When it was released in theaters less than a month ago, “The Invisible Man” looked like a breakout hit with a topical twist: This modern-day adaptation of the H.G. Wells science-fiction novel tells the story of a Bay Area woman, played by Elisabeth Moss, whose abusive ex-boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) has apparently committed suicide and left her a large sum of money. But when she tries to move forward, she is unable to convince others that her unseen ex might still be stalking her.
Moss, the Emmy Award-winning star of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” was widely praised for her performance in “The Invisible Man” (written and directed by Leigh Whannell of “Saw” and “Insidious” fame), and the film had sold more than $122 million in tickets worldwide before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered most movie theaters. Now, “The Invisible Man” is one of a few new movies that Universal Pictures will release Friday through on-demand video services, in a break from longstanding entertainment industry traditions. (Also due Friday, at a cost of $20 for a 48-hour rental, are “The Hunt” and “Emma.”)
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Moss said she supported this experiment and was hopeful it would help “The Invisible Man” reach more viewers. “This is all new territory for everyone,” she said. “It’s an inevitable move. I also think that it’s a brave move.” She added, “If we can provide a couple hours of escape for people who are at home, and they can get a chance to forget about things for a second, that’s great.”
Moss spoke about the contemporary themes of “The Invisible Man,” its insights into the nature of abuse and how horror movies can still offer relief in anxious times. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.
Were horror movies part of your cultural diet when you were growing up?
I’ve always been a fan of horror films. Ever since I was 11 or 12, I would get together with my girlfriends from ballet school and we’d have sleepovers and we’d watch scary movies. That was our subversive act.
Since you were studying ballet, I have to ask, did you ever watch “Suspiria”?
No, I don’t think we were quite that highbrow. It was more like “Nightmare on Elm Street.” But we freaked ourselves out, for sure.
How were you approached about “The Invisible Man”?
I was doing Season 3 of [“The Handmaid’s Tale”], and I had done “Us,” and as soon as I read this script, I completely understood why this was definitely up my alley. It was this convergence of a genre-film reboot and an emotional character piece. This is the Jordan Peele way of approaching the genre — you’re taking something that’s, on the surface, entertaining and a popcorn movie, but at the same time, there’s a deeper message to it. I was like, OK, I see exactly why they think this is for me.
When people think of you for a character who’s going to suffer, emotionally and physically, do you take it as a compliment?
Absolutely. When I read scripts like this, I’m really flattered that they think that I can jump through these emotional hoops.
Do you think that the feminist perspective has been absent from horror films?
There are films that have had women at the center, especially recently with “Bird Box” and “A Quiet Place.” It also harkens back to the ’70s and ’80s, when you had “The Shining” and “The Exorcist.” These movies were about more than what was on the surface.
It was Leigh Whannell’s idea to approach “The Invisible Man” this way, to tell it from the perspective of the victim and make it an analogy for women not being believed, women not being heard — women being told that they’re crazy or emotional when they believed something was happening to them. The parallel is so incredibly obvious and incredibly relevant.
How do you approach the scenes where you’re essentially acting opposite no one, but you have to believe that another person is there?
So much of my job is about imagination — creating something that is not there or erasing things that are there. So it’s not as big of a leap as you would think.
Behind the scenes of that big fight sequence that I did and quite a few of the moments where I had to make physical contact with the Invisible Man, I was doing it with either Ollie [Jackson-Cohen] or a stunt double. It would have been impossible to do that fight without an actual, physical person there. That said, the fight when Aldis [Hodge, her co-star] gets beat up by the Invisible Man in the hallway, he did that by himself. It’s one of the greatest physical acting accomplishments I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s also super-fit. I can’t do that.
When you’ve spent the time immersing yourself in the themes of this film, do you emerge from the project a different person in any way?
Because of the roles that I’ve played, I’ve always had an extreme awareness of the patriarchy and of women put in abusive situations or who experience sexual servitude. Mental and emotional abuse is a much harder thing to quantify. It’s much more difficult to be believed and much harder to receive empathy. We tend to go, she’s not happy, she’s being abused, why doesn’t she just get out? Leigh and I had many conversations about wanting to show that a woman who experiences abuse isn’t weak, isn’t stupid. There are strong and intelligent women out there who wind up in positions that they find very difficult to get out of, and it’s not their fault.
How do you feel about the movie getting such a rapid on-demand release?
I was quite honestly hoping that they would make it available to people at home sooner than was originally planned. It’s an unusual move. But at the same time, we live in an unusual moment. Are movies going to be this way forever? I have no idea. That’s up to much smarter heads than mine. But this week, I think it’s a good idea.
There’s one particular scene in this movie — I don’t want to spoil it here — that absolutely shocked viewers who saw it in theaters. Will it work the same when you’re watching at home and can’t hear the reactions of other moviegoers?
I think it’s just a different experience. I’ve watched so many horror films at home, and I was still terrified. Of course, seeing something in a theater with an audience is so singular. But at the same time, I think there is an experience that you can have at home that’s just as scary and just as meaningful, even if it’s different. In fact, you’ll be alone at home, which is probably the scariest way to watch this movie. I would just recommend turning out all the lights and turning up the volume as much as you can.
Do you see any connections among the film and TV characters you have portrayed recently, including Becky Something, the unruly rock star you played in “Her Smell”?
I really take great pleasure in pushing characters to the extreme. It gets more and more challenging to find new ways to do that. You have to keep asking yourself, what can I do now that is different? For me, it’s not about necessarily always playing the good guy. What I loved about Becky was that I got to play somebody who was not an admirable human being, and who was really quite honestly terrible, most of the time. [Laughs]
Many viewers first took notice of you on “Mad Men,” where you played Peggy Olson, who was a much more constrained character. Was that at all inhibiting? Did you feel like the role let you show your full range as an actor?
“Mad Men” was a much slower burn than “The Invisible Man” or “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but Peggy changed so much from Season 1 to Season 7. Every single season, I felt like she was a different person when we came back. Playing within the constraints of a character is very challenging, too — playing a person who can’t express themselves, or is under a patriarchy or in a work environment that’s extremely sexist and having to navigate that, that is a very human and relatable experience as well.
Part of it, too, is that I developed a lot as an actor over the years. I don’t know if I could have done “Handmaid’s Tale” at 23, which is when I started “Mad Men.” Working with Jane Campion on [the mystery-drama series] “Top of the Lake,” which I did between seasons of “Mad Men,” was such an incredible learning experience, too. Because I wasn’t sure what other tools I had in the toolbox when I went to New Zealand to do that first season. I thought, well, I can at least do these three scenes that I auditioned with. Taking that into “Handmaid’s Tale,” when I didn’t think I was going to be doing another TV show quite that quickly, it showed me: Ooh, there’s this other thing I can do!
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
