for the genre. So what convinced her to dive back into an indie horror from a director for the first time? Well, that director is her husband, Dave Franco. Co-written by Franco and Joe Swanberg, The rent follow two couples on their weekend getaway to a beautiful secluded home found through an Airbnb-esque service. Things start to go wrong when secrets surface among the four friends, and that’s before they realize they may not be alone at home. Brie co-stars as Michelle, a character with whom she has more than a few things in common, despite the fact that it wasn’t a fact, she would be part of Franco’s directorial debut.
Before its VOD premiere on July 24, The AV Club talked with Brie about falling in love with Franco “over and over” on set, our strange comfort in staying in strangers’ homes and what makes horror a “high intensity sport.” Brie also talked about the thrill of seeing The rent in a drive-in, and updated us on the still-delayed production of RADIANCEFourth and last season. Excerpts from that chat are in the video above, with the full transcript below.
The AV Club: The rent It comes from first screenwriter / director Dave Franco, so what’s the deal for this guy? Are we going to see more of him?
Alison Brie: I hope so! Honestly Dave was very good; he was incredibly good at directing. I knew it would be because, as an actor, he always wanted to see the complete image of each project in a way that I did not. WWhen I’m acting on something, I’m like, “Okay, here’s my part of what I need to do, “and I’m going to do my best in this part and the rest is up to those guys. And Dave was always the type of actor who said,” I’m going to see if I can go into the writers room with them! I’ll see if I can get into the edit! And I would say, “WWhy do you want to go to the edition? That is my nightmare.
So you’ve really always had that kind of master vision. And I had to see him write this, think about the idea: he wrote it with Joe Swanberg. He would come home after writing every day, feeling very inspired. And then, being on set with him was just, I can’t express how much the most wonderful experience was for the two of us: it was a new way of collaborating creatively.
And, you know, on set as an actor, if you don’t trust your director, that can be a really scary space, right? But obviously I trust Dave more than anyone, so I couldn’t have had more faith in what I was going to do. And then it was a pleasure for me to see him on set and see him flourish in this new way. And see him interact with all the members of our crew and how much they liked falling in love with him. And then I fell in love with him again. It was very romantic.
AVC: Knowing that you have to see how this project develops from start to finish, at what point was it clear that you would play the role of Michelle? Dave turned to you one day and asked if you wanted to?
AB: Well, when he first wrote it, he was originally going to play the role played by Jeremy Allen White, the younger brother. And I think when that was the idea, he didn’t mention me playing Michelle. But almost as soon as he decided he was going to direct, it was exactly what you said, where he was sitting on the couch and he turned to me and said, “I mean, you should play Michelle.” But then, while we were filming it, I kept having moments when I thought, “I really feel like you wrote this part for me,” whether I knew it or not.
AVC: I was going to say that Michelle certainly has some “Alison Brie” qualities for her.
AB: That’s what I really loved about the character. [Laughs[Laughs[Risas[Laughs] For the first part of the movie, you think, “Oh, it’s kind of a wet blanket, it’s a little tight, “I’ve played characters like that before. But then, in the second half, before things get out of hand, she says,” No, let’s party. I want to using drugs, I just want to do it, when I want to use them “, which I feel the same [Laughs]. Very faithful to my life.
AVC: And in that sense, you play “under the influence” quite convincingly.
AB: You know, Dave and I had a lot of conversations about that. Because, for the entire movie, Dave really had this vision of a realistic and realistic tone and of drawing people to the characters. So when it came to Michelle’s experience, I knew it should feel natural and normal, not like this wild drug trip sequence. We may have done a little research as we prepared to shoot the movie. There are videos of me that I based my performance on[Laughs[Laughs[Risas[Laughs]-So I wouldn’t say it’s accurate.
AVC: You feel like a natural horror movie, that’s why I was surprised to realize that this was your first horror movie as Scream 4.
AB: Yes I think so! Before Scream 4I had made some B-horror movies, but I think Shout it’s very different from all those I was so excited to be in I scream 4-I’m a big fan of the franchise, and had been since high school, when the first movie came out. They shot the second Shout South Pasadena, where I’m from. That opportunity was very exciting, but obviously that movie has a little bit of campier edge, and the meta quality is what makes those movies so much fun. AND[[[[The rent]It is not that, but it was a lot of fun going back to the genre, one that I honestly love, but I have been very picky to find one to do because it is a high intensity sport.
It’s a lot of emotional energy for movies that, frankly, don’t usually get the credit they deserve, you know? But what I love about this movie and how Dave wrote it is that it really is a character-based movie; it’s an “actor movie”. It really starts out as an intimate character drama before things start to get really scary. So as not to spoil anything, but there is a sequence with my character. [where she’s] following a sound through the house. There is certainly tension, but where that scene lands is not the typical rhythm of a horror movie: it is much more about the emotional impact, which is so terrifying in this context.
AVC: Aside from personal dynamics, this movie is definitely taking advantage of something that I think perhaps has become callous: it’s somewhat surprising how comfortable we have been living in a stranger’s house for a few days.
AB: Oh yeah. I mean, that was the impetus for the entire project: Dave said, “It’s kind of weird doing this, isn’t it?” Especially right now, right now in our country, it seems that nobody trusts anyone, but we are also like, “Oh, I will stay in that stranger’s house, of course! Just because maybe they got a couple of positive reviews? I mean, you could say the same thing about ridesharing apps. When you were a kid, you weren’t supposed to get in cars with strangers. Now we do it all the time.
And while we were filming this movie, new articles appeared on cameras that were found in shared apartments and houses every day, but we still do! We all stayed on Airbnbs while filming this movie. It is the longest time I have stayed on an Airbnb. So, yes, Dave is trying to point out that disconnect, even within our own home and the way we treat home swapping. When we stay in places, we are aware of all those dangers and, even so, it is something like: “Oh, is it cheaper? Yes, stop that!
AVC: Do you have any horror stories from Airbnb or sharing your home?
AB: No not really. I will say that the house we stayed in while filming this movie was in a town called Bandon, Oregon. It is on the coast and we were in this house that was on the beach, just a small wooden cabin with a hundred rickety stairs leading to it. It was really wonderful during the day, but sometimes at night, when I would like to get back from shooting at 4 in the morning… There are no lights and I’m like going down these rickety stairs into the dark, I would think, “IIs this the end?
AVC: Right. Working on this movie could make you especially paranoid about the whole experience.
AB: In some way. But it is also a good way to face your fears. It’s kind of cathartic because, well, the movie is making up a kind of worst-case scenario. But now I know that the guy behind the mask is Anthony, our specialist, and that demystifies him a bit. I think that even speaks to this idea of why people like horror movies in the first place, to address these fears. Like GLeave me the worst case scenario and let it develop in the most horrible way. ” maybe then you can experience it and let it go.
AVC: This is one of many films this year that is missing out on a traditional theatrical release due to the pandemic, but IFC Films is also promoting it in theaters – you and Dave and the cast even put on a Preview in a drive-in theater here in Los Angeles. How was that? Do you believe The rent is it well suited to that experience?
AB: Oh man, it was really amazing. I realized that I had never been in a drive-in theater before, at least not that I remember. First of all, it was great just because we’ve all been so isolated during the quarantine. It was really a big problem being around so many people. At a safe distance, of course. But, like, there was a palpable energy that I hadn’t felt in a minute. Even waiting in line for the ladies room!
You know, there’s a certain kind of feeling in a group of people that congregates that you can’t virtually replicate. And, I think with horror movies too, there is something very fun about the community experience of freaking out together. But then, the input configuration is even an element of the experience, because, again, you are in your car, a space that gives us the illusion of security. You say, “I can see everything, I’m in my own capsule, I’m fine.” But you’re also parked outside. You’re exposed. It’s dark. There is something to feel creepy and safe at the same time.
AVC: And speaking of quarantine, before our time was up, I was wondering if there were any updates on RADIANCEThe fourth and final season is anticipated. I know production was delayed indefinitely until it was safe to re-shoot.
AB: We really don’t know anything concrete yet, and Unfortunately I think it will take a while. I think we’ll probably be one of the shows, I don’t mean one of the last, but certainly not one of the first, it goes back into production just for wrestling. There is a lot physical contact in the program. So it’s not something that I think any of us want to sacrifice, especially since it’s our last season. I mean, how do you make one last season of a fight-no-fight show? So I think we’re just going to wait. Which, you know, will make it that much more special when we get back to filming and when the season premieres. But I hope they can do that quick test!
Image credit: Graphic: Natalie Peeples, Photo: David Crotty / Getty Images
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