Carla Gugino Talks Gerald’s Game
Steve Barton
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For many years an adaptation of the Stephen King tale Gerald’s Game was thought to be unfilmable due in part to its psychological nature, but Mike Flanagan is more than up to the task. Recently the fine folks over at Den of Geek caught up with the film’s star, Carla Gugino, to get the skinny on the process.
Before we get to that, though… for those unfamiliar with the story, here’s a quick synopsis of the book.
Once again, Jessie Burlingame (Gugino) has been talked into submitting to her husband, Gerald’s, kinky sex games—something that she’s frankly had enough of, and they never held much charm for her to begin with. So much for a “romantic getaway” at their secluded summer home. After Jessie is handcuffed to the bedposts—and Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) crosses a line with his wife—the day ends with deadly consequences. Now Jessie is utterly trapped in an isolated lakeside house that has become her prison—and comes face-to-face with her deepest, darkest fears and memories. Her only company is that of the various voices filling her mind… as well as the shadows of nightfall that may conceal an imagined or very real threat right there with her…
“It was one of the hardest, most challenging shoots I’ve ever done, which is saying a lot,” said Gugino. “I’ve definitely chosen some material that’s been really challenging. We shot six weeks in Alabama. I think Mike is absolutely the man for the job. It’s one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done,” she continued. “I love this woman… you’re dealing with something that has elements of horror, but also is really more of a thriller, in the [vein] of a Misery. And she is also dealing with this childhood sexual trauma with her father, and those are all tricky tones to find together.”
“Every step of the way, one of the things [Flanagan] said to me, which directors very rarely say, was, ‘I want you to take ownership over this; this is as much yours as it is mine’… I’m really excited about it.”
Carel Struycken and Henry Thomas co-star alongside Gugino and Greenwood. Gerald’s Game will premiere on Netflix, but no release date is available at this time.
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