‘Die Alone’ Exclusive Interview: Carrie-Anne Moss

Opening in theaters, on digital and On Demand beginning October 18th is the new horror thriller ‘Die Alone’, which was written and directed by Lowell Dean (‘WolfCop’), and stars Carrie-Anne Moss (‘The Matrix’, ‘Memento’), Douglass Smith (‘Miss Sloane’), and Frank Grillo (‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Carrie-Anne Moss about her work on ‘Die Alone’, her first reaction to the screenplay, similarities to ‘Memento’, her approach to her character, working with Douglass Smith, and collaborating with director Lowell Dean on set.

Carrie-Anne Moss as Mae in the Thriller, Horror ‘Die Alone’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to this screenplay and what intrigued you about this world that Lowell Dean had created?

Carrie-Anne Moss: I loved the script right away. I particularly loved the part of Mae, the character, and I really wanted to play her. I’m not a real zombie apocalypse, gory film watcher, but the story was what really brought me to wanting to be a part of it, the love story, and the journey of Mae. I just thought it was something I really wanted to be a part of, and then when I talked to Lowell, and he had such a clear vision. Any concerns that I slightly had, he was just like, “Yeah,” because the ending of the movie, I wasn’t sure. The ending on the page, it was really disturbing. I don’t mind disturbing things, I am not saying that, but there was intimacy and that quality. There was something in that that I just wasn’t sure as just reading it. He just assured me. He said, “You’re going to love the ending,” and he was right. I love the ending. That really surprised me, because again, I felt the love, I guess. He wanted to tell this love story, and I saw it as that as well.

MF: There is an amnesia element to ‘Die Alone’ that reminded me of ‘Memento’. Did you realize that as well when you were making this movie?

CAM: Well, I have to say that was one of the hesitations that I had with it, was that there was a couple of moments, let’s say two moments between me and him where I was like, “Oh, is this too similar?” But then when I finished it and I really looked at the larger scope of the project, it’s nothing like ‘Memento’. Even the amnesia part, it’s so different, so that was how I was able to quell that. But it deterred me in the beginning, because I don’t want to do something again. You know what I mean? That’s not something I’m looking to do. But overall, I didn’t really feel they were that similar, in the end. There’s a couple of lines where I go, “Oh.” A little bit of a nod, I guess.

(L to R) Douglas Smith as Ethan and Carrie-Anne Moss as Mae in the Thriller, Horror ‘Die Alone’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

MF: Without giving anything away about the plot, as an actress, how do you approach a character as complex as Mae?

CAM: Well, you rely on the writing, for sure. He wrote the character and the script very solidly, then you must play the truth and make sure you hit your moments. I mean, you must obviously do that no matter what, but it was really on the page. I just had to embody her.

MF: Can you talk about the friendship Mae forms with Ethan and what it was like working with Douglass Smith?

CAM: Oh, great. I mean, I’ve worked with him before, so we have a relationship. We know each other. We weren’t close, but we worked a lot more together than we had in the past. He’s very easy to be with. He’s such a good actor, and he’s such a pleasure to act with, very professional. He’s great. I think he does such a great job.

(L to R) Carrie-Anne Moss as Mae and Director Lowell Dean in a BTS still from the Thriller, Horror ‘Die Alone’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

MF: Finally, what was it like collaborating with director Lowell Dean?

CAM: Yeah, he really opens the space to allow you to have the freedom. He hires a lot of great people, even on the crew and stuff. Everyone’s doing their thing. He has an input in all of it, but then when he calls action, he really lets you be, so I appreciated that. I like that way of working.

MF: Just to follow up, is that what you are looking for from a director when working on set?

CAM: I mean, that’s not what I’m looking for, but when it does happen, it’s really my favorite way to work. It’s just not how everybody works, but when it happens, or you have a moment of that, or maybe you’ll have little bits of that, but some people just set that tone. I’d say Christopher Nolan totally sets that tone. First time I’d ever really been in that environment was with Christopher Nolan, where he just opens it up and you get to do your thing. Lowell did the same thing.

What is the plot of ‘Die Alone’?

Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, a young man (Douglass Smith) with amnesia teams up with an eccentric survivalist (Carrie Anne-Moss) to find his missing girlfriend.

Who is in the cast of ‘Die Alone’?

(L to R) Douglas Smith as Ethan, Director Lowell Dean and Frank Grillo as Kai in a BTS still from the Thriller, Horror ‘Die Alone’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

Other Lowell Dean Movies:

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