Never let go is a post-apocalyptic horror movie that centers on a mother and two sons who live in a cabin in the woods. The family has been haunted by an evil spirit for years, finding sanctuary only in their home and each other. However, when one of the brothers begins to question the existence of the evil a terrifying fight to survive after the family’s bond is broken.
Halle Berry delivers a haunting performance, becoming more intense and menacing as the movie plays out. Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins are brilliant as her twin sons who begin to question the reality of their world. Alexandre Aja brings his directorial expertise to Never let go As the tension and horror escalate with the question of whether the evil is real or in the mother’s head permeates the entire film
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ShCreepy rant Interviewed Halle Berry about her new horror movie Never let go. She revealed what drew her to the script and how she immersed herself in her character. Berry also praised her costars, Daggs and Jenkins, and explained how she collaborated with Aja.
Never Let Go gave Halle Berry a chance to step outside herself
“I always love to play a character where I get to disappear into a role.”
Screen Rant: At the heart of his story, Never let go is an incredible family drama with universal themes, while still being a brilliant horror film. You’ve done just about every genre there is to do, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen you in a horror film. What attracted you to the role and what did you say about the script?
Halle Berry: Oh my god, this is loaded. Well, I always love playing a character where I get to disappear into a role and play something so far removed from myself that people wouldn’t expect me to do that. Sometimes I wouldn’t expect myself to do it. The challenge of that is what I live for. So it was that.
But this was also a world when I read the script, I had never seen this world before, right? I was interested in it. I thought as a mother, what would it be like to give birth in a house and raise my children for a decade and not see anyone but them and have no outside help and be in the middle of the forest? Will we survive? How would we live?
I could not let go of all these questions. I could not let go of these questions. And also the thought of is Mama really suffering from mental illness or was an evil really that she felt was there? What was real about the character? I love the idea of ​​walking that line and creating a character that hopefully the audience at the end would say, I don’t know. Or there would be debate about it. That we would think deeper.
When I watch this film, I feel like every minute my mind would change about what was happening or wasn’t happening. You really immerse yourself in the role of mom from biting your fingernails down to growing your body hair and eyebrows and staining your teeth. How did the level of immersion you get into the character of Mama?
Halle Berry: All that helps. Every time we put it on the wig and you stain your teeth, they blow hair under my armpits, put on the tattoos, the spiders, the snakes, all the stuff just really helps sink into the world. And without it, I think our work would be so difficult because we have to look at ourselves.
That’s part of how you get into the character. We had to look at each other all day. And the boys and I stayed in our accent as much as we could. We really tried to immerse ourselves in the world.
Halle Berry credits Alex Aja’s collaborative spirit for high points in Never Let Go
“I had some things that I felt were true about the character from a female point of view.”
Can you talk about the dynamic between Mama and her twin sons? Nolan played by Percy Daggs IV, and Sam played by Anthony B. Jenkins. They are incredible in this film.
Halle Berry: They are so formidable. I knew as a producer in the beginning, my producer hat was on and I said, we have to get the right boys. The film’s success hinges on who they are because there are moments when they have to go it alone and we have to really believe them. They have to be able to manage it, right? Manage the moments.
So it was paramount we get the two boys. And the boys, I kid you not. I have worked with many people in 30 years. They are at the top of my list of actors I have worked with, mainly because they are always on time. They knew all of their lines. They worked really hard with their acting coach.
They were 100% committed. They were fearless. They did everything they asked. You can’t ask for more than that in a scene partner. And they are wild, just innately gifted and gifted. I mean, it doesn’t get better than that.
When you watch a horror movie sometimes you can see the scares coming, but what scares me is to see them scared and they sold it. I was afraid of them. Now, Alex Aja is an incredible visionary horror director, and I think he has such a great eye and vision for horror storytelling. Can you talk about working with him as a collaborator on this film?
Halle Berry: He was top notch, and he’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it too, because I knew I’d be in safe hands. I was a fan of his work The Hills Have Eyes and The Last Climb. I just knew he cared so much about story building and the world we were going to be in. I knew he would put a lot of detail into making that world come to life and making that house be a character of its own.
I understand that he understands horror. We had many conversations about where the alarms should come and why they should come in certain places and not in others. So I got to poke his brain and really understand how you actually put a horror film together. There is a lot to think about at every turn. And I love seeing him find that.
I also like that he lets me collaborate. I had certain things that I felt needed to be true about the characters from a female point of view, and he let me have my point of view. He incorporated my ideas, which was very meaningful to me.
About Never Letting Go (2024)
A family that has been possessed by an evil spirit for years. Their safety and their surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real.
Check out our others Never let go Interview here:
Never let go Hits theaters September 20 after premiering at Fantastic Fest on September 19.
Source: Screen Rant Plus