Available on Shudder October 23rd is the new horror thriller ‘The Cycle‘, which was directed by Jordan Downey (‘The Head Hunter‘), and stars Deborah Ann Woll (‘Daredevil: Born Again‘) and Jeffrey Donovan (‘Sicario‘).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan about their work on ‘The Cycle’, their first reaction to the screenplay, navigating the film’s different tones, making a werewolf movie, their characters, working together on set, and collaborating with director Jordan Downey, as well as if Donovan will reprise his role in the recently announced ‘Sicario 3‘.
Related Article: Jeffrey Donovan Talks ‘First Love’
Moviefone: To begin with, Deborah, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and can you talk about your approach to playing this complex character?
Deborah Ann Woll: I loved it by page 10. I was really excited about it. I though it was an excellent film first and then a great horror film second in a way. I’m a geeky, science person, so I think I really enjoyed seeing that type of person at the center of a movie like this. I think in horror movies, geeks tend to be sidekicks and I enjoyed that in this one it really focused and centered on that type. Then I think in terms of challenges, I knew it had to be practical effects if we were going to do it. So I asked our director Jordan on our first meeting if that’s what his intention was and he said it was and I said, “Okay, great, I’m in. Let’s do it.”
MF: Jeffrey, the first half of the film plays like a phycological thriller, and then the second half is a straight up werewolf movie. Can you talk about the challenges of balancing the film’s different tones?
Jeffrey Donovan: It’s a good question because it is a challenge and I’m not sure if I’ve experienced that before. Maybe it started as a kitchen sink drama and turned into an action movie. I guess that would be kind of similar. But as apparent as it is on the screen when you watch it, when you read it, it didn’t feel as a big huge tonal shift or genre shift because I felt like Jordan laid the groundwork so specifically throughout. By the time it does turn into maybe a different kind of genre, if you will, it doesn’t feel it. It almost feels inevitable. That’s what was exciting when I read it was this is something I haven’t read before and it’s also something I certainly haven’t done before. But it is based on a slice of my cannon of roles that I’ve done that maybe I could draw from and then maybe also turn them on their heads a little bit of maybe this isn’t the kind of cop you thought he was. So that was a lot of fun to create.
MF: Jeffrey, can you talk about shooting the werewolf scenes and was it helpful as an actor that you were using practical effects rather than VFX?
JD: Well, it was great that we didn’t have to imagine him. We’d didn’t have a big large green screen with a piece of tape on it that we go, “Well, there he is, now he’s transforming.” We actually watched him. That really helped. But then in the end, it really came down to just the similar basics of like, where is he? How do I angle myself away from him? How do I protect Meg? How does Meg protect me? It was all just real tangible stuff, which was very exciting to play and also very visceral in the moment.
MF: Deborah, can you talk about your prepared physically and mentally for the action sequences?
DAW: I think I always knew that that finale was going to be in the river in November, and I loved it. They kept giving me an out. Jordan kept coming to me and he was like, “We can rewrite it. We can put it on dry land. We can do this.” I was like, “No, I love it. Don’t change a word.” I was like, “We’ll figure it out in costumes. We’ll put a wetsuit underneath my clothes, whatever we need to do, we will figure out how to do it.” But when I first read the script, I was like, “This is my ‘Alien‘. This is my great slow burn of a science fiction movie that then turns into a magnificent creature feature with her at the end.” I thought of that sequence of her where she’s singing ‘You Are My Lucky Star’. She’s getting into that suit and it’s very slow and it’s very deliberate. I though, for me, this is the end of this movie. She doesn’t win because she has more muscles than it does. She doesn’t win because she has a ray gun that she can shoot. She wins because she’s smarter than it, because she has a plan, because she’s brave. I like that. We like to think of humans as being the top of the pyramid, but we’re not. We’re so squishy. We’re not even true carnivores. So, whenever you pit us against a creature like this, we have to rely on the one thing that we have, which is our brains. So, I was really excited about the opportunity to combine both of those elements.
MF: Jeffrey, can you talk about the muual respect between Marks and Meg and creating that relationship with Deborah?
JD: A joy. An absolute joy. So collaborative and generous with her time. I’ve been fortunate to be number one on the call sheet and I learned so much again, to be magnanimous, from the way she was as number one on the call sheet. It’s just a testament to her character, who she is and her talent that I think the film turns out so well. Jordan was on one side of the film and Deb was on the other leading the cast. The chemistry, hopefully it just emerges with two actors working really hard together to create something special.
MF: Deborah, how would you describe the relationship between the two characters, and what was your experience like working with Jeffrey on this project?
DAW: I think chemistry is not something you can force, but you have a much better shot at it if both of you set your egos aside and are just two people sitting in a car talking to one another and sharing stories of your life. I think the first call that we had with Jordan, that was the first scene we really talked about because it felt like here’s where they bond in a way that means they’re going to have each other’s back through the rest of this movie. I loved that they weren’t combative. I think as originally scripted, Marks was meant to be a father figure for her, but because we cast Jeffrey and he’s significantly younger than I think it was originally conceived, it became much more of peers and that they both knew that they needed each other to get through this, both emotionally as well as literally. I think when Jeffrey was cast and he brought a different energy to the role than was originally conceived as well, this kind of patience, and I think it was the perfect foil because Meg is so determined and she’s so on task every single moment. I think sometimes you can miss the forest for the trees with that mindset. I think Marks, the way that Jeffrey portrayed him is the trees from the forest in a way. He slows her down and helps her focus all of that energy, I think. It became such a necessary pairing. Neither of them would’ve survived this movie without the other one. I love seeing chemistry between a man and woman in a story that isn’t necessarily romantic. I think it’s also really a lovely shift, especially within this genre.
MF: Jeffrey, what was it like collaborating with director Jordan Downey on set?
JD: Oh, he’s spinning nine plates above his head, balancing shooting schedules, shooting days, actors, losing light. But he still goes, “Tell me what you need in this scene. Tell me what are we missing? Does anyone have an idea about this? How should we do this?” He’s just so collaborative and at such a young age, it’s remarkable.
MF: Deborah, anything you want to add to that about working with Jordan?
DAW: I mean, ultimately has such a clear vision for himself, but it is not inflexible. He’s so flexible with how he incorporates your vision into what he’s working on. In a smaller movie like this, you can work with a lot of people who have less experience or are newer to this. I have seen directors with more experience and more years under their belt mishandle those situations. Jordan was perfect. He was so patient and kind with every single person who came on that set, no matter what their position was, and he made sure that they felt good and strong about their work, which meant that the movie as a whole is so much better for that. Even if their weird wacky idea didn’t make it into the movie, the fact that we gave them the space to try something meant that every take after that was full of life. So I literally would do anything Jordan asked me to do going forward.
MF: Finally, Jeffrey, it was recently announced that Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro will all return for ‘Sicario 3’. Will you be returning for the upcoming film as well?
JD: Right now, I have not received any call. I’m hoping to, but you know as much as I do at this point, whether I’m in ‘Sicario 3’. I hope to be.
What is the plot of ‘The Cycle’?
A daughter (Deborah Ann Woll) unravels her father’s dark past after his body, missing for 36 years, is found at a horrific crime scene.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Cycle’?
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