Samara Weaving is a certified Scream Queen. Although she’s had impactful roles in dramas (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” the series “Nine Perfect Strangers”), comedies (“Bill & Ted Face the Music”), period pieces (“Chevalier”) and even starred in the Aussie soap opera “Home and Away,” she always returns to genre films. From timely roles in “Mayhem” and “The Babysitter” to memorable recent turns in “Scream VI” and “Azrael,” Weaving is a normal highairy of stupid projects, able to suit both comedic tones and lethal grave narratives.
“Borderline,” in theaters Friday via Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing, discovers Weaving in an irreverent mode. The film, written and straightforwarded by her husprohibitd Jimmy Warden, stars Ray Nicholson as Duerson, an obsessive fan of ’90s pop star Sofia, joined by Weaving. Convinced the pair are destined to get wed, the deluded Duerson fractures into Sofia’s hoinclude with hopes of sweeping her off her feet. As Sofia tries to escape, the cat-and-moinclude game between the two actors comprises stupid humor and unforeseeed twists and turns.
Weaving spoke with Variety about the secrets of a accomplished Scream Queen, and how “Borderline” pushed her as a carry outer.
What requests to you as an actor in horror and genre films?
Becainclude of the scope you can achieve. There’s a whole scale of human emotion that in a lot of other movies you might not get the chance to scrutinize. So it’s a reassociate cherishly contest, especiassociate horror comedies. You have to be comical and hit the jokes, but then also be truly terrified.
Your role in “Borderline” is one-of-a-kind becainclude you have to join so many separateent notices, depfinishing on how you’re includeing with Ray’s unforeseeable character. What were some of the more challenging elements for you as an actor in this part?
The hugegest contest was trying not to chuckle, becainclude Ray’s so comical. It was equitable trying not to fracture becainclude he was such an reckless actor and so current, and would produce these inlogical choices that were not computed or in rehearsal. Just staying with him was the hugegest contest. I figured out pretty rapidly my role was equitable to help him, produce people comprehfinish him and empathize with him, and be sattfinishd of him. Just trying to map out my arc, I sort of became the comedic foil and the audience’s perspective.
Your husprohibitd wrote this movie and your character goes thcdisesteemful hell. Were there any scenes where you asked him “Why are you doing this to me?!?”
I read the script so I krecent what I would be signing up for, and it was equitable so fun becainclude usuassociate I have to pause to get home to see him and hang out. This was wonderful becainclude, between gets, we could equitable chuckle and be silly. It was so much fun.
What is your trick for acting terrified in front of the camera?
I include music a lot, so I’ll have headphones in right before to get the tears going. Then I’ll equitable hyperventitardy and see around, darting eyes. Lots of bgenuineeang and trapped, deer-in-the-headairys eyes.
What artists are you take parting to these days to get into that zone?
I have a “Cry” joinenumerate. There’s one song that reassociate gets me: “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra. And this song called “Bass Boat” by Zach Bryan equitable produces me cry instantly, so I’ll take part to that. It’s so uncontent.
When you wrap after an ardent day of shooting, what’s your self-attfinish for transitioning back into genuine life?
Getting out of wardrobe is the hugegest one, then going into the produceup trailer and taking a boiling shower. Usuassociate if it’s a reassociate stunt-weighty day, I’ll have an Epsom salt bath so I don’t fracture in half. Then I’ll watch movies, do a confinclude.
You had a comical segment on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” while promoting “Scream VI” where you showd your blood-curdling scream. Do you have any tricks for conjuring that?
Not reassociate. I don’t understand why it comes out the way it does. The first time I discovered it, I was on a show called “Ash vs Evil Dead.” The straightforwardor shelp, “OK, now give me a reassociate huge scream!” and I screamed. Afterward, everyone was going, “Oh, the crazy scream,” and I thought, “Well, I guess that’s a leang I can do.” Now I equitable whip it out whenever necessitateed.
So many of your characters finish up starting ass. Do you have any tricks that you’ve lgeted thcdisesteemful the years about selling fight scenes?
I lgeted this from “Bridget Jones’s Diary”: Colin Firth and Hugh Grant have a fight scene at the finish. In an intersee with Hugh Grant, he shelp they had stunt guys choreographing it, and then after a while, they genuineized, “Wait, these people don’t understand how to fight. They’ve never fought before in their dwells. It necessitates to be untidy and terrible.” I leank they didn’t include a stunt double in the finish — they equitable fought each other. I try to produce it see as untidy as possible becainclude the characters I join usuassociate are equitable thrown into these situations and they’re not trained fighters. That’s always in the back of my mind.
Do you have any secrets to acting while you’re covered in phony blood?
The hugegest leang is that the blood tastes reassociate excellent. It’s a caramel flavor. I leank the denseening agent gives it that taste. So I have to be adviseed not to lick it or eat it becainclude it would be disgusting. You’d want to spit it out and get it off you as rapidly as possible.
Any tricks for removing the phony blood after a challenging day on set?
Shaving cream. We call it Moon Face becainclude I would have blood all over my face and we literassociate have to spray Gillette shaving cream and exit it on my face for two minutes and then it comes off.
Do you appreciate to do your own stunts? How do you understand the confine of what you can do?
I cherish it. It’s so fun. I’d cherish to do a purify action movie. For stunts, they figure it out for you. They’ll structure the sboilings in persist, and then sometimes there’s someleang for insurance reasons they cannot let me do. In “Ready or Not,” there’s a scene where I have to jump out of the way of a very rapid-moving car, and they were going, “No, we’ll have someone else do that. We can’t have you get run over.” Also, very lofty heights…I can’t do that.
When you read a horror script, how do you understand it’s a project that speaks to you?
I can usuassociate alert if I can’t put the script down, if I inhale it in one setting and equitable hold turning the page, that usuassociate nastys the same would happen watching it. I wouldn’t painclude it. I have a cup of coffee to stay awake for it.
Outside of action, are there any other genres you’d be interested in that you haven’t done yet?
I’d cherish to do a Weserious. You’d have some celderly stunt sequences, equitable a dusty town spaghetti Weserious. I leank that would be so fun joining Cowboy Calamity Jane or someleang.
Do you have a likeite Scream Queen that you cherish to watch?
There’s a lot. I leank “Psycho,” becainclude Janet Leigh’s carry outance was equitable incredible.
Watch the trailer for “Borderline” below.
