Actors Mia Goth and Dane DeHaan take a moment to discuss what drew them to “A Cure For Wellness,” the torturous sequences endured and how past experiences influenced their portrayals.
Being involved in a horror film seems like it would be fun, exciting, maybe even scary. But for Dane DeHaan (“Amazing Spider-Man 2″) and newcomer Mia Goth (Nymphomaniac: Vol. II”) it appears that experience was much more harrowing, real and physically exertive than most other horror films. From dislocated shoulders to a month of torture, the acting duo braved quite the challenges while making the big-budget frightfest.
The Knockturnal had the opportunity to sit down with Goth and DeHaan to discuss their time working on “A Cure For Wellness,” their inspirations for their characters and the psychological duress during the making of the film.
Mia Goth’s Attraction to the Film
While DeHaan has over a dozen films under his belt, Goth is still relatively nascent to the world of filmmaking–let alone Verbinski-scale big budget ones. Speaking to what drew her to the film, Goth explains that the script, her parallels with the character and having DeHaan and Verbinksi on board made it a no-brainer.
“I read the script for the first time and I thought it was incredibly well written. I would be reading it and I think I knew where the plot was headed and then it would take a completely different turn,” said the model-turned-actress. Goth went on to explain that she “really connected to Hannah, and as an actor that’s the kind of thing that I try to find in scripts. I’m trying to find parallels between myself and the character written on the page and I was able to find that with Hannah.”
Unpacking the character development that she saw in the character, Goth explains that “it’s very much a coming-of-age story for [Hannah] in many ways. She’s forced to take this leap from girlhood to womanhood and she really goes on quite a journey throughout the film. And being 21 when I shot it, that’s something that I could very much relate to.”
Speaking to the similarities she saw between Hannah and herself, Goth went on to say that “I’m still trying to understand my woman and the palate that comes with that. Sometimes it’s terrifying, exhilarating and uncomfortable but ultimately, I had great respect for her because she shows to have a lot of resilience and courage.”
The Thrillers of the 1970s
There seems to be a great deal of inspiration from the gothic films of the 1970s. From Polanski’s thriller-esque Apartment trilogy to Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” there are many homages that seem to be sprinkled in throughout the film. And to DeHaan, that was precisely what was most exciting.
“I met with Gore [Verbinski] and he started talking about wanting to make a thriller that was based on the thrillers of the ’70s. Those were my favorite scary movies,” explained DeHaan. The actor added that “[Verbinski] showed me some images and sent me home with a script. I could see the inspiration but it seemed that it was so much more than that. There was something really original, crazy and wild about it.”
Vying to try new projects outside of his comfort zone, DeHaan said that “it was certainly unlike anything I had done before and that’s certainly something I look for in a project. I’m always looking to challenge myself as an actor. Being in every frame of the movie and having to take the audience on this path to create a compelling performance would be a challenge. And I would get to do it in this movie that Gore [Verbinski] was being so ambitious with. He was trying to do something truly original. And that was enough for me to jump on board.”
On the Continuous Physical and Psychological Torture
A few films pop into one’s mind when it comes to actors enduring duress. Whether it is the all-natural “The Revenant” or the infamous big-cat film “Roar,” some actors will go to great lengths to hone their craft and showcase the best of their abilities. And for DeHaan, it seems that “A Cure for Wellness” fits that actorial bill.
“There were a lot of physically challenging days but there were a lot of mentally challenging ones too,” explained DeHaan. “There was definitely one month that I like to refer to as my month of torture,” went on the actor. It seemed the production team wanted to push DeHaan to the limits, forcing him to undergo all of them concurrently. “They decided to schedule all of those scenes back-to-back-to-back.”
Talking to some of the awful experiences DeHaan underwent, the actor explained “I was either in the sensory deprivation tank or the dentist chair and at least the first try of the transfusion [laughs].” DeHaan went on to say that “I’ve never gone through as much torture as I had on this film. I think it had more psychological effects–nightmares and restless nights. The closest I got to physical harm was when my arm popped out in the car, but it popped right back in and I just went on in the day [laughs],” said the resilient actor.
Catch “A Cure for Wellness” in theaters Friday, February 17.
