PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Shark movies are a dime a dozen these days so it’s really important that this one is better than the last one. Dangerous Animals (read our review HERE) is that movie. Written by Nick Lepard (This is like his first movie. Color me impressed!) and directed by Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne (read our interview with him HERE) (The Loved Ones; The Devil’s Candy), Dangerous Animals stars Hassie Harrison as Zephyr, a surfer who finds herself kidnapped and held captive on a boat by serial killer Tucker (Jai Courtney) and must figure out a way to escape before being fed to the sharks.
What I really loved about this movie is that it used almost zero CGI. That’s not something you usually find in a modern-day shark movie. To celebrate the release of Dangerous Animals, I chatted with star Jai Courtney about filming out to sea, playing Tucker in the film, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: Dangerous Animals, you kept me on my toes the whole time and I really appreciate that. It made my anxiety skyrocket.
Jai Courtney: Oh good, that’s my goal! I’m glad that we could take you to that place.
PopHorror: What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
Jai Courtney: I think it’s a cool genre bending story that’s actually rooted in a lot of truth with these characters and a lot of multidimension explored within them. That gave it a unique appeal to me in what I’m enticed to embark upon as far as playing Tucker is concerned but also working with a wonderful group of people. Obviously, a fan of Sean’s work in the horror genre and even though this doesn’t necessarily sit that strictly within that space, I think it was setting out to do something unique and he made it clear to me what he thought this character needed and I was able to take it and run. I just saw something that was going to force me to be big and bold and put something on screen that I definitely hadn’t before, but also in a really colorful way and have a lot of fun with it. Hopefully if I’ve done my job right, the audience will be a little terrified of Tucker but also have a lot of fun with him too.
PopHorror: Yes, I definitely don’t want to meet him anywhere near the ocean! That’s for damn sure. What did you find the most challenging about making Dangerous Animals?
Jai Courtney: Probably just the elements, but it was also the most rewarding side of it as well. We shot on the open sea on a boat for real. That presents all kinds of challenges. You can be trapped out there in a way, but I loved that about it. I loved that we couldn’t escape and get too comfy. It sort of demands a certain energy from the set and it binds people into an ethics that’s really cool. It’s a very equalizing experience when you’re all sitting out on this barge, strapped to the boat all day, in the sun and the wind and the cold and the night, and you’re all kind of really going through it together in the trenches. I love that immersive experience of filmmaking when we get to do it that way.
PopHorror: I love that! I have just one last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?
Jai Courtney: Favorite scary movie, I think, is my favorite portrayal of a serial killer in quite a haunting space, it’s hard for me to go past Silence of the Lambs. That’s where it lives for me. I love that character and that performance from Anthony Hopkins. That film creeped me out at a young age, and it still does, to be honest.
PopHorror: Yeah, I’m in my 40s and it still creeps me out to this day so it’s doing something right.
Jai Courtney: It’s a good one, indeed.
Thank you so much to Jai for taking the time to chat with us. Dangerous Animals is now in theaters!
