Exclusive: Ashley C. Williams Talks Playing Julia and Tackling Touchy Subjects
Staci Layne Wilson
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Julia is described as a “neo-noir revenge thriller” centering on Julia Shames (Ashley C. Williams); after suffering a brutal sexual assault, she turns to an unorthodox form of therapy to restore herself. We had a chance to chat with Williams about taking on the challenging role, working with director Matthew Brown, tackling touchy subjects, and more.
Dread Central: We, along with every horror fan, initially saw you in The Human Centipede: The First Sequence. It was your first feature… how has your perception and feeling about acting in horror changed from 2009 till now?
Ashely Williams: It’s been mixed. I’ve become fonder of the genre since 2009, but I’ve also gotten some crazy offers and read some terrible, terrible horror scripts that have turned me off from ever wanting to be in a horror film again. I am definitely more keen on sticking with the more unique side of the genre and trying to pursue more strong female characters. There seems to be a trend of making women the victim in the horror world. But I do think filmmakers are trying to change that, which excites me.
DC: Some people have said Julia is sort of a mix between I Spit on Your Grave and Ms. 45. How was it presented to you by in initial talks with director Matthew Brown?
AW: I have not seen those films, but from what I’ve heard, the only similarities of those films to Julia is that they all happen to be “rape/revenge” films, and that’s all. Julia was presented to me as a very stylish neo-noir revenge thriller. When I read the script, I was very drawn to Julia’s dark journey of awakening and the incredible transformation she goes through and also the visual style of the film. Matthew, the director, told me it would be in the style of Drive by NWR [Nicolas Winding Refn]. Just hearing that made me even more intrigued.
DC: I imagine working with Matthew, who’d only done a handful of shorts before making Julia, was quite different from working with Tom Six. What’s Matthew like, and what, in your view, qualifies him to write about such a touchy subject for women?
AW: Matthew is a very intense guy. He is very smart and has a deep love for cinema. His passion and drive is fierce, and when he is in his element [on set], he is like a madman that cannot be touched because he is constantly on fire. I was very intimated by him at first because he has such visionary genius in him. But we quickly bonded over our mutual, quiet, creative high for this character and the film as a whole. He was incredible to work with. He is the epitome of an actor’s director. He is very good at creating necessary circumstances to provoke something deep out of the actors to get a scene to work. You have to remain very open and just let things happen. I love that.
When I read Matthew’s Director Statement and why he wanted to make this film and what inspired him and where it all came from, I knew that he was the perfect person to tell this story. His own personal journey in life is also one of awakening, which is what this film is about. But he didn’t really realize that he was making a “rape/revenge” film. He didn’t even know that that genre was a trend or that it existed until after he made the film. He was quite surprised when people started to compare his film to the above ones you mentioned. This film can be deemed as a touchy subject, but what people don’t realize is that it’s not about the rape. It’s about her journey of restoration and who she ultimately becomes. This powerful inner strength transforms her completely. If anything, this film should inspire women and men alike.
DC: Was the subject matter of Julia something you really had to think about before taking the role?
AW: No, actually the thought never crossed my mind. The process from my audition to negotiations was all very fast because they were already scheduled to shoot within five days after they cast me. I was so pumped to do this role, and frankly, I knew that from reading the script, because of how tastefully and artistically everything was going to be shot and the premise of the story was dark but nothing too controversial, I didn’t have to sit back and think, “Wait a minute here…” I had complete trust in the project.
DC: You have some new movies coming up – congrats! Which one do you think horror fans will be most stoked about?
AW: I do? Ha-ha! Um, I honestly think the one film that horror fans will be stoked about is Julia! I also have this horror/thriller called The Church coming out, but we shot that a long time ago and I haven’t heard of any plans of it coming out anytime soon. It’s been in post-production for a few years now. I play a small part in that film where a group of people who work in a church and have plans to sell it are met with supernatural disagreements, and my character gets caught up in that mix.
Julia (review), written and directed by Matthew A. Brown, also stars Ryan Cooper. It’s screening in limited theaters via Archstone Distribution now; look for more distro news shortly.
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