Interview: The Loved Ones’ Robin McLeavy
We speak to the Australian actress about torturing Twilight Eclipse star Xavier Samuel in this fantastic new horror.
One of the nicest surprises of this year's FrightFest was fantastic Australian horror The Loved Ones.
Twilight: Eclipse star Xavier Samuel is an already traumatised student who makes the mistake of turning down Robin McLeavy's prom date request, leading to a horrifically macabre and wickedly funny twist on both high school dramas and slasher flicks.
McLeavy's Lola is an incredible invention, pretty as a princess in her striking pink dress as she uses all sorts of household implements to torture poor Xavier. Knives, forks, salt, kettles and eventually a drill are all in the hands of this childlike creature, but the terror is mainly from her sinister glee, and McLeavy's flawless depiction of an unreasonable maniac.
One of the best horror films in recent years, The Loved Ones is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 4th October. I was lucky enough to speak to my favourite new star Robin at FrightFest, where we discussed her surprising fear of horror, her approach to Lola's state of mind, and whether or not Twilight fans should watch The Loved Ones.
I was surprised to see on the DVD extras that you were not a horror fan, especially as you play one of the greatest villains of the year.
I'm actually really scared of horror films, and I struggle to watch them, which is ridiculously ironic. But I actually got cured by way of doing a horror film, so now I understand how prosthetics work. I have an inside knowledge now, so I can watch them!Supernatural films really freak me out, but now I can deal with blood. I'm in love with blood now, I find it really beautiful! I've got a real appreciation of the artistry that goes into prosthetics and special effects - the intricate work the artists do is really impressive.
Did you get to see any other films over the festival?
I saw some of Hatchet 2. I was quite scared. I always find it disturbing when women are victimised in films, and I can't watch it.
Did writer and director Sean Byrne have to do a lot of convincing to get you to sign on?
No, as soon as I read the script I loved the character. I loved how unhinged she was. It's pretty unusual to see a young woman being quite violent, but somehow finding joy in torturing somebody.
What was it like playing such a physical role?
Because my background is theatre, so I've done lots of fight training, and fencing, so I really enjoy that side of the film. And I'm a secret martial arts fan as well. I wish I was as agile as Bruce Lee! We shot all the stuff in the car with Victoria, Xavier's character's girlfriend, when we fall out of the car on to the ground, our hips were cut and bruised - there's no way to fake that! We asked for a mat, but the road was in shot, so we couldn't have a mat!
What was going through your head when your character was doing these despicable things to Xavier?
I researched a lot of the Jeffrey Dahmer cases, because he used to do a lot of frontal lobotomies on his victims, and that really disturbed and upset me, so I put that away. I started reading a book by Oliver Sacks, who was a neuropsychologist in the Fifties, and he wrote about all his patients' mental illnesses - not so much in a medical way, but in an observational way, observing their behaviour and what their episodes of instability were actually like. Some of the quotes in the book, people were saying when they had an episode, they had a rush of ecstacy, and they were feeling dangerously well, and on the verge of something. All these kinds of things fed into my performance. It was a very kind of sensoric thing. So every time the character was about to commit some violence, it would be a state that would come over her, rather than thinking vengeful thoughts.
What was the atmosphere like on set, with all those gruelling scenes?
We were shooting mainly in that small house, and that was really small, and there were heaps of crew in there, so it was stuffy and really hot. So everyone was a bit short-tempered and snappy. But we worked really well as a team, but we were really pressed for time. It was a lot of fun, and as actors we all got a good chance to play... we were really thinking on our feet a lot. Sean had a really specific idea of what he wanted, but on the day, if we came up with something spontaneously, he'd be like, yes, yes let's keep that. So we threw ideas around.
Did Xavier do this before or after he was cast in Twilight: Eclipse?
Before. But I understand horror fans aren't necessarily fans of Eclipse, because I guess it's not hardcore enough! I guess they will be upset [watching it] because there are some pretty hardcore Xavier Samuel fans out there now! It's a funny genre, and the fans are so different. But he's so good in Eclipse as the evil vampire, there is an element of horror. He could easily play a villain if he wanted to.
Can you tell us a bit about your background in theatre?
This is my second film, because I've been stuck in theatre world. I just did A Streetcar Named Desire with Cate Blanchett in New York. It amazing to work with her. Liv Ullman directed it, so it was two great screen legends on a theatre piece, so it was pretty magic. It's amazing to be around artists with that integrity, and seeing the discipline they work with, and the honesty and the truth they bring to everything they do. I think I'll always go back to theatre for that reason. You really get the luxury of time to explore the craft. All the great actors I admire started on the stage. I used to want to make a theatre revolution when I was about 18, I wanted to bring people back to the theatre. It's really nice being in London because everyone appreciates theatre so much, and they respect it. In terms of acting as a career, you kind of need to be able to both.
Would you like to do theatre in London?
I'd love to. I've been having meetings with agents here - I've got representation in LA, but there's no theatre whatsoever in LA! I'd love to work with someone like Sam Mendes.
What's next for you?
I'm doing a little film called Hollywood Ending. It's a really clever script. A friend of mine wrote it, and he's directing it. It's a comedy which is nice - no blood!
Subscribe to the SG News Feed
