Jeri Jacquin
Coming to Bluray next week from writer/director M. Night
Shyamalan and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the thriller SPLIT .
This film tells the story of three young women who are being
held captive by Kevin (James McAvoy) and his 23 different personalities. Trying
to find a way to escape alive is Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu
Richardson) and Marcia played by Jessica Sula
I had the opportunity to speak with Jessica about SPLIT , working with M.
Night Shyamalan, close quarter acting and playing opposite James McAvoy.
Jeri Jacquin: Hi Jessica, thanks for taking the time to talk
with us today, it’s a real pleasure.
Jessica Sula: Thank you Jeri, I’m so glad you wanted to talk
about the film with me.
JJ: My daughter who writes with me and I absolutely are in
love with this movie.
JS: That’s so great, really?
JJ: We think it is the freakiest, twisted, messed up,
original films we’ve seen in a long time.
JS: That’s really amazing, that’s so cool, and it is
actually. When you are in it you don’t think of it like that but it’s true.
When I saw it all put together I thought ‘oh man!’
JJ: It’s like – what have we done!
JS: Absolutely, it’s not something I’ve seen before either
so I do agree with you on that.
JJ: When you first saw the script what was your impression
of it. I’m sure reading it is different than seeing it done.
JS: It was after I got the part is when I got the script
because it was all really very top secret. When I was reading it tried to
imagine the scenes because I wanted to know what was going to happen on the
next page. I read it in a really short space of time. I’ve never been involved
in this genre and it’s M. Night Shyamalan! It was exciting although I didn’t
realize how he was going to shoot it which made it even more exciting to see it
in a theatre.
JJ: Tell me a little bit about your thoughts when you read
what your role was going to be.
JS: I thought oh man….her fate! I was a little bit nervous
about how Marcia was going to come across in a survival situation. She is with
these two girls who seem very proactive in how we get out. I was worried
because I wanted Marcia to have a voice but when we started shooting and
talking with Night, it was very much apparent that it was going to be a serious
journey for all of them. I thought I was going to be one of those girls who
disaster was going to happen to at the hands of James McAvoy. It was kind of funny;
I think I laughed a little about it.
JJ: It’s interesting when you said, ‘I was talking with
Night’ about your role. Do you know how many people will never say that in
their life – ever?
JS: I know! It’s actually quite surreal. You become close especially
in the close quarters for the entire shoot and when you leave and start refer
to it later I don’t even think about it. He is somebody that always thinks
through every shot because what he wants is very particular. It was cool to
collaborate with him.
JJ: When Shyamalan does a film he is so in depth about the
story and the characters. Did you feel like he has everyone’s role down pat?
JS: A little bit yes because he has it mapped out in his
mind already. He is so specific in what he wants. He also will break things
down for you if you have a question about a scene or something a character is
doing. That is quite nice, especially when you are in a high emotional state
and your character is going through trauma.
JJ: Speaking of severe trauma, how long did it take you to
get over all this?
JS: It’s more like the energy that goes into it and
understanding that the circumstances are frightening, beyond frightening. Just
kidnappings in general pop up on the news and it’s strange to be aware of it.
When you are in that emotional state everyday and heightened, it was a matter
of being tired once it was finished. I went back home after we were done and I
just slept.
JJ: You were probably really hyper sensitive to it all
because, as you said, the close quarters and the energy.
JS: We talked about scenes and what the characters were
going through and no comparison to real life but you do start thinking about it
all. There is the thought of not getting out of a real situation like this and
that did scare me a bit.
JJ: After seeing SPLIT
I didn’t want to be around anywhere dark, forests, and weird areas so I hear
you.
JS: We would all talk about that too!
JJ: You are basically in a film, the three of you, with one
guy that is many people. Working with James McAvoy in a role like I’ve never
seen before, how was that for you?
JS: There were moments where we were watching him and couldn’t
believe we were on the same set. He would go through all these changes was
amazing. He is a fantastic actor and a lovely person, to get through a subject
like this and to work with someone who is going through emotional extremes; he
was so kind and made us laugh all the time. He was also really generous,
charming and a pure joy to work with. On film when you see it all cut together
and he scared me because he was someone I didn’t recognize.
JJ: The first glimpse I had of hearing about the film and I
thought ‘no way that is him!’
JS: He is brilliant.
JJ: When you were talking about working in close quarters,
the only way I can describe how I felt watching it was that your character was
confined in a confined space. Was as difficult to shoot as it was to watch?
JS: It had its technical challenges with moving around and
figuring things out. When we were all in one room it was very cramped and it
worked. I think it helped drive the scene I think. It was intensely shot with
everyone feeling it because of the confined space. I mean your sweating and
wanting to get out of there and so I think it adds to the intensity quite
nicely.
JJ: That intensity is almost another character in the film.
JS: Very much so, I think Night proves that very well.
JJ: All of you also created that very well and what this
cast put together truly does work wonderfully.
JS: That is so lovely for you to say Jeri, thank you. You don’t
think about those things when you are working.
JJ: I think Night has his own genre because his films aren’t
horror yet they are, they are not gory yet they are – what ever goes on in that
mind of his is some serious business.
JS: We are lucky he is the director.
JJ: When people watch the film on Bluray, what would you
like them to know about the film that they wouldn’t otherwise know?
JS: That’s a really good question. I would have to say that
I really love everything about the way it was shot, every frame is amazing. I
think what was done was really smart.
JJ: Do get more into it and be aware of the surroundings
just like the characters had to for the entire film.
JS: Yes, that’s a good way of putting it. I think it’s
something that I love from watching thrillers like Hitchcock. Focus on James
and everything that he does.
JJ: I don’t think that will be a problem – my daughter has a
thing for James, even if his 23 characters are seriously unhinged.
JS: Everyone does, everyone loves James.
JJ: Thank you so much Jessica for your time and for talking
about the film and your experience with SPLIT .
I have a horror genre in my own home theatre library and SPLIT will have a special
spot on the shelf. Turing our own fears inside out, this film will have you
talking long after it is over. James McAvoy leads Sula, Richardson and Taylor-Joy
in a cast that gives our spines a reason to shiver and stay out of dark places.
On Bluray this Tuesday from Universal Pictures Home
Entertainment is a thriller that will leave you breathless – just like a good
thriller should! Director M. Night Shyamalan is back in the business of giving
us all the shivers with SPLIT .
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