PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Lydia Hearst has some big shoes to fill. The daughter of John Waters darling Patty Hearst and the great-granddaughter of publishing scion William Randolph Hearst, the talented starlet, model and lifestyle blogger is doing just fine. Fresh off the controversial indie film, The Haunting of Sharon Tate, the Z Nation actress has no less than eight upcoming projects… and that’s just for this year! I had the pleasure of speaking with Lydia, and we talked about her role as Folger’s coffee heiress Abigail Folger, what got her into acting, and of course, horror movies.
PopHorror: What made you want to be a part of The Haunting of Sharon Tate? What intrigued you about it?
Lydia Hearst: What I think honestly intrigued me about this film is that it’s not your typical Charles Manson story. It’s not autobiographical. It’s based off of an interview that Sharon gave to Fate Magazine, and I loved how it sort of… yes, it falls into the horror genre, but that’s solely because the tragic events were so horrifying. The film was much more psychological and spiritual, and it deals with the question of fate and if we have the power to alter the course of our own destiny.
PopHorror: That’s what I liked about it, that it’s not your typical story about the crime. You mentioned it not being autobiographical, which leads me to my next question, were you afraid of any backlash from true crime purists?
Lydia Hearst: When you’re doing a film like this, or any film where you’re portraying a real person, it’s important to put in the time and effort and really do your due diligence to find out as much information you can about the individual and to respectfully play the person that you are hired to play… and that’s exactly what I did. What I love about the story is that it specifically does not focus on the horrific events that occurred. That’s sort of the secondary storyline in the nightmare sense of it all.
It’s more of a character-driven film. It focuses on the individuals who are in the home and their relationships and friendships. I think a lot of people tend to go the opposite direction with that. You really only see Charles Manson as a shadow figure, and the same with the Family that comes by the house. They’re there, but they’re not the main focus of the film. The main focus is really the friendships and the people.
PopHorror: What made you want to become an actress?
Lydia Hearst: Oh, gosh. I’ve always wanted to act, ever since I was a little girl. I grew up on and off of movie sets with my mom when she was doing John Waters films, and it’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been extremely fortunate in my career.
PopHorror: You have quite an impressive resume and family history, so I can see why you went that route.
Lydia Hearst: For me, I loved it. It was always so exciting and wonderful to see lights, and the incredible sets and music. I loved all of it. Since I was little, I knew that being in entertainment was something I wanted to do.
PopHorror: That’s so cool! What would be your dream project?
Lydia Hearst: I honestly don’t know! I love working, and I love everything that I have done. I’m incredibly grateful for the life and journey that acting has given me so far. I think that, perhaps, my dream role hasn’t even been written yet.
PopHorror: What do you have coming up next?
Lydia Hearst: Oh, gosh. I just wrapped production on a film called Grace and Grit. It’s actually another true story starring Mena Suvari and Stuart Townsend. It’s based on the globally acclaimed book by Ken Wilber about Treya Wilber. She was diagnosed with cancer, and it’s a drama. I’m very appreciative to have been a part of that film. Then coming up, I’m about ready to start production on another drama film – I think it’s a drama thriller – called Blood Born, which again is cancer-based, where a young man is sort of down in his luck, but he discovers that his blood can cure cancer.
PopHorror: Ooh, that sounds interesting! I just have one last question: what’s your favorite scary movie?
Lydia Hearst: Oh, gosh. I love horror movies, but what I grew up watching were the Evil Dead films, especially Army of Darkness [read the PopHorror retro review here]. That’s probably one of my all time favorite films, and I think I watched that for the first time when I was in kindergarten. That’s the one film that really stands the test of time for me.
We want to send a great big THANK YOU out to Lydia Hearts for taking the time to talk with us. Keep it tuned to PopHorror for an upcoming review of The Haunting of Sharon Tate! It will be in theaters and on demand this coming April 5, 2019.
