Werewolves, like many other supernatural mythos, have been reinvented throughout history is all manner of media. Bloodthirsty, out in theaters and on demand April 23, takes yet another approach by combining a young woman's animalistic transformation with her undiluted musical ambitions.
When singer-songwriter Grey (Lauren Beatty) is offered the chance to work with legendary producer - and infamous accused murderer - Vaughn (Greg Bryk, Secret Society of Second Born Royals), she won't let anything stand between her and a incredible album. However, as she and her girlfriend make the most of their stay in his creepy mansion, Grey begins to experience terrifying urges she doesn't understand.
Stars Beatty and Bryk spoke with Screen Rant about the warm atmosphere on set, the complicated dynamics that make up the films, and the projects they're working on next.
First, can you tell me how you became involved in the project, and what your reaction was to the script?
Lauren Beatty: I had worked on a feature film, another psychological horror film with Amelia Moses. We shot that one year prior to this film, and Amelia contacted me in the winter of 2019, saying that she'd been brought on to this project as a director. It was moving pretty quickly, and they needed to cast a queer pop star werewolf.
I was like, "I check two of those boxes in real life." I auditioned for it, and I wanted it so bad for so many reasons. Amelia is behind it, and it had a very badass female team behind it as well; the queer aspect and the music aspect too. The music got me so excited about it, because it was just so haunting and beautiful. It just made the whole script come to life in my eyes.
And then, getting to be a female werewolf is pretty badass.
Greg, what was your journey to Bloodthirsty like?
Greg Bryk: My journey was that I was shooting a movie out west with Wendy [Hill-Tout], who wrote this, as director, and Mike [Peterson] as one of the producers. They mentioned that they had this other movie that they were going to be shooting, and was I interested in reading the script because they wanted me to play Vaughn.
I read the script, and I thought it was really interesting. Mostly because of the idea of the sacrifices you have to make to chase greatness, and what is your responsibility as an artist to your art as opposed to the social requirements of being a nice person in society. Are they compatible? As a polite Canadian who struggled with wanting people's approval and not taking the space I need - and sometimes just not being enough of a bastard in life - that dynamic resonated with me. And so I said yes.
Then I had the good fortune of meeting this kid here, as well as Amelia and Katharine [King So] when we started shooting. They were all such incredible and talented young artists, with strong and unique voices. Particularly for Lauren, it's really tough because she had to carry the film. I know she didn't have a ton of prep time, and that's not an easy thing to do.
And Amelia executed a script that has a lot of technical requirements when you don't have a lot of time; you don't have long days, and you don't have all the resources at your disposal. But she was so smart with it. She was so creative in her solutions and so decisive that you just felt you were in good hands, so you could create little moments and find things in the playing and just know that she's watching the big picture. She knows the whole shape of it, and you're just finding little human moments throughout it.
I love that you both had connections to the creative team prior to filming. Did that give you any kind of shorthand on set when it came to understanding what was required or discussing the characters?
Lauren Beatty: Yeah. I think that after working on Bleed With Me, which was another independent film with a very small crew, Amelia and I got super close. Because it was such a psychological film, I spent a lot of time with Amelia just dissecting that character. We ended up getting really close, and we just know how each other work and work well together.
This again was another small independent crew, and the environment on set was really nice. It felt really safe, but at the same time, kind of exciting because you knew that Amelia was going to allow you to have fun with it and explore. But she still keeps the control that that she needs to have, and that's why I love working with Amelia. She balances really well betwen having control over the ultimate vision and knowing what she wants, but then knowing when she needs to drop something and just say, "This isn't working, so let's play with it."
Greg Bryk: Yeah, that's the difference between leadership and tyranny. And I think that it takes a mature director to be able to have the confidence to allow people to bring ideas to the table.
Because if you're very rigid, and you have this plan that you have to follow this plan, then there's no room for other people to bring their voice to the table. And then there's something that can be a technically beautiful film, but it's going to miss the magic of spontaneity, of happy accidents, of things that are happening between actors that aren't in the script but make the characters on the screen much more compelling and human and relatable.
And I think that she walks that line quite beautifully. She's decisive with what she wants, and she gets what she needs, but she also allows you the luxury of having the space you need to bring yourself to the work. So, that was really cool.
As for the dynamic between Vaughn and Grey, I was surprised by the end result of that relationship in more ways than one. How did you walk the line of making the dynamic both creatively fulfilling, but also creepy and potentially predatory?
Lauren Beatty: Look at him! That's a creep, right? [Laughs]
Greg Bryk: It's interesting. You read a script, and you have an idea of the characters and the relationship. And for me, it started out as very Machiavellian. He's a very controlling person, and it's a very selfish relationship. But then, talking about accidents, when Lauren first sang - on one of the first days of Bloodthirsty - the way she sang was so beautiful that I felt vulnerable. It tapped into the teenage boy that I was or something, so there was a fragility to it.
All this time in my life had passed, and you get to this point, but then there's all the loss leading up to that. It unsettled me a little bit, in the best possible way, so then the dance became more about the love underneath than just the control. There was some insecurity, and yet still he was a tyrant at times as well. It just became much less predictable for me, and hopefully for the audience, because I never really knew how I felt in each moment. I'd be caught up in a moment, and then pull back from that moment. It was happening to me as it was happening [onscreen], in the best possible way.
Lauren, what was it like playing off the unpredictable vibes you got from Greg as Vaughn?
Lauren Beatty: Greg is such an amazing actor, so that part wasn't hard. I had a lot to work with.
But I think what I am realizing is that, going into this film, I had a lot of the same worries as like Grey does about writing her second album. This was the second feature film leading role that I had, and I had all this pressure to not only carry the movie, but also learn all the music without a lot of time. I was already feeling this imposter syndrome just within myself, so to actually have those real feelings on set, I think definitely lent itself to the scenes.
But also, the first day I met Greg during the rehearsals, we just instantly had this chemistry. We really get each other and appreciate each other, so it was really jokey and fun. It was kind of unexplainable; sometimes you just have a connection with people.
When Grey first meets Vaughn in the actual film, there's something there, and she doesn't understand where it's coming from or why, but she has this deep connection to this man. She can feel it in her gut, but she doesn't know what that is. Vaughn obviously knows what it is but she doesn't. So, it was cool to have that juxtaposition of what was happening with us in real life and what was happening in the film.
Another important element in Bloodthirsty is Charlie and her relationship with Grey. Charlie seems like such a grounding influence for Grey but, as you mentioned previously, she also represents what you sacrifice for creative success. How do you view their relationship throughout the film, Lauren? We know Vaughn doesn't seem fond of her.
Greg Bryk: You know, he's worried about Grey, and whether she's made the right choices. [Laughs] She's a bad apple, that one.
Lauren Beatty: I think the relationship between Grey and Charlie is just so pure. That's what I really loved about it in the script; you can tell how much they love each other. Also, a big fuss isn't made about the relationship in the movie. It's just the same as if they were a straight couple.
I think both Kat and I were really drawn to it for that reason. We could both represent our community in queer roles, but it felt like such progress that these two women are just queer. We've gotten comments several times that people could really feel the relationship. I think Kat and I just also have been through a lot of the same things in our lives as a part of the same community, so inherently there's more truth there from lived experience.
I feel like that came through, and hopefully people agree.
What is next for both of you?
Greg Bryk: I've got a few things coming out in the next little bit. There was a movie that I also shot with Wendy called Marlene, about the Steven Truscott story. In Canada, w all know the story. A 15 year old boy went to jail and was put on death row for murdering his classmate; he spent a decade on death row, but it wasn't him. He got released and then put his life together afterwards.
So, I did that. And I've got a movie called Trigger Point coming out, with Colm Feore and Barry Pepper. I've got a movie called Super Dicks coming out, and I'm shooting a series right now - but I can't say what it is.
Also, I'm waiting for Lauren to write us our buddy comedy. But clearly, the phone hasn't rung. I keep it right here to see if she'll call me during the interview. I'll be like, "Is it now? You're talking now?"
Lauren Beatty: Obviously, I have my buddy comedy with Greg. Then Bleed With Me, the other movie I did with Amelia Moses, is coming out later this summer. I've been doing a lot of writing during the pandemic, so I started a comedy production house with my roommate. We're doing a lot of satirical sketch comedy and character driven stuff.
I've got a mockumentary in the works, and I'm also filming a short film that I co-wrote this summer, about the value of platonic intimacy in queer friend groups. We're shooting that in June. I don't know when it'll come out, but I'm excited.
Bloodthirsty will be out in select theaters and available on demand starting April 23.