Director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic; Erin Brockovich) is dipping his toes in the horror genre with Presence, a POV ghost story written by David Koepp (Death Becomes Her; Stir of Echos) and starring Lucy Liu (Kill Bill Vol 1 and Vol 2), Chris Sullivan (This is Us), and newcomers Callina Liang, West Mulholland, and Eddy Maday. What sets Presence apart of your usual run-of-the-mill ghost story is that it’s told in the first person so we, as the audience, are watching the film from the point of view of the entity as they watch the events of the film unfold. I am beyond impressed with the cinematography by Steven Soderbergh himself.
Oh, boy. This film is INTENSE, like yelling at the screen intense because there’s so much happening that is just cringe. But that ending? I’m not going to give any spoilers but, fuck. FUCK! This film is unconventional is every way and I am 100% here for it.
A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.
To celebrate the release of the film into theaters, I chatted with Callina, Eddy, and West about what attracted them to the script, horror movies, and more!
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PopHorror: Presence is such a refreshing take on a ghost story. What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
West Mulholland: I think first and foremost, we weren’t necessarily given a script. We were given – at least for me – just the audition sides. Steven Soderbergh is one of my heroes, and so the opportunity to get to work with him, I was going to do everything I can to make sure that I could make it successful. At least put my best foot forward. But once we got the sides and then the script, I really just fell in love with the creativity, especially hearing Steven pitch the idea that it’s going to be shot from the point-of-view of the presence, the audience themselves are going to be a part of the story was – as someone who wants to be a filmmaker one day outside of just being an actor – something that was so exciting, so fresh, so experimental. I just love how Steven is always trying to push the boundaries. This is his first horror and you’re gonna expect that Steven, he’s going to totally break the rules and do something you’ve never seen before.
Eddy Maday: Yeah, the cast and crew is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to work with people of this caliber and professionalism in this industry. But I think more than that for me is, it was like, yes, it’s shot in an incredibly cool way that’s really fun to play with as an actor, but I think the role of Tyler really drew me in because in a lot of ways I think he’s dealing with a lot of things that can make him seem like a villain in at least a good portion of this movie. For me, it was like, okay, I get to figure out the ways I can empathize with someone who is wounded and lashing out. It was a really interesting challenge to work with.
Callina Liang: Everything drew me towards the script. It was the concept, it was the writing, it was the storylines, the characters and how unbelievably dysfunctional the family is, and the idea of you’re watching this movie about a presence through the eyes of the presence. You feel like a fly on the wall and it’s so tense. The writing is just so great. David did an amazing job. But you’re kind of just like, as the viewer, you feel like you’re on this bicycle on a tightline and the entire film, you don’t know which direction it’s going to lean or fall on. It’s just so tense. I just love scripts like that.
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PopHorror: I feel like I was watching something that I shouldn’t. I felt like I was invading your privacy. One last question for you all. What is your favorite scary movie?
Eddy Maday: That’s so hard!
Callina Liang: That’s so hard.
West Mulholland: Anora was pretty horrible. Anora was pretty scary in the sense that I was just heartbroken at the end of that.
Callina Liang: Are we talking about the same Anora?
West Mulholland: Scared for her the whole time.
Callina Liang: The Blair Witch Project is one of my favorites.
Eddy Maday: There’s so many but it’s either Parasite or The Menu. I love The Menu. I love slow burns and psychological thrillers.
Thank you so much to Callina, Eddy, and West for taking the time to speak with us. Presence is currently in theaters!