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Gracie Gillam On Her Crazy Role In “SUPERHOST”

Sunday, February 20, 2022 | Interviews

By JOSHUA “Prometheus” SCAFIDI

What if you ran a popular review site for vacation rentals? Seems harmless enough. Well, what if your popular site started losing viewers all of a sudden? How far would you go to capture something people would want to see?

SUPERHOST, a new film written and directed by Brandon Christensen, poses this question with a twist, when two travel vloggers meet their latest host, Rebecca. Soon they begin to realize, something is wrong with Rebecca, who is looking for more than just a review.

The film stars Sara Canning (“Nancy Drew,” 9-1-1″), Osric Chau (“Nancy Drew, The Flash” ), and Gracie Gillam, as Rebecca. Rue Morgue had the chance to chat with Gracie about the film, her role as Rebecca, and her inspiration for the character.

Hi Gracie! Thanks for the phone call! You have a new movie out, SUPERHOST!

Yeah!

It was released on February 1st. What can you tell us without giving too much away?

SUPERHOST is about a pair of bloggers who review vacation rentals. They have dwindling numbers and emotional stakes, but the stakes sort of change when my character comes in, the person running the latest property they’re reviewing.

Now you play Rebecca. The film also stars Sara Canning, Osric Chau, and Barbara Crampton. How was the vibe on set?

It was great! It was such an intimate environment and limited crew, it was a really wonderful experience. We didn’t socialize a terrible amount because we were shooting during the pandemic. So, it was energetically different than other jobs because of that. When we did socialize, it was really wonderful.

What was it like working with writer/director,  Brandon Christenson?

Wonderful! Brandon has a good balance. A lot of times you’ll get a director that’s either an “actors director,” or a “camera director.” A lot of times there are directors that favor one side or the other. Brandon is not like that – at all. He does his own special effects, so he knows exactly what he needs to make it work.

Alright so, I’m not going to lie… You look batshit crazy in the trailer. (Laughing.)

Thank you! (Laughing.)

How did you prepare for the role? Where did you find inspiration?

Well, first of all, Brandon our director encouraged me to watch “Creep.” Mark Duplass’ performance in that movie is absolutely remarkable. I went and read interviews, especially with psychopaths who lead perfectly regular lives. I think that’s been most of Rebecca’s experience. Like, what does a person with no empathy do when they have to pretend?

Was it hard getting into that headspace, and then turning it off after?

Actually, I feel like I felt a pretty healthy disconnect from the character, turning it off and on. There’s something about how Rebecca’s actual experience is so performative. Part of it too was that we were living in this hotel during the peak of the pandemic, and I think I felt more murderous and angry in my personal life than I ever had before. But no, it was a really fun playing environment, and I got to play in this character and then leave her.

Gracie Gillam as Rebecca-Superhost_Photo Credit: Shudder

In what way would you say you’re the most similar to your character, Rebecca?

I think that we both have a… like, I’m not as baffled as to why people are doing the things that they’re doing. I’m really good with faces and emotions – I’m an actor, but I don’t feel an obligation to fit in if I don’t belong. I think that was my hook into Rebecca. Like, people are doing these things, and Rebecca needs to try and act like other people for survival, but without the need for survival, Rebecca would feel no need to conform to people around her. That was something I could relate to.

Okay. Now, let’s flip that question. How are you the most different from Rebecca?

Well… I’ve never gone on a killing spree. (Laughing.)

Um, okay so there’s that… (Laughing.)

Let’s see… An imbalance of empathy a lot of times is overwhelming to me. Rebecca is overwhelmed by an inability to feel that.

One of the taglines for the film that stuck with me was “there’s something wrong with Rebecca.” What’s wrong with her?

I think she’s a textbook psychopath. A really good hook into the character for me was, there’s a part in the interview scene where she repeats a certain detail in her story too many times. To me, that’s a sign of someone who is not enjoying lying but has to lie to survive. So, this is a psychopath who is not experienced at going around lying, and also doesn’t enjoy it.

Any final thoughts about the film you want to share with us?

I think it has a lot to say about the psychopathy of the internet, and where the line between normal social performance, and terrifying social performance lies. I think that makes it a really relevant piece.

I’m excited to watch it! From what I’ve seen I think you nailed being crazy. (Laughing.)

Thank you, Joshua. (Laughing.) I try to nail being crazy.

Well, you play insane well! Thanks so much for your time, Gracie!

Thank you!

You can see Gracie go crazy in SUPERHOST, out now on VOD from RLJE Films!

 

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