Interview with Rebecca De Mornay for ‘SAINT CLARE’

We at pophorror recently had the chance to interview the talented Rebecca De Mornay for her part in the new thriller ‘Saint Clare’.

PopHorror: Hi, Rebecca. How are you doing tonight?

Rebecca De Mornay: AJ, I’m doing very well. How are you doing?

PopHorror: I’m doing good. Thank you for joining me tonight. So Rebecca, how did you get involved with Saint Clare?

Rebecca De Mornay: What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Yeah, I got involved with it when they sent me the script, and I read the most extraordinarily unique story that I was not expecting. And when I put it down, I thought, “I really want to be a part of this.” It wasn’t so much even the part of Gigi, it was the Joan of Arc, female serial killer, non victim when being victimized. I’m like, “I need that story to be told.” And when it was a female director as well, I thought, “This is great.” So when they wanted me to do Gigi, I thought, “I’m in.” I saw her as sort of the core, the pillar of the female empowerment of where it came from. What inspired Clare, she comes from these genetics of, Gigi does things her own way. She doesn’t take shit from anybody. She’s not a victim. And so I wanted to be that for Clare. And also I was the only protective force for her in the whole film. So it was a great kind of character, I thought.

PopHorror: And how was it working with Mitzi on this as a collab for this project? Because she did a fantastic job directing this, so how was it working with her, creating your backstory for your character along with her? If you had any input on how your character may act, how was that working with Mitzi on this?

Rebecca De Mornay: Mitzi was very collaborative, and I really enjoyed working with her because making the film with her was having a long conversation as opposed to, “I’m a director and you’re acting, and this is the role.” It was like the themes of female empowerment and how they were playing out in the film. She talked about openly, we all spoke about, and what Gigi’s function was and what she specifically would say. And I would say, “Well, actually I really want to say this.” And she would listen, say, “Yes, yes, yes.” She very much wanted to know what Bella and I thought and didn’t want to just stick to, “Well, I wrote this. It has to be said.” So there was a sense of collaboration and rehearsal that seamlessly just blended into shooting, which I thought was a very relaxing way and very conducive to good performances.

PopHorror: And let’s talk about your chemistry with Bella Thorne on this, because Bella crushed her role in this movie I thought, and you two were fantastic together. So how was it creating that chemistry on set as well?

Rebecca De Mornay: Well, I think that Bella and I just had an effortless connection. I don’t know how to describe it, but we just really kind of had chemistry right away. I think I certainly saw myself in her. I mean, we both have a kind of bold power and fearlessness in some certain way, which we both I think saw and respected about each other, and it was very important to me to bring the kind of matriarch, the old school female empowerment to the movie, which was all young people besides me, to bring it, this positive female empowerment in a story that’s so fraught with male violence so that there was something there for her. And I think that Bella and/or Clare felt that. And so there was something very natural. It wasn’t so much like we’re playing these roles. It’s like we became the roles.

PopHorror: Right. And this isn’t your first time in this genre. What keeps you coming back to portraying characters within the genre?

Rebecca De Mornay: Well, you mean the genre of horror?

PopHorror: Yes.

Rebecca De Mornay: I haven’t done very much horror, and frankly, I actually really, I’m not thrilled with very, very gory horror. It’s just not my thing. I mean, occasionally when it really needs to serve the plot, like I love Coppola’s Dracula, and there’s a lot of weird stuff that happens there, which I can tolerate. Or on-camera violence in Scarface or something because it’s so part of the plot. But I mean, I guess I am attracted to horror. I mean, Dracula is technically a horror film, and I love the classic, Don’t Look Now. I mean, is that a horror? It’s kind of a horror film.

PopHorror: Yeah.

Rebecca De Mornay: So I mean, I do like those thrillers that verge into horror, I like that. I liked the script of the one I did called Mother’s Day, but I was very disappointed that I had been promised there wasn’t going to be on camera, on screen gore, and then they put a bunch of it in. So that was very disappointing to me. It’s just not my thing. I just don’t like looking at it.

PopHorror: Right.

Rebecca De Mornay: Yeah. But I guess, yeah, I like thrillers and thrillers that verge into horror when it’s warranted, then I like it.

PopHorror: And have you seen Saint Clare yet? Have you had the chance to watch it?

Rebecca De Mornay: I’ve seen it three times already, and that’s why I know it’s kind of a good movie because the fact that I can keep sitting through it and still be interested shows that she did a great job, Mitzi.

PopHorror: And you only shared one scene with him in the movie, but how was it like having Ryan Phillippe on set too? Because he brings such a gravitas to this film himself, and he does such a fantastic job. So how was it like watching him?

Rebecca De Mornay: Okay. All right, so I’m going to reveal something to you. So while we were shooting that film, the only scene that I have with him is when he killed me, but we don’t see that, I’m just dead in the scene. I got COVID on the set and I was not able to shoot that scene with him, so I’d actually never met him or was on the same set with him. They shot with a double and then when I was well, they turned around and shot me in the chair. So I literally have not met Ryan Phillippe.

PopHorror: Oh no.

Rebecca De Mornay:
Yeah, yeah. That happened.

PopHorror: Well, Rebecca, thank you so much for joining me tonight. It’s been fun. And congratulations on Saint Clare.

Rebecca De Mornay: All right, thank you very much, AJ. Appreciate you. Thank you.

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Saint Clare is available now to rent and own on digital platforms. Check it out!