Victoria Justice stars as Grace in Depravity.
Victoria Justice is making audiences freak the freak out this spooky season. Justice stars in Depravity, a new mystery thriller from her longtime studio partner Paramount and debuting director Paul Tamasy (The Fighter, Patriots Day). While horror may be an unfamiliar genre to fans of Justice’s, the former Victorious star has been a fan of the frights for years.
Victoria Justice stars as Grace in Depravity.
“I love The Exorcist, but recently, Barbarian,” Justice told ComicBook. “30 minutes into that movie, I was on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t breathe. I was like, ‘What is going to happen? This is insane!’”
“Edge of seat” is an appropriate description for Depravity as well. The film simultaneously unravels a serial killer threat and art heist conspiracy that ultimately ropes Justice’s character, Grace, and her roommates (Devon Ross, Taylor John Smith) into a sadistic game of survival, one that effectively takes place in one apartment complex, The Lancaster, for the entire runtime.
“I think set design is such an important part of a film. The Thai crew did such an amazing job and really helped bring the story to life,” Justice praised the production process, which took place in Thailand’s Baang Rig Studios. “There’s some scenes where we’re in the air ducts together, sneaking around. That was definitely close quarters and was a little claustrophobic to film. As an actor in those scenes, you have all that to play off of. It obviously just adds to making it more real and adds to the performance.”
One of the few scenes that goes outside of The Lancaster takes place in a parking garage.
“It was raining a lot that day. It was like, so humid. I just remember my hair was just like frizzing out like crazy,” Justice recalled filming this particularly crucial scene to Depravity‘s story. “Other than that, it was a really long day on set. There was a lot to cover. It was one of my favorite scenes to film. I’d never done anything like that before, so it was really cool to experience it. It’s really hard to talk about this without spoiling anything! But it really is such an interesting turning point in the movie.”
Depravity does have a brief period of normalcy, even if its just for the opening scenes. When Taylor John Smith’s Alex arrives at The Lancaster, he meets Justice’s Grace while waiting for the elevator.
When Alex asks Grace how she knows the elevator is coming, she replies bluntly: “You listen.”
“I feel like that’s been my entire career,” Justice responded when asked about how that line applies to her own life. “I feel like as an actor, you don’t really have any control. You walk into a room and my job is to just do the best that I can and give my interpretation of the scene or of this character and then leave it in the room and be done with it. I think ultimately, just as being an actor, you have to just let things go. You just have to listen to the universe. You have to trust that what is meant for you will come to you, and if it’s not, then it’s not, and there will be something else.
“To take it a level deeper, as an actor, listening is the most important thing. That is what acting is. It’s not just waiting to say your line. You’re listening to the other person and having what they say affect you in real time. That’s the goal and that’s the whole point. I think that is what good acting is. It’s all about listening, whether it’s to your fellow actor or to the universe. You just got to stay open.”
Depravity is available on digital platforms now.
The post Depravity: Victoria Justice Talks New Mystery Thriller, Importance of Listening (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
