Justin P. Lange's newest film, The Seventh Day, delivers a unique entry into the possession subgenre. An accomplished exorcist, Father Peter (Guy Pearce) teams up with an inexperienced recruit. Their mission is to stop the demonic possession of a young boy, but things aren't exactly what they seem.
Regarded for his roles in Momento and L.A. Confidential, The Seventh Day marks Guy Pearce's introduction to the horror genre. In an exclusive interview with CBR, Pearce discusses his "suspicious" character, Justin Lange's clever directing and his experience shooting creepy exorcism scenes with kids.
What attracted you to the role of Father Peter?
You get a sense from the beginning that he’s had sort of this terrible experience, and he’s really just trying to make sense of it all to find justice and to find meaning in all that he’s doing. So that in itself was quite a draw but also the story and the plot. I think primarily with those things intact, sitting down with Justin and getting to talk to Justin about what kind of film he wanted to make, that was the thing that got me over the line.
This is a new arena for me, I supposed, as far as the type of film. Not that I’m only drawn to certain types of films, but I’ve never really gotten into this sort of genre before. I found that things just felt authentic, which is always what I’m looking for. I know authenticity can come in a variety of forms. But I just really liked Justin’s approach, and I liked his personality and what he was hoping and trying to do. So, yeah, I was really taken by him and his script.
Given the exorcism theme, did you do any research or watch any possession films while preparing for the role?
No, I didn’t feel like I needed to. I mean, I looked at a couple of clips that he had sent, but, for me, the preparation is more about feeling like the script is real and my communication with the director feels real. If I have to start looking at other stuff, then it’s because there is a gap in the process or a gap in sort of the understanding. As I say, [Justin] did send me a couple of clips from other films, but at a certain point, I feel like I’m just sort of mimicking them, and I’d rather stay away.
When you got the call you were doing an exorcism film, was there anything you were nervous Justin Lange was going to ask you to do in terms of scenes or special effects?
No, I think that my nervousness always, if I ever have any, is in feeling like I can convincingly present what it is I’m supposed to present. Everything felt kind of beautifully placed. It’s quite a manipulative character that I’m playing, and we understand obviously through the course of the story what his agenda is. I felt that was so beautifully written that it was kind of all there, you know. I don’t think there was anything I came up against where I went, “Oh, wow. How am I going to do this, or why do I feel nervous about it?” I always have a general nervousness about any job I do because I think that’s just part of the work.
A lot of the things in a film like this are reliant on how the visual effects playout, how the music plays out, how the editing works. For us, as actors, we just need to stay true to what the dialogue is and what it is you’re doing. Not that you’re going by numbers, but you’re presenting what it is you’re presenting, and if the director decides that at a certain point, he’s going to have a flash-cut of a kid’s face with blood all over it, then that’s out of my hands.
What’s it like working with kids while shooting these super creepy and intense scenes?
Well, you know, they were great. I’m always impressed by how smart kids are. Kids on film sets who are 10 years old and seem to be more articulate than any of the adults. So, I’m always super impressed by them and curious about them because they seem much more together. You know, you always feel like you have to be careful about how you talk about this stuff with kids. You’re like, “Well, okay. The character’s died,” and the kids are like, “Yeah, yeah. He’s dead. He’s gone here. He’s gone to heaven. He’s gone to hell. This other kid comes in and takes over his body. Yup, yup, got it.”
You know what I mean? I’m always a bit surprised by the maturity level of kids on film sets and what they understand. I don’t know kids well enough to know if a five-year-old should know this or an eight-year-old should know this or a 12-year-old. I have a four-and-a-half-year-old, so I’m aware of what kids do up until the age of four and a half, but I’m not sure after that [laughs].
Father Peter is a pretty complicated character, for lack of a better word. How did you approach playing him? Did you go into it thinking of yourself as the “bad guy?”
Well, I had to be aware. Obviously, I was aware of what his agenda is. But, at the same time, it’s complicated because I’m aware of what he presents to convince young Daniel to sort of stay on board and bring him into the fold. So, I’m aware of what he is presenting to Daniel. I’m aware of what he’s presenting to Daniel that seems like what he is presenting to the audience. I’m aware of what’s being presented to the audience that is outside of Daniel’s view. So, it’s seemingly suspicious because we want our audience to be suspicious of Father Peter but also question whether their ideas about their suspicion are perhaps misguided.
There was a lot of discussion with Justin about the details of that stuff. It’s not as simple as going, “He’s the bad guy. He’s pretending he’s not. Here we go.” That’s what’s clever about Justin. That he’s not just going to go, as I say, “Here’s the bad guy pretending he’s not.” He’s going, “Well, here’s a guy who seemingly on every level is -- what he’s doing is valid, justified, etc.” Then slowly, our audience as questions about that character, but you want the audience to go, “Is that just us asking those questions unnecessarily or are they valid questions? Hang on. Wait a minute. Whoa.” So, it’s all sort of complex stuff, and that’s what’s so clever about Justin, I think. His explanation of that, his understanding of that and what it was we were trying to and managing to achieve.
Exorcism movies are a hot topic in horror. What do you think sets The Seventh Day apart?
Well, I don’t know enough of the other films to be able to say what sets it apart. I just can’t help but feel the way in which Justin expressed these two characters -- what drew me to the film in the first place -- is probably what sets it apart from other films even though I don’t know other films.
I’m not the best person to ask, to be honest. But I do think there is something about the authenticity of my character and the vulnerability of Daniel that hopefully makes our audiences keep going with the pair of them down the road, down the road, down the road.
What’s interesting too is quite early on in the film, you’re made to question whether Peter -- Father Peter my role -- is actually dodgy and evil. So, very early on, you’re asked that question, and I think the fact that you’re asked that question so early on takes out of your hands that idea that there is going to be a twist later on. You’re sort of left to go, “Well, if I’m worried about him now, then where else is there to go?” I think it leaves the audience unsure about their footing quite early, which is quite a clever move of Justin’s, and that was a lot of what we talked about. Is it right for [Father Peter] to seem this suspicious here, or should he only seem this suspicious 24 scenes later when they’re at the bowling alley, and this happens? What do we want to present there? If he seems suspicious here, is that going to undermind what happens later, or if he’s not suspicious at all here, then later when it comes, are you going to go, “Oh, well it’s him,” and you’ve lost interest in the story.
So, there was a lot of discussion about that stuff, and it isn’t just about who I’m playing. It’s about who I’m playing in this story. So, it was quite a tightrope to walk.
Directed by Justin P. Lange and starring Guy Pearce, Vadhir Derbez, Stephen Lang and Brady Jenness, The Seventh Day is available March 26, 2021, in Select Theaters and VOD.
0 Comments