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Hereditaryreally exploded out of Sundance where it premiered.
It was in my last audition.
Lets do everything together, every single thing, and I was like, Okay, that sounds good.
Its really not like that all the time.
I watched that short and I was like, Holy shit.
I gotta go find out everything about this guy.
So that may have been the moment.
And thenMunchausenwas really good, and when I watched it I just started crying, like uncontrollably sobbing.
It was just so amazing and I knew that this film was gonna be incredible.
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Milly, theres so much happening with your character internally.
Who they are, what their emotions would be, and how they would think.
Where are you going to reach the darkness for this?
Okay, great, whatever works.AW:I mean, its hard to say.
Its really hard to talk about.
Theres no real method to that madness.
I just knew that doing this would require everything that I had.
I had to trick my brain.
Every single thing that your brain does, Oh, dont think about that.
So youre in therapy now?AW:Definitely, definitely.
Constantly evoking so much.
I just felt really lucky to be with her and Ari, who is a complete genius.
How is it when the cameras stop rolling?
Then I was gonna stop at the end.
It was a really great experience to be able to see that.
I know a ton.
I watched all these documentaries and stuff, and that was what I was doing in my trailer.
Anime sounds a lot more fun.
Im gonna do that next time.
I watched all these documentaries about all the satanic rituals.
Ari was pretty open to whatever.
Technically, its a masterpiece.
The way the camera moves and everything, I just felt like I was working with a genius.
I think he was just molding around us.
Did you feel that?
MS:Yeah, Ari was great.
And were you physically uncomfortable a lot of the time?
It was very hot, and I was wearing this I dont know how to describe it.
It looked like a sheep, basically.
I was just kinda dying.
AW:Yeah, thats a fair thing to say.
I was pretty physically uncomfortable.
Pretty uncomfortable in every way.
Was that you?AW:Yeah, that was me.
I remember they brought it in, and I was like, Shit.
This was a bad idea.
I wish wed got a foam one or something that wasnt that thick.
There was a hardness under it so I was just slamming my face against that thing.
But, you know, youve gotta do it.
You offered to really be decapitated, right?
MS:Yeah, I did.
AW:Thats Stella Adler, right?
MS:Itll be the most realistic.
I want you to take it.
Near-decapitation aside, this seems like it was a pretty great first screen experience, Milly.MS:It was.
It was really cool.
I gotta just go wash myself off.
I remember just kind of getting myself in a trance and then flying back like that.
I had fake blood all over my face and all that stuff.
And whatever happened, I had to do that and then do a few more takes.
My ankle is absolutely swollen up.
I have an ice-pack tied to it, and there was blood gushing down my knee.
I sliced open my knee, and then my arm, I literally could not move my arm.
We had to do another scene later that day, but I literally couldnt move my arm.
It felt like I broke my elbow or something.
So the desk was pretty serious.
Did you also throw yourself out of the false window there?AW:No.
I didnt do that.
I wish I did.
That was the only thing they actually didnt let me legally do.
I fought very hard to do that.
I really wanted to.
I stayed till like one or two in the morning to convince them to let me, and no.
I love literally every animal.
While I was doing it I was kind of on edge, but I got over it very quickly.
It is an amazing shot.
How about you, Alex?AW:It was the most amazing experience and so gratifying.
But I really do feel like it would be lying to say that it was easy in any moment.
I dont think it was easy for Ari.
I dont think it was easy for Toni.
That makes me feel good, because this is definitely the most challenging thing Ive ever done.
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