SciFiNow-August2018

THE NUN

God Is Not Here Today

W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^023

BONNIE

AARONS

LOVED

DOING

ANYTHING

SHE COULD

ON SET TO

FREAK ME

OUT!

TAISSA FARMIGA

SISTER OF MERCY

Taissa Farmiga tells us why she couldn’t say

no to The Nun

There aren’t many young actors who have a horror
resumé as impressive as Taissa Farmiga. At 23, she’s
starred in multiple seasons of American Horror Story
and the awesome cult comedy The Final Girls, plus she’s
playing the iconic Merricat Blackwood in the upcoming
We Have Always Lived At The Castle. With The Nun,
she’s adding another horror heroine to the list...

What drew you to this fi lm?
I absolutely loved the script. Gary Dauberman’s writing
is really interesting because yes, it’s a horror movie but
reading the script is this rollercoaster ride because it’s
really funny as well, he leaves little comments in the
stage direction that are meant for the reader. It was
very enjoyable and considering it was a horror movie
it was fun to get both, to feel terrifi ed but also have
moments of levity where you’re enjoying the journey.
And then I immediately connected to Sister Irene.
I really appreciated her inherent kindness and need
to take care of people, but that’s not the only thing
that defi nes her. She’s also got a lot of guts, it takes a
minute to come out but I appreciate that, I love that the
character is also really well rounded.

What can you tell us about her?
Sister Irene is a young woman who is on the journey
to becoming a nun but she hasn’t taken her fi nal vows,
and I think the reason is that she’s not 100% certain
that this is where she’s meant to be. She’s plagued by
visions and that’s what’s pushed her into the church life
but she’s confused as to whether the visions are a good
thing or a bad thing, who actually sent them? In going

on this journey she’s hoping to answer that question for

herself and get a little bit more clarity on if this is where

she’s meant to be.

Was that emphasis on character something

that Corin Hardy was keen on?

Of course, I absolutely adore Corin as a person and as

a director. In a world where things are larger than life,

the boundaries of reality are pushed, it’s important to

have that grounded connection for the audience. And I

think that Corin does such a wonderful job of that.

It was the fi rst thing he brought up, he just wanted

to talk about Irene’s emotions and her arc. I really

appreciate that in a director, someone who’s not just

thinking in a grand scale, who thinks about all the tiny

little details. Nothing gets past him and I think that’s

what really makes a really smart and good movie.

What’s it like actually working in scenes

with Bonnie Aarons as Valak?

Bonnie Aarons is so passionate about this character.

She’s able to transform into this character quite easily,

it’s astonishing and a little scary how quickly she just

feels like she’s possessed by this character. Just by

looking into her eyes she can taunt and terrify you, and

she knows she has that power, especially over me! She

loved doing anything she could on set to freak me out!

It’s wonderful because it doesn’t take much to

ignite the fear, and we have these amazing sets, these

amazing characters, these amazing prosthetics, it just

really transports you and it actually makes my job

incredibly easy if I’m being honest. © Rex Features