ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Depravity stars Victoria Justice and Devon Ross about the new thriller movie directed by Paul Tamasy. The duo discussed working with Dermot Mulroney, the film’s twist-filled plot, and more. It is now available to buy on digital.
“When three residents suspect their reclusive neighbor is a serial killer, they break into his apartment only to uncover a hidden fortune in stolen art. But their discovery turns into a nightmare as they’re ensnared in a sadistic game of survival, where every corner hides a new horror. Outsmart the killer or become his next victim,” says the synopsis.
Tyler Treese: Victoria, this, this has the classic setup of what if this creepy neighbor is a serial killer? Then it has so many twists and turns after that. But what did you like about that initial setup? Because it really plays into a trope and then goes wild with it.
Victoria Justice: Yeah. I think it’s a trope that people love for a reason. Like it’s exciting, it’s suspenseful. I think like there’s just such a natural human curiosity of like, “Who are your neighbors? Who is this creepy person?” We were talking about just before, Devon, like someone that’s so close, but yet you know such little about them. So there’s that natural curiosity.
I just feel like when I read the script, there’s so many twists and turns, and I feel like it has all the ingredients of a good thriller. There’s suspense, there’s blood, there’s murder, there’s sex, there’s greed, all that good stuff. All mixed into one.
Devon, from the viewer’s perspective, you’re very much like the one adult in the situation at first. You’re like, “Hey, let’s not break into this guy’s place.” How is it being the voice of reason that’s constantly being ignored?
Devon Ross: I mean, it’s always hard to be the smart one that nobody listens to [laughs]. It drives you a little bit crazy, and I think it drove her a little bit crazy. But being a quiet, creative girl who’s shy and no one listens to, I mean, it’s frustrating, and your best friend’s taking the side of someone else. it was like definitely fun to play that part that was kind of separated.
Victoria, your character, Grace, it’s fun to see just how she changes throughout the film because she definitely finds the danger very intoxicating, and you can see that opens up the side of her that she didn’t really ever embrace before. What did you find most interesting about that kind of facet of the character?
Justice: Yeah, I mean, I like that she kind of has this arc of being one way. She’s a law student, and she’s a smart girl, but then she’s kind of exposed to [this other side] when she goes into Evers’ apartment. She does have this sort of thrill-seeking side to her, and her exploring that danger is very titillating for her, and it’s very sexual and fun. It was really fun to play and to do it with Taylor, who’s also a great actor. We just had a lot of fun with it.
Devon, I don’t wanna get into spoilers, but there are just so many wild twists and turns in this in this movie. So I was curious what your reaction was when you read the script and just saw how many different directions this was going in, because I’m sure you were just as surprised as viewers were.
Ross: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the first time I read the script I was like, “What did I read? What?” I don’t wanna spoil it. It’s so hard to talk about this kind of film and not spoil it. But I was not confused, but more just curious and knew that this character had like a whole nother side to her that maybe wasn’t even in the script, you know what I mean? Like, she has this whole mysterious side that not everyone knows about. She’s a quiet, reclusive girl, you know? I was intrigued.
Victoria, I have to ask you about working with Dermot Mulroney because he is just able to do so much while only saying one single word in this entire film. How was it acting against him? Because it’s just his pure presence, but he is projecting that so well.
Justice: It’s true. I feel like he has a really strong presence in the film, and I feel like people haven’t really seen Dermot in this way. Although he does say very little, you really feel like his character. Working with him was great. He’s such a seasoned professional. He’s been doing this for so long, but he is also just really kind and was making sure that I always felt comfortable. He was just fun to hang out with off set as well, which was really cool. So, yeah, we had a great time and I think he’s great in it.
Devon, I wanna ask you about Paul Tamasy, the director, because this is a film he has been trying to get up off the ground for 20 years. Obviously, he wrote the script as well, so he just knows it’s inside and out. When it’s such a passion project for the director, how does that kind of help you as an actor?
Ross: He had so much passion for this story. Obviously, sitting on it for so long just builds passion. He cared so much about the story. Also, he is just one of those directors who care so much about the actors and what they need to play this character that he has written, which is so important for someone to have actors in mind. Especially a first-time director to be that conscious of “What do you guys need to understand this, or do you need to watch playback?” is so important because not everyone’s like that.
It’s such an important thing for your actors to, first of all, be comfortable on set and with everyone, and second of all, just fully understand what’s happening in the story. There’s a lot going on in this story. So it was just really helpful that he just knew. He wrote it. He knows it inside and out, and he’s a mind behind it. That was amazing.
Victoria, some of my favorite scenes in this film are when you and Sasha Luss are talking. Because despite being a model, she’s able to be really intimidating, and it was such a shock. How was it sharing those scenes with her?
Justice: I think she’s great in the movie, and that was one of my favorite scenes to film, to be honest. It was cool. I feel like when we filmed that scene together where we were kind of face-to-face for the first time, I hadn’t really gotten to know her really at all yet. So, even her as a person, there was still this kind of like mystery about her. So I feel like in a way it helped me in the scene because my character obviously is not expecting to see her and it kind of all played into each other. But, yeah, that was a really fun scene. I loved that one.
Devon, Taylor John Smith is the other lead. What stood out about him as the scene partner? Because we see him show a lot of different sides throughout the film as it changes and morphs.
Ross: I mean, Taylor was awesome. Taylor was like a big brother. Obviously, me, as kind of an underdog, he was so caring, and he literally was like a big brother. Like we would do self-tapes together on our off days and he was just a really nice rock to be there because when you’re in Thailand, you’re in like a random place. It was two years ago, I was 22 or whatever, so it was really nice having a big brother figure, but also just like so fun to work with because he’s such a good actor.
Thanks to Victoria Justice and Devon Ross for taking the time to speak about Depravity.
