Interview: Sydney Sweeney on ALONG CAME THE DEVIL and UNDER THE SILVER LAKE
Drew Tinnin
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As you may have heard, Sydney Sweeney is having a breakout year. The young actress had already amassed a substantial social media following before her breakout roles as Eden in The Handmaid’s Tale and Alice in HBO’s Sharp Objects and, now, she’s officially blowing up. The roles she has chosen are extremely challenging and have garnered a great deal of sympathy from fans that can relate to the struggles of being a trapped adolescent who meets a tragic end or a troubled patient who must harm herself in order to feel alive. Now, stepping into the role of Ashley in the biblical horror thriller Along Came The Devil, Sweeney can add demonic possession to her growing résumé.
When we spoke, Sweeney had just finished shooting her next film Big Time Adolescence with Pete Davidson. But she was still excited to talk about the emotional roller coaster she went on during Along Came The Devil and how her next film, Under The Silver Lake directed by David Robert Mitchell of It Follows fame, will have plenty in store for horror fans.
A troubled teen Ashley is sent to live with her estranged Aunt Tanya. While in her old hometown she has visions of her deceased mom, driving her to try to contact the spirit world putting her soul into grave danger.
Along Came The Devil is available now in theaters, VOD, and Digital HD from Gravitas Ventures.
DC: When did you film Along Came the Devil? It’s coming out at a good time when your star is really starting to rise.
SS: Yeah, I actually filmed it when I was seventeen. We filmed it in April three or four years ago?
DC: The movie has a little more attention on it because of your recent roles which is great for the film.
SS: It’s coming out at a good time!
DC: Hopefully this isn’t too personal but are you religious at all or did you come from a religious background? Would it be easier or harder to do a role like this if you were a person of faith?
SS: I think it’s all personal preference. I came from a religious family but I’m open to all religions so I did not have any problems diving into a movie like this.
DC: You’ve tackled some seriously challenging roles lately. Was it more difficult and draining to play someone possessed, or a handmaiden, or a psychiatric patient whose self-harming?
SS: You know, they’re all pretty draining in their own ways but in a good way because I love challenges. I love playing characters that are completely different from who I am as Sydney. Putting myself in someone else’s shoes, I’m trying to bring that to life as well as I can. So being able to jump from Ashley as a demon to Eden as an Econowife and Alice who struggles with life – it’s been amazing to be able to bring all of that to life.
DC: Yeah, it’s interesting that from Handmaid’s Tale to now, this, you’re going from baptism to exorcism which I thought was funny. Playing a role like this, does it feel like you’re checking off a big acting box to be able to play a possessed character? I think you went to a vocal coach so you were trying to contort your voice and body. You were really going for it.
SS: I’ve always wanted to play a character like this. So, being able to at such a young age was really cool. I definitely told all of my friends!
DC: It would be funny if there was a movement class for acting that was just about being possessed.
SS: That would be interesting!
DC: Are you a a horror fan? Are you looking to do another project in the genre?
SS: If something came my way that I liked the script and it was horror I’d definitely be open to doing that. I love watching horror, my Dad’s a huge horror fan, my Great Grandma’s a huge horror fan so I definitely grew up watching horror films. And I got to work with John Carpenter so, I’ve always wanted to dive into that world but I do enjoy doing different genres as well.
DC: Well, you’re about to be in Under The Silver Lake with Andrew Garfield. David Robert Mitchell’s last film, It Follows, was one of the most revered horror films of the last decade. So, a lot of horror fans are curious about Silver Lake. Do you think they’ll find something to sink their teeth into? It has been compared to David Lynch a little bit.
SS: It’s not a horror film but there is some messed up weird stuff that you have to try and wrap your brain around so they might enjoy it.
DC: Yeah, it definitely looks trippy.
SS: Yeah, it’s definitely trippy, that’s the perfect word for it.
DC: I’m sure Amy Adams helped you through the tough scenes in Sharp Objects, but did you feel more alone during some of the demonic sequences in this? Did Bruce Davison make those scenes a little easier to handle?
SS: Actually, Matt Dallas [Pastor John]. Matt Dallas was incredible and he was always there for me during those scenes and, honestly, he never left my side. I have to thank him for all of that.
DC: There have been so many possession films and religious horror themes recently in the genre and fans may be growing tired of them. What makes Along Came The Devil worth seeking out? Without giving anything away, is it the darker ending that sets this apart from the pack?
SS: Yeah I think the ending is definitely far away from anything else and I also like how story driven it is. It’s not just focused on just jump scare, jump scare, jump scare. They actually want to take you on the ride with them.
DC: Did any of the songs on your character’s iPhone in Sharp Objects wind up on your playlist as well? What are you listening to lately?
SS: Well, I try to make it so that my characters listen to different music than I listen to. But the music I’m listening to right now is all over the board, like, way all over the board. I don’t even know how to describe my taste in music. Whenever people ask me what kind of music I like, I can’t even start!
DC: Can you say anything about Euphoria right now? Maybe you’ve been listening to a little Drake lately.
SS: Yeah, well, I definitely always listen to Drake. I’m definitely a huge fan so I’m very excited to have him on as a producer and be working with him. Euphoria is going to be amazing and I cannot wait for people to watch it.
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