Alyssa Sutherland had a lot of work to do after scoring the role of Ellie in Evil Dead Risethe fifth part of the evil Dead series. “I had never watched any of the series because I am a scary cat!” the forties tells exclusively United States. “So I forced myself to watch the first movie and I really enjoyed it. I also never get to read characters like this – it doesn’t come to me often.
“The most exciting part for me is that my character is going to break new ground for women in film because I’m like a deranged psychopath crossed with a Tasmanian devil,” she jokes. his character. “My character is off the wall, and I feel like I’ve never really seen a woman do that. I played this crazy creature to terrorize people’s minds and be crazy while I’m doing it, which was so much fun.
The Australian native has been in the industry for a while, but she’s still taking acting classes, where she can dive into other genres that she might not necessarily get for her job. “It was so much fun to be in such a different character – it’s such a departure for me,” she says. “I really wanted a role like this. It’s so addicting.
While the film, which was released on Friday April 21, focuses on two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, may be hard for some to digest, Sutherland admits it wasn’t too intimidating for her to get into character. “I’ve been kind of riffing on this for a while. I think women have a lot of rage, and it’s pretty easy for me to tap into that rage. Without wanting to be too political, but in the Women’s rights in the United States are taken, and we have all been through a lot,” she shares.
Sutherland also worked with an incredible stunt team who helped her during difficult scenes. “We shot everything chronically, so I knew exactly what was going on and where we were going. It was a real gift that we were able to do this,” she says, adding that there was a specific set that was built for her to perform this stunt. “It’s such a challenge because you have to be so precise and make sure you’re protecting the other actors. It was kind of the first time I had to really integrate stunts and perform at the same time.
From that particular job, Sutherland believes she learned to ‘trust herself and my instincts’ and work with the director. Lee Cronin was great because he made her feel comfortable and confident in anything she wanted to try. “Sometimes I had a different idea of what was on the page, and most of the time that’s what went into the movie. It just reinforced that I need to trust myself in as an actor and performer. It can be scary to do this, but it was so fulfilling and satisfying at the end of the day. I also work well under pressure.
According to the star, the latest film “pays homage” to the original movies and even has a lot of Easter eggs in it, “but at the same time, it’s really scary.”
“I have to hand it to Lee because he managed to create an evolving film. ‘We’re doing something new, but it still fits into the whole franchise,'” she notes.
Over the years, Sutherland has starred in several films and series, including vikings, The devil wears Prada, Don’t look up and more. However, Evil Dead Rise has been the highlight for her so far. “I am certainly the most proud of this work. It was a real challenge and I’m so proud of what we were able to do,” she says. “We had the odds against us when we were filming in New Zealand during the pandemic because we were closed. We had to survive one of the confinements of New Zealand then pull it together to complete the movie. As we shot chronologically, the film didn’t have an end while we were all confined. We couldn’t just say, “OK, well, we have footage now.” We’re going to edit it together and make a movie out of it. We didn’t have the end. But what we’ve been able to accomplish is incredible, especially when the odds were against us. We created this film to show in theaters because it’s such an experience. You can see us having a great time doing it.
Ultimately, the former model hopes women will watch the film since he presents a nasty woman and a heroine. “There are also a lot of women who watch horror movies. We are addicted to true crime and listen to podcasts about narcissists,” she jokes.
As for whether Sutherland has ever overcome her fear of horror movies, she says she’s “a bit better now.”
“I tried to watch a few, but I have to do it in the middle of the day!” she shares. “I can’t do it before bed. It’s different when you’re in the movie or on set. I was also the one who scared everyone, so it was a fun role to play, honestly. I saw Dead Evil Rise. I liked it.”
The next step for Sutherland is to find “the next challenge”.
“I love working and I just hope for a new challenge. I kind of crave something dark and messy. I would love to play a female character who is just a mess. Maybe she’s a lawyer or something because I’ve never done anything like that. I am open to everything. I know it’s a tough industry, and there are ups and downs. But when this role came along, it was right and the stars aligned. This is a bucket list moment for me. I still pinch myself, honestly. I’m excited for what’s to come.
Evil Dead Rise is now out in theaters.