In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast features in-depth conversations with today’s most noteworthy actors and creators. Join host and senior editor Vinnie Mancuso for this guide to living the creative life from those who are doing it every day.
It’s impossible to picture the modern-day horror film landscape without Maika Monroe. The actor first broke out in 2014 with a pair of fright flicks. The first, Adam Wingard’s “The Guest,” also starring Dan Stevens, is a bona fide cult classic; fans have been clamoring to get the sequel treatment for years. The second, David Robert Mitchell’s sexually transmitted demon movie “It Follows,” essentially reset the horror house style for the next 10 years. (A much-anticipated sequel, “They Follow,” once again starring Monroe, is set to start shooting in 2025.)
She is poised to shake up the genre once again with her latest, Oz Perkins’ “Longlegs,” in theaters July 12—an unholy spiritual successor to “The Silence of the Lambs.” Monroe stars as Lee Harker, a rookie FBI agent assigned to the decades-spanning case of a serial killer known only as Longlegs (played to incredibly unnerving affect by Nicolas Cage).
On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Monroe details her journey through the horror genre, the unorthodox way she first met Cage, and what made her agree to return for the “It Follows” sequel after 10 years.
The success and impact of “It Follows” was a surprise.
“It was so incredibly unexpected. I thought this script was weird as hell. I had watched the director’s previous movie that he made for 100 grand, but it was a cool movie. But at the end of the day, I did the job because I needed to pay for my rent and feed myself. It wasn’t like: ‘I’ve thought long and hard, and this is gonna be [a success].’ No, I was like, OK, well, [I] guess I’m gonna go [do] this weird little horror movie. It premiered at Cannes, which was insane. When it was accepted into Cannes, I was like, OK, this seems odd [but] incredibly exciting. And then, slowly, it just started to build and build. It was [my] first experience of getting these rave reviews. It’s just very surreal, like a dream come true.”
“Longlegs” Courtesy NEON
Monroe didn’t meet Cage until their first scene together, when he was in character as Longlegs.
“I remember [Perkins] coming to me initially with the idea; he was like, ‘I don’t think you guys should meet. I don’t want to show you any photos.’ And I was like, ‘OK, yeah, sure—whatever. It does not matter; my performance will be the same.’ I was very chill about it…. If we want to go a little Method here, why not? And then it came to the day, and, oof, I was nervous. I was very, very nervous. It’s a very long scene; [there’s] a lot happening. A big realization happens. Tension was high on set that day. This scene has to work. And on set, you put a microphone on your chest, underneath your clothes. And I found out the other day that you could hear my heart beating. So that was insane. My palms were sweaty, to say the least.
“I walked through the door, saw [Cage], and it was a day I will never forget. He was incredible. From an actor’s standpoint, I can adapt to, really, anything; you kind of have to, as an actor. But that is an experience I will never forget. And I’m very, very grateful for that.”
She doesn’t like to make predictions about her career, but she does have a directors wish list.
“With this job, there’s only so much you can control. You have no idea what’s coming next. But there [are] definitely directors that I’m a massive fan of, and films that I’ve seen that I’m like, Wow—that would be so cool to work with them. A movie that I saw a couple years back, that has stuck with me, [is] ‘Possessor’ by Brandon Cronenberg. That was pretty incredible. And around that same time, [Lawrence Michael Levine’s] ‘Black Bear’ came out, with Aubrey Plaza and Chris Abbott. I just thought that [film] was so interesting and unique. And then, of course, more recently, ‘Titane’ by Julia Ducournau, and her previous film ‘Raw.’
“All those directors I’m obsessed with, and it would be a dream to work with [them]. But, yeah, you really have no idea what’s around the corner, which is exciting and nerve-wracking and, you know, all the things.”
Monroe was initially hesitant about “They Follow,” but the script won her over.
“To be totally honest, when I was first hearing about this rumor percolating, I was very hesitant. I thought ‘It Follows’ was so iconic. Also, the ending—it was just this perfect story. And I know David, he turns down so much. He’s very specific, and he’s one of my favorite directors I’ve ever worked with. Hands down, I’ve always wanted to work with him again. That’s just a person I think is brilliant.
“I was sent the script, and it’s just so good, for lack of better words. It’s so good. I love where he puts Jay, and her story through this. I think it’s incredible. I think it’ll be unexpected. These characters are so layered. It’s not just: ‘Let’s make this sequel where it’s gonna be bigger and stuff’—which it is. But it doesn’t feel like that’s the purpose of it. It’s like, Oh, this is actually incredibly interesting, what we’re gonna put this girl through. I genuinely couldn’t be more excited.”
Listen and subscribe to In the Envelope to hear our full conversation with Monroe: