Movies: “Abigail”: never underestimate a dancer

After a group of suspected criminals kidnap the 12-year-old dancer daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is keep an eye on the girl for one night. In an isolated mansion, the captors begin to weaken, one by one, and They discover, to their growing horror, that they are locked up with a far from normal girl..

From the production company Radio Silence – the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who were behind the horror hits “Ready or Not”, the film “Scream” (2022) and “Scream VI” ( 2023) – A bold, bloodthirsty new take on a vampire movie written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick hits theaters this week..

“Abigail” stars Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett and Angus Cloud, who play the kidnappers.

Alisha Weir plays “Abigail” – the name that gives the film its title – and the prestigious cast includes Emmy-nominated actor Matthew Goode and five-time Emmy-nominated actor Giancarlo Esposito as “Lambert.” the efficient organizer of “Abigail’s” kidnapping. In interview alisha Weir shares the experience he had after playing a vampire.

-How did you get this incredible role?

-Well, I had four auditions. The first was a meeting with the directors, where we talked about the character and the story. Then I did a self-recording and then a Zoom recording, since they were in the United States and I was in Ireland. Two days later I had my final audition, which was a reading with Melissa Barrera. I had a lot of fun during the audition process and was really hoping to get the role, and then my mom got a text from my agent saying that they would like to offer me the role of “Abigail.”

-What was your reaction to the news?

-I can’t tell you how excited I was. I really wanted this role, because I love the character, the story and the whole project… So, when my mom told me that they wanted to offer me the role, I was really excited.

-What did you think when you read the script?

-From the first time I read the script, I felt intrigued and couldn’t put it down. All the time I wanted to know what was next, what was going to happen. So I was fascinated by the role because I had never worked in a role like this, and I have always liked horror movies. I, I just love “Abigail” and how she plays with her two personalities: with her transition from an innocent girl to a vampire, which I think is incredible.

-How did you face the dual nature of the role?

-I had an amazing acting coach who really helped me. When we reviewed the script we had two names for the role: we called the innocent girl “Abby” and then the vampire “Abigail.” So, we had two different sticky notes (one was purple and the other was blue), and we went over the script, sticking the purple one for “Abby” and the blue one for “Abigail.” That way, when I had to learn my lines or practice, I would think, “Okay, now I’ll play ‘Abigail’” or “okay, now I’ll play ‘Abby.’” And when I played both, with touches of one in the other, it also helped me a lot.

-What differences do you find between “Abigail” and other vampire movies?

-I think this film takes the biggest turn ever seen. At first you see this beautiful little angelic ballet dancer, and then you would never expect her to be who she really is. No one has ever seen anything like it, especially as a little girl. So it all gets stranger and stranger as it goes on and you find out what’s going to happen next. Also, I haven’t heard of any vampire dancers so far…

-What excited you about playing a vampire?

-I was excited by that transformation from innocent girl to vampire, having a completely different mentality. You are not transforming into a different person, you are transforming into a different species: a vampire. So I really enjoyed using my teeth and having blood everywhere and getting into the mindset of the murder scenes where even the tone of my voice changed.

-“Abigail” is a great dancer…

-“Abigail” is an incredible dancer… Throughout the film, the choreographer and I tried, no matter what my character was doing, to include her dance skills, using ballet techniques. And although as the story progresses, she becomes more rigid with her movements and less floaty, you can still see that she is a great dancer.

-What was the process of working with choreographer Belinda Murphy like?

-Belinda is incredible and is a very good teacher. She is very patient and very kind. We talked a lot and exchanged ideas, which was very helpful because I hadn’t done ballet before, but I enjoyed the rehearsals and worked very hard. That was an exciting challenge.

-Did you do many stunts?

-Safely! I love trying new things and pushing myself because I have determination. If I can’t do it, I’ll try again and again until I can. I’ll go home, practice, and keep practicing until I can walk in and say, “Yes, I can do this. I’m ready”. So when I heard there were a lot of stunts involved, I was eager to try to do as many as I could do myself… And it was so much fun being on the wires! The specialist team was very good to me and made me feel comfortable and safe.

-“Abigail” has a special connection with “Joey”, a role played by Melissa Barrera. What can you say about her?

-Melisa is incredible… We spent a lot of time together and she was very kind and helpful, always taking care of me. And I felt like I could talk to her about anything because she was always open and willing to help. I love the relationship of “Abigail” and “Joey”. They have a special connection and are in some of my favorite scenes.

-This filming must have been a very special experience for you.

-I had never made a horror film before and I had never made a character like this before; so, almost everything was different, especially playing a vampire who pretends to be this girl. But since she always wanted to make a horror film, the experience was incredible.

C.T.