Advertisement
Giant spiders are enough to give plenty of moviegoers nightmares. For Matilda Lutz (Revenge), making Crawlers (now playing in theaters) meant figuring out how to make each frightening encounter feel different. Playing scared was part of the job, but repeating the same reaction was something she wanted to avoid. Check out our full interview with Lutz below!
Read more: Matilda Lutz Talks Spider Horror And “Level Of Fear” Behind ‘Crawlers’
Directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández, Crawlers centers on Serena (Matilda Lutz), an overwhelmed building manager whose responsibilities skyrocket after a spider infestation in the apartment complex. The building, which is under a police-mandated quarantine, has several residents who are trying to survive this spider outbreak, and Serena may be the only hope for getting these people out alive!
Lutz discussed the challenge of giving her character Serena an extra layer of depth amidst the chaos and horror. Each scene needed its own approach, even when the source of the terror had eight legs.
“The level of fear had to be different in every scene, and different and nuanced,” said Lutz. “So for me, that was very challenging, because I didn’t want her to have just one note.”
That distinction gave Lutz something specific to work toward throughout the movie. Serena’s reactions needed to reflect what she was experiencing at that particular moment, with the terror building as the story progressed.
“I had to find different things that would make her very specific with every spider,” she said. “And as the movie evolves, the level of fear is growing as well.”
Preparing for Crawlers also introduced Lutz to some unsettling information about the creatures themselves. Growing up in Italy, her experiences with spiders were uneventful. I mentioned my own spider attack at the beginning of the interview, and thankfully that was not a mutual experience!
“I grew up in Italy, and there’s little spiders and not very scary spiders,” said Lutz. “So I haven’t had encounters like that. But I started researching for the role and the film, and I started realizing how many crazy huge spiders there are in the world, and deadly venomous spiders. And it’s scary.”
Check out my review (and recommendation) of Crawlers on CinemAddicts:
A big part of movies is illusion, and the idea of it being a glitzy and glamorous profession is not too acccurate. Spiders one thing, but the reality of acting does have its challenges. “It does seem like it’s all beautiful and glamorous and a lot of the acting (profession) is you’re travelling,” said Lutz. “You’re far away from family (and) friends. (Plus) you’re having to adapt to a different city, a different country, and different people. So sometimes it does get very lonely. That’s the one thing I think people don’t see about (acting) from the outside.”
Watch our interview with Matilda Lutz below as she discusses Crawlers, researching spiders, and her approach to acting.
Crawlers is now playing in theaters.
***We receive a slight commission when you use our Amazon SiteStripe and affiliate links for your purchases. Thanks for your support!
***I give away Blu-ray or Digital code each week to members of our CinemAddicts Movie Club. Join our Facebook Group and become part of our community. Any questions please email me at editor@deepestdream.com.
