The upcoming reboot of The Grudge promises a more realistic and violent take on the iconic J-Horror franchise. Unlike the original American adaptation of the series, the new film, directed by Nicolas Pesce, ditches the PG-13 rating and goes straight for a hard R. Based on what we’ve seen in the recently released red band trailer, the new movie certainly has a grittier edge to it, with shocking moments of gore and terror that just can’t happen in with a tamer MPAA label.

At NYCC 2019, Screen Rant sat down with actor Andrea Riseborough, who plays the lead character in the new movie, a hardened homicide detective who is unprepared for the supernatural terror she finds discovers. She discusses what it was like when she first got the script, how it was so scary she couldn’t read it all at once, and how the psychological arc of her character really drew her to to the film. She also discusses working with her co-star, the legendary Lin Shaye, and shares a classic Hollywood story of meeting one of her childhood heroes, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Gates McFadden.

The Grudge hits theaters on January 3, 2020.

You joked at the panel that you haven’t seen this movie and you’re probably not going to.

Do you think it’s what makes you not want to watch horror, that same thing is why other people are so drawn to it?

I can’t say that I’m not going to, but I would be very surprised if I do end up watching the whole thing!

Woah, wait…

The thing is, I was living through that psychological meltdown that Muldoon was having.

Oh, phew! For a second there…

Not in my own life. As her.

That’s a pretty good line for the poster: “I don’t want to watch it.”

And to watch that back, it’s very strange. I don’t watch a lot of anything that I do. I don’t watch a lot of any films I’m in, but particularly with The Grudge… But that those of us who are in it don’t want to watch it, that’s pretty good feedback, in terms of conveying the horror!

You said you had to deal with watching it when you were recording the ADR.

I’ve seen bits of it, and it’s f****** terrifying.

I feel like it’s this movie’s secret weapon. It’s funny, to describe genuine terror as a novel concept for a horror movie, but that’s the world we live in, and I think The Grudge will be a cool shock to our system. Since it’s a remake of a PG-13 movie, but it’s got these deep psychological themes and nasty supernatural terror, to say nothing of the gore. Was that part of the appeal for you?

One of the things that’s terrifying, we touched on it in the panel… Because of the realism, it’s so gritty and simplistic in a way like the original Grudge films, and he’s really paid homage to that. But it’s not sensational. It’s incredibly real. It feels like it could be happening in your living room.

Did he pitch it to you?

When I was offered it… It took me, and I’m not joking, six weeks to read it. I normally read things before they even hit the inbox of the rest of my team, but this, I had to read it in increments. I could not read it before bed. It was like having The Grudge in my house. It was like something living there. I even, at one stage, asked if other people would read it and tell me what happens just so I could ease my way in. Like, if I knew what happened, I could go in and read it. Yes, the script was absolutely terrifying. If you were left alone with it, with the manuscript, up on evenings, contemplating if you could go there mentally… Yes, it was difficult. I did do it because of Nick. He’s such a great director.

It’s the mustache.

He did. As soon as I met him, I thought he was so cool. He’s like someone I would have been friends with in high school.

I had a mustache last NYCC!

It’s mainly the mustache. (Laughs)

Okay, so I was reading Burt Reynolds’ autobiography, and I grew it while reading because I’m a method reader.

Why did you get rid of it?

Thank you. But then, when I was halfway through, he died, and so I decided to keep the mustache for several months as tribute.

(Laughs)

I had such a crush on Dr. Crusher.

That’s like, when I was a kid, me and my best mate from school would write to each other as Dr. Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi. We used to pretend we were those people.

That’s so cool. Okay, I’m gonna get in trouble if I don’t get back to The Grudge. So, you have great empathy towards the characters you play. The fear of watching what you did. That’s kind of amazing. Do you go full “method,” do you put yourself into that psychological state?

Didn’t everyone? (Laughs) I actually met her in Los Angeles. I was across the street from her house and I said, “Oh my God, I just have to tell you how much you meant to me as a child, and now!” And she was so sweet. She was doing a play.

Do you feel like, throughout your career, other roles have been therapeutic in that way?

I don’t know how else to do it. I don’t know how to convey sheer terror without walking right through it. I think it’s kind of like anything in life. You can’t go around it. You’ll just keep going around until you eventually decide to go through it. With every part you do, it’s like shedding another skin. It’s like attaining enlightenment in some ways. This was a real… Looking back on it, for me, it was a real goodbye to terror. She goes to the worst place any human could go, psychologically. I can’t tell you whether she comes out of it or not, but she goes there. So when you do that as an actor, it’s liberating!

I remember listening to a podcast once about acting as therapy, and how it’s not necessarily the way a lot of actors want to do it, but if it happens to work out that way, then it’s a pleasant surprise.

For different reasons, yes. Definitely.

Did you wear your anxiety on your sleeve going in? Was everyone aware you were scared of horror?

Absolutely. It is a real part of the job, I think. I think it follows you around. You’ll just end up doing it. You’ll end up doing these things when you’re telling the story.

I love getting the actor’s perspective on these difficult roles. Genre movies are so often dismissed, especially remakes.

No, I was f****** cool as a cucumber! I play a hardened detective. So she’s very calm. She thinks the whole thing is total nonsense. It’s only when it becomes undeniable to her, at a certain point, that she may have been touched by this thing, that she then accepts that she must protect her family from it. But leading up to that, she thinks it’s total nonsense. I think that’s something the movie revels in, as well. I think the audience will want to reach in and tell her, “You should really take note of that Grudge thing!” She’s operating like a very pragmatic, logical human being. She has seen some horrible things in her line of work. She’s a detective. She worked homicide. She’s gone through her own things. She’s seen a lot of things for a young woman. That was the energy I brought while playing Muldoon for most of the time. And me watching something objectively is totally different from when you’re making the film. It wasn’t like I went to set going, “It’s going to be so scary when it comes out!” It’s a totally different experience. This incarnation of the filmmaking process is so far inside of something you have a different perspective on it. You’re putting one foot in front of the other and knocking on the door of a house. That’s all you know of it at that point.

Your co-star in this film is Lin Shaye. I love her. She’s just one of the greats. Did you learn anything from her? What’s she like as a collaborator?

Yes. I think the landscape’s changed an awful lot, though. I think people are really valuing and wanting to be involved in making these genre films. Some of the best directors today grew up on horror. Now, more than ever, I think there are more interesting people gravitating towards this type of film. I think it’s a really exciting time!

More: 10 Best Asian Horror Movies

She’s just so sweet and so kind. I think that’s why everyone takes her into their hearts so much. That’s why it’s so disturbing to see the things she’s done as different characters on film! She’s just incredible. We used to have a glass of wine every night after shooting. I loved when Lin was working. It was wonderful to work with her. She’s so attentive and cares so much about every detail about what’s happening with her character. She’s so engaged. And not every actor is like that! Things happen and things can get rushed sometimes. But she really cares, and I work this way, and I appreciated that we both had that in common. She really cares about each emotional beat.

  • The Grudge Release Date: 2020-01-03