PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Over the years, there have been a lot of actresses that have become a staple in my generation. From Final Destination 3 (2006), She’s The Man (2006), Sex Drive (2008) and the TV series Silicon Valley, Amanda Crew is absolutely one of those! Check out this fun interview we had with her, and find out what she has to say about her latest film, Tone-Deaf.
PopHorror: How did you get your start in acting?
Amanda Crew: I was super into performing as a kid. I was in dance, and my mom saw that I really liked to perform, so she would always set me up in these community theater classes. I really grew to love it. So, when I was 15, she said “Okay, you can get agent,” and the rest is just an unsexy story of just auditioning a lot… and being told no. (laughs)
PopHorror: You’ve been in some really fun films like She’s The Man, Sex Drive, and Final Destination 3, which is my favorite Final Destination, by the way.
Amanda Crew: Yes!
PopHorror: Do you have a favorite role?
Amanda Crew: I don’t have one favorite. I am too grateful for getting to act and having a career, and I’ve worked with so many incredible people. Oftentimes, it’s not about the role, but more about the experience of filming something. Working with the actors and the directors, I’ve been lucky enough to play such fun, different characters. It’s the whole experience.
PopHorror: Tone-Deaf is full of quick wit and sarcastic fun, and you totally nailed the part of Olive. What was it that drew you into the script?
Amanda Crew: I love how Ricky took the genre of horror, flipped it and added all these other genres. He makes it a weird take on a horror movie. He uses so many different devices to tell his story. I just loved that it was weird and different. I loved how Olive wasn’t just this polished character. She was super messy, petulant, self-righteous and entitled. It was really fun to really lean into a character that wasn’t fully likeable.
PopHorror: I think a lot of females can relate to her at times. What was the biggest challenge playing her?
Amanda Crew: My biggest thing was, I kept asking Ricky, “Is she… am I going too far with it? Will people like her at all?” I feel like, at times, she’s just such a bitch. That was my biggest fear. I loved her though, because of how flawed she was. Like you said, that’s why most women can identify with her, because no one is this polished person. But because I wasn’t used to playing a character like that, there was this fear of will people like her. Ricky said, “Stop worrying about that. That’s not what you need to worry about.” So it was very liberating.
PopHorror: What would you like the audience to take away from Tone-Deaf?
Amanda Crew: Besides just having a good time, hopefully, people will see the other side from a different perspective. Having some compassion towards the other generation, whichever one you identify with. I think I would fall under more the millennial side, but there were parts where I also identified with Robert’s character. So that’s a humanizing experience to feel something for the opposing side.
PopHorror: Are there any fun, behind-the-scenes stories while filming this movie?
Amanda Crew: Well, not fun… but we had real spiders. That was a real spider crawling across my face! There was a spider wrangler, and this woman was so passionate about insects… she talked to these spiders like they were her children, which I love! She made me feel so safe working with the spiders, which were on my face and around my mouth… but it was still horrifying! (laughs)
PopHorror: What is your favorite horror movie?
Amanda Crew: Right now, I just saw Midsommar [2019 – read our review here], and I can’t stop thinking about it. Have you seen it?
PopHorror: Yes! It’s so good!
Amanda Crew: Right!? It blew my mind! I went on a roller coaster I didn’t even know I wanted to be on! So, so good!
PopHorror: You’ve done quite a few horror films. Is there something that draws you to this genre?
Amanda Crew: I think the reason I like horror movies is that they are always ahead of the game as far as nuanced female characters. They’ve taken a lot more liberties in creating layers with characters that are more than just eye candy or that are just so polished and perfect. It gives me an opportunity to play complex characters, and I love that.
PopHorror: Do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about?
Amanda Crew: Yeah! I have a movie coming out September 13th – Friday the 13th – called Freaks [read our reviews here and here] with Bruce Dern and Emile Hirsch [read our interview with him here]. It’s a cool supernatural sci-fi thriller, a family revenge movie that is really cool! It premiered at TIFF, and I’m really excited about it!
We loved Freaks! Don’t forget to check out Tone-Deaf, which is currently on Demand!
