Cellar Door star Jordana Brewster discussed her new thriller movie Cellar Door. The actress also discussed her one Fast & Furious regret and what she learned from doing soap operas. Directed by Vaughn Stein, Cellar Door is out November 1 in select theaters and digital.
“Looking for a fresh start after a miscarriage, a couple (Jordana Brewster and Scott Speedman) find themselves being gifted the house of their dreams from a wealthy homeowner (Laurence Fishburne) with one caveat – they can never open the cellar door. Whether they can live without knowing triggers shocking consequences,” says the synopsis.
Tyler Treese: This is kind of a departure from what we usually see you in. There’s a darker vibe to this film, which is really fun. So, what really attracted you to Cellar Door?
Jordana Brewster: The darker vibe, and it being different from stuff I’ve done before. I feel like, unfortunately, in Hollywood, if you play one character, people see you that way, and that’s it. You have to really show them what else you can do. So this was part of that evolution.
I also really related to her in many ways. I related to her single-mindedness, I related to her stubbornness, and I really wanted to dive into the relationship with John. So there were many aspects of the film that I was really attracted to.
It’s such a fun premise, the cellar door that you can’t open. You get a free house, but you can’t open the cellar door. Do you think you could actually resist that temptation in real life?
I don’t think I could. I think maybe initially, but then I think once the novelty starts wearing out of the house and you get kind of used to it, you would then start digging. I think it’s just human nature to start. What if it’s something awful? What if there’s a catch? I think I would really have to look at some point.
You get to work with a real legend in this film, Laurence Fishburne. He’s only in this for a couple of scenes, but he’s so captivating. His screen presence is incredible. How was it working with him?
I loved working with him. I love watching actors who are amazing because I just try to steal some of their tricks. Rita Moreno, when I worked with her, she just told all these stories about working with Jane Fonda and working with all these legends. Then with Laurence, it was cool because he used certain exercises to get us going. Like during the scene where we’re all supposed to be slightly tipsy and just bantering, he would just start laughing before we rolled and then we always start laughing, and it was just a way to break the ice. It was really cool working with him.
I love seeing how your relationship with Scott Speedman kind of develops as the film goes on. You two captured this vibe really well where, at the beginning, they seem like a very loving married couple, but you can just tell that their best days are behind them. How was it building that relationship with Scott? Because you don’t want like super bubbly screen chemistry, but you find that good middle ground there.
Thank you. I think sometimes we could get bubbly and giggly, especially when there was a scene where we’re looking at each other, and we’re like this in bed, and Vaughn was like, “Stop giggling. Just stop. That is not the vibe right now.” I was like, “Okay, Vaughn. Like chill.” But I think what was good was that we portrayed the marriage like a shoe that’s been worn, which is hard to get. Because you have to have a familiarity with each other and you’re kind of like tired with each other and taking each other for granted.
I was really happy to see that we portrayed that because I think that’s partially why they’re also seeking like, “Okay, let’s have a baby. Okay, let’s get a house.” They’re just grasping at what they can do to save their relationship.
I don’t want to get too into spoilers, but there’s this really great twist as the movie goes on, and it really recontextualizes what was going on the whole time. When you read the script, what was your reaction to that?
I mean, that’s what made me wanna do it. I was like, “Oh, yes.” Because that then tainted how I read the beginning of the script, I had to go back and go, “Oh, okay. Now, with this in mind, let’s see.” So it made it really, really fun for me.
It’s crazy, but we’re over 20 years since the first Fast and Furious movie, and you specifically had kind of a weird road because you weren’t in 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Tokyo Drift was totally different. When did you realize that this character was really gonna stick around and be a huge part of your career? Because it took quite a while for the fourth movie.
I think there was a gap between one and four when I came back. When I came back, I was so excited and so happy, and it was just like this gift that then kept on giving because now we’re at 10. But I recently watched one, four, and five, and Mia had this grittiness that in [the original] that I, it didn’t come back till five. So, I kind of feel like I shot the bed in four, and I regret it. I wish I could like time-travel and redo that one. But yeah, it’s pretty awesome that it’s such a big part of people’s lives.
The original has aged so well, too.
It really has, but with the exception of the TVs, like they’re not flat screens. They’re big boxy TVs. My kids are like, “What is that? “I’m like, that’s what we used to watch shows on.
I’m really excited you’re getting back into horror with Heart Eyes next year. What can we kinda expect from that? I feel like horror is a good fit for you.
Well, I love Josh Ruben. He is awesome. He’s an actor as well, and so he’s got this very funny, dark sensibility. We just had so much fun on that movie, and I’ve seen it, and it’s really good. I’m really proud of it. I’m super excited for it to come out.
You did so much great work on soaps as well, and that’s such an interesting background. I see it for a lot of the hardest workers in Hollywood. What did those early experiences really teach you and prepare you for this later stage of your career?
Well, you’re learning, you have like one day to prepare like eight pages of dialogue. So you have to learn the dialogue and adhere to it. Then you have to get used to cameras and hitting your mark. So it teaches you a lot of the technical stuff. Also, the stakes are low because it airs, and then it’s gone forever. So it’s really a great playground for actors.
Thanks to Jordana Brewster for taking the time to discuss Cellar Door, which is out in theaters and digital on November 1.
