(L to R) Anthony B. Jenkins, Halle Berry and Percy Daggs IV star in ‘Never Let Go’.
Opening in theaters on September 20th is the new horror thriller ‘Never Let Go’, which was directed by Alexandre Aja (‘The Hills Have Eyes’). The film stars Oscar-winner Halle Berry (‘Monster’s Ball’ and ‘X-Men’), and young actors Percy Daggs IV (‘Solos’) and Anthony B. Jenkins (‘The Deliverence’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure sitting down in-person with Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins to discuss their work on ‘Never Let Go’, their first reaction to the screenplay, their characters, working together, collaborating with director Alexandre Aja on set, and if it is fun or scary making a horror movie.
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Halle Berry stars in ‘Never Let Go’.
Moviefone: To begin with, Halle, can you talk about your first reaction to this screenplay and your approach to playing this character?
Halle Berry: I was blown away because one of my favorite movies growing up was ‘The Shining’. When I read this, it had elements of that kind of complexity, not horror, but psychologically thrilling and deep, and I loved that. I love this idea of generational trauma. I love this version of a mama. I’ve never played a mother quite like this, but I’ve always related to those mama bear character mothers that want to save their children at all costs. We always say as mothers, “I would die for my children,” but would you really? Would you really go that far? How far would you go to protect them? So, it felt like a movie that I hadn’t seen before. I thought, “This seems like something we should dig into.”
MF: Anthony, can you talk about your approach to playing your character, his relationship with his brother and how it changes through the course of the movie?
Anthony B. Jenkins: I could say his relationship with his brother is that he knows that his brother does some sneaky stuff behind Mama’s back, but at the same time, he still loves his brother. He wants to keep him safe. That’s why he’s usually like, “Oh, why are you doing this? Listen to Mom. Listen to Mom. Listen to Mom.” So, he wants to keep the entire family safe also. But he’ll do anything, especially for his brother, even though his brother’s a bit annoying at times.
(L to R) Anthony B. Jenkins as Samuel, Halle Berry as Momma and Percy Daggs IV as Nolan in ‘Never Let Go’. Photo Credit: Liane Hentscher.
MF: Percy, can you talk about your approach to playing your character, and what his relationship with his mother is like?
Percy Daggs IV: My character is Nolan. He’s the questioning, adventurous side of Mama. He loves adventure and he loves to understand things. His relationship with Mama is he loves his mama. He always wants to take care of his mama, but sometimes he questions the things that she says, and he wonders, “Why this? Why that?” That creates some bubbling in the water.
MF: What was it like having Halle Berry play your mom?
PD: Awesome. She was amazing. She’s one of the greatest actresses of all time, and it was such an honor to work with her.
‘Never Let Go’ opens in theaters on September 20th. Photo: Lionsgate.
MF: Halle, what was your experience like working with these two young actors and what did you learn from watching them work?
HB: Well, what I learned was watching how open and free they are. That’s why I always love working with kids. They haven’t been trained so much that they’ve lost that spontaneity and that reality of what it is to be real. These two had it in spades. Every day they would come to set, I saw something authentic and real coming out of them. Even when they went off book and they had to improv something, they always had this ability to stay in the moment and stay right in the scene and come up with things that were right for the scene but weren’t on the page. It came from the spontaneity of just being who they are and being free, and I loved that. That’s what older actors like me try to make sure we capture, that innocence that we had when we first started. I love when this gets to rub off on me.
MF: Anthony, is it fun or scary making a horror movie?
ABJ: I’d say it’s more on the fun side because you know it’s not real because you’re doing it and you’re not really watching it, you’re doing it. So, when you really watch it, you’re like, “Oh, I remember that.” Also doing it at the same time, like at the scary parts, it would be more fun because you’re like, “Oh, I can’t wait to do that.” So maybe if you’re having to, not like this happens, but if you’re having to jump up 50 feet in the air and go straight towards a person, that would be fun because you would have a harness and ropes and it would put you up.
Halle Berry as Momma in ‘Never Let Go’. Photo Credit: Liane Hentscher.
MF: Percy, did you have fun making ‘Never Let Go’ and did you ever get scared on set?
PD: Sometimes it was scary in the horror moments of the movie. Sometimes me and AJ would get to see some of that. It was scary at times, but a lot of the times it was fun, like with the stunts and all the things like that, it was fun. It was a great opportunity, and we had a great time.
MF: Finally, Halle, what was it like collaborating with Alexandre Aja on set and what was he like to work with as a director?
HB: Well, I’ve always loved his work. From ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, he’s been someone I’ve admired, so he’s so good in this genre. I knew that with this, we had early talks with him, that it would be a stylized world that I knew it would be safe in his hands. Maxim Alexandre our DP really illuminated this scary world, and that was key. The world was like another character along with our house. Alex was fantastic. I think he wanted to not just make a down-the-middle horror movie. He was very intent on putting those layers in there and not answering every question. We leave enough for the audience to surmise their own answers or take from it what feels right for them.
MF: Just to follow up, do you like movies with open endings?
HB: I want to talk about it when it’s over. I want to say, “Huh, I wonder if it was this or that,” and have healthy debate. That’s what I love about movies, that water cooler talk, that talking for an hour after the movie’s over about how it impacted you and what you thought was true about it versus what somebody else thinks is true about it. That’s what art’s all about.
“One touch is all it takes.”
From visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) and the creative minds behind Stranger Things and Arrival comes NEVER LET GO. In this new psychological… Read the Plot
What is the plot of ‘Never Let Go’?
A family consisting of a mother (Halle Berry) and her twin sons (Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins) has suffered from the torment of a malicious spirit for many years. However, when one of the boys starts to doubt the existence of the evil, the family’s sacred bond is broken, leading to a dangerous fight for survival.
Who is in the cast of ‘Never Let Go’?
- Halle Berry
- Percy Daggs IV
- Anthony B. Jenkins
- Matthew Kevin Anderson
- Christin Park
- Stephanie Lavigne
‘Never Let Go’ opens in theaters on September 20th. Photo: Lionsgate.
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