Interview With Nora Zehetner, Star Of ‘Boneyard’

I love crime thrillers, whether it’s a movie or a book. I guess you could say one of my favorite subgenres for books is the police procedural or detective fiction, so of course I’m a big fan of those types of movies as well. Add in that it’s loosely based on a true story, and I’m hooked. The new film, Boneyard, written and directed by Asif Akbar (Clown Motel), and starring Mel Gibson, 50 Cent, Brian Van Holt (House of Wax), and Nora Zehetner, is all of those things and more.

When the skeletal remains of eleven women and girls are discovered in the New Mexico desert, an extensive investigation is launched. Inspired by true crime stories, this chilling crime-thriller follows Detective Ortega (Brian Van Holt), Police Chief Carter ( Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), and Agent Petrovick (Mel Gibson) in a multi-agency effort to identify and apprehend the killer. As each of their agendas and methods clash, a tangled web of intrigue casts suspicion in all directions.

To celebrate the release of the film, I chatted with star Nora Zehetner (Brick; Everwood) about her character, how she prepared for shooting, horror movies, and more!

PopHorror: I really enjoyed Boneyard. I’m super excited to speak with you. I have to say that Everwood is near and dear to my heart and is one of my absolute favorites, so this is really fun for me.

Nora Zehetner: Aw, thank you! That’s so awesome. It’s so nice when you did something so long ago that people still enjoy.

PopHorror: I watch it once a year. I actually just finished my rewatch two weeks ago.

Nora Zehetner: I do that with Harry Potter. I do a yearly rewatch from beginning to end.

PopHorror: That’s so awesome. So what intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?

Nora Zehetner: I think that’s such a fascinating and really tragic story that it’s based on. I think that it’s really important to shine a lot on these sorts of things. To this day, the West Mesa murders, which this is loosely inspired by, remain unsolved. I think that you just hope that if you bring things into the public awareness, you never know what might happen.

PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to your character?

Nora Zehetner: I just wanted her to be really good at her job. I wanted her to really care. That was really important to me because I felt like she really cared about the women, she really cared about catching the killer, and I just wanted her to be good.

PopHorror: I think that was apparent.

Nora Zehetner: Okay, good! I think that women have to work that much harder than men to be taken seriously, unfortunately, and they shouldn’t have to. I think she does.

PopHorror: I don’t want to give too much away, but the way she went behind his back and defied everything that she knew was “right” to do what was actually right. I think that shows a lot of strength in the character and female empowerment to go and do what you need to to make this right.

Nora Zehetner: Yeah, yeah. It’s important. It’s scary to have to do that. I think she just wants to do the right thing.

PopHorror: With this film being based on a true story and the lives of real people, it also deals with some really heavy themes. How did you prepare for shooting?

Nora Zehetner: I was concerned mostly with my character because she’s learning with the audience what’s happening at that time, so it was important for me to… Like I was able to speak to a female detective and just kind of know what the day to day for her was like and what her experience was like and why she got into it and things like that. That was the research that I did in regard to this.

PopHorror: That’s fascinating! Did you get to like, shadow her or was it just conversation?

Nora Zehetner: I didn’t, it was just a conversation, but it was very enlightening.

PopHorror: I bet. With this being based on a true story, did you feel any pressure to stay true to the story?

Nora Zehetner: Well, it’s very loosely based on the West Mesa murders, but it takes into account other things. I did feel a responsibility to the victims. You want to make sure that you’re not glorifying it in any way, that you’re doing justice, that you’re telling the story in a respectful manner, and I think that was important to Vince, one of the writers (McDaniel), and Asif (Akbar), the director, as well.

PopHorror: If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

Nora Zehetner: Oohh. I would love to work with Yorgos Lanthimos. He’s so fascinating. I love all his films and he just has such a fascinating brain. 

PopHorror: I have just one last question for you today. What’s your favorite scary movie?

Nora Zehetner: Probably Rosemary’s Baby. I have a really hard time with violence so I can’t watch that many of them, so I like some of the older ones where maybe they’re not quite as violent. I really liked Midsommar though. It’s very character driven.

Thank you so much to Nora for taking the time to speak with us. Boneyard is available on VOD and is in US theaters now!