Playhouse centres around a notorious horror writer who moves into an ancient
castle with his teenage daughter to work on his next play; only to face
terrifying consequences when his daughter falls prey to a supernatural evil lurking within the castle walls.
We spoke to its leading lady, Grace Courtney.
How big of a break was the film for you?
It’s my first feature film so to me it was pretty big! But the reason I
wanted to be part of the project was just how great a character Bee is -
when I read the script I immediately connected with her and couldn’t wait
to bring her off the page.
You’ve worked on smaller productions. How do they compare to working on
something bigger and high-profile like this?
What was really special about working on a bigger production was getting
to spend a longer period of time with the cast and crew. For the duration
of filming we all lived in the castle, which was a great experience and is
situated in an amazing part of the world. Helena Betts was the makeup
artist and I got to have some seriously awesome effects done, which was
new for me. Mostly though it was so satisfying getting to sink my teeth
into a character who has a solid backstory and is going through an intense
time. Working on a feature, you can spend time with your role.
Being one of the leads, did you feel any extra pressure?
We were working to a tight schedule, so I probably put pressure on myself
because I didn’t want to be the person slowing everyone else down. When
you come onboard a production as an actor, you’re often some of the last
people to be confirmed, so although it might feel like a new project to
you it’s actually the culmination of years of work from others. It felt
important to do justice to the script that Toby and Fionn Watts had
crafted.
Do you think you’d behave in the same way your character does?
Well I’ve definitely had some moody teenage years, that’s for sure... I
think I’d be more cautious than Bee, but I definitely share her curiosity
and I also always want to know the whole truth. With a dad like Jack she’s
driven to make extreme decisions.
Do you get scared easily? What scares you the most?
I’m generally known as the scaredy cat amongst my friends, but I like to
think if something creepy was actually happening then I could deal with it
head on. I definitely have an overactive imagination, so I can get pretty
spooked if I’m alone in the house and start thinking about ghosts. This
summer I stayed on my aunt’s farm in Scotland and had to walk to my cabin
at night during a lightning storm. Every flash of lightning I expected to
see a ghost waiting for me on the path. To be honest I should probably cut
down on watching so many horror films!
Do you believe in the supernatural?
Yes, but I don’t believe in any certain explanations for what causes it.
So many people have had supernatural encounters that I think there must be
something in it, but I’ve yet to experience anything myself. My favourite
podcast is about the supernatural and I enjoy getting freaked out by
first-hand stories.
Any message you’d like to pass on to those considering watching the
film?
There’s a great scene between Bee and her friends that we filmed in the
hall beneath the castle. The hall is built on top of an old Viking site
and was properly creepy to film in. Watch out for it!
Playhouse is on US/CAN VOD now. A UK/ROI release has yet to
be announced.