Séana Kerslake The young Dublin actress has conquered stage, screen and TV; now she’s starring in a hit new Irish horror movie. Michael Doherty catches up with her to find out more
Irish actor Seána Kerslake stars in the hit new Irish horror film, The Hole in the Ground. She and the film’s writer-director, Lee Cronin, talk to Michael Doherty
In recent years, Irish cinema has been on the crest of a wave as a new generation of lm-makers creates movies that score well at the box-o ce and make an impact during awards season. is is particularly true of the two genres in which Irish lm-makers punch above our weight: animation and horror. On the horror front, lm-makers such as Ciarán Foy ( Citadel), Brian O’Malley
( Let Us Prey, e Lodgers); Liam Gavin ( A Dark Song) and Lorcan Finnegan ( Without Name) have all delivered impressive horror features in recent years. We can now add writer-director Lee Cronin to that list. His debut feature e Hol e in the Ground is the haunting story of a mother (Seána Kerslake) whose young son (James Quinn Markey) goes missing in the woods behind their isolated home. When he reappears, his behaviour has altered to the point where she begins to doubt that he is actually her child. It’s a creepy tale, beautifully shot and powered by a dynamic performance by the always excellent Seána Kerslake. Having recently returned from the Sundance Film Festival where the lm played the prestigious midnight horror slot, both director and star are still buzzing.
“It was an amazing experience,” says Seána. “When you’re shooting a lm, you don’t expect it to end up in Sundance. To get to go there for the midnight screening was amazing, and the feedback was fantastic.” “Sundance was a phenomenal and nerve-wracking experience all rolled into one,” says Lee. “I couldn’t even eat my dinner beforehand! e US distributor took us out for a lovely meal before the screening, but I couldn’t eat a thing. ere is a lot of industry focus on that midnight slot so you feel quite exposed, but that’s a champagne problem, really. When you make a movie, you want it to be seen on such a platform.”
With regular movies, lm-makers can sit in a premiere screening unaware of how the audience is receiving their work. With a genre movie, particularly a horror story, you know exactly how the audience is reacting. “ ey did react at just the right points,” laughs Seána. “ ere were plenty of jumps and gasps. One of the distributor’s partners was sitting in front of us and she reacted exactly as you would want the audience to react!” “Renowned producer Jason Blum [ Get Out] was at the screening,” says Lee, “and there was a stranger sitting beside him who kept grabbing his leg. at was a good sign! I was happy that the audience reacted in the right places, not just during the dark moments, but in the little moments of levity.”
I’m actually a big scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies!
Already carving out an impressive career on stage
( From Eden), on TV ( Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope) and on the big screen ( Dollhouse, A Date for Mad Mary), Tallaght actress Seána Kerslake delivers another standout performance in e Hole in e Ground. Key to that performance is her on-screen relationship with young James Quinn Markey, whom Vikings fans will recognise as Ivar from that award-winning series. Prior to lming, both actors spent time together in order to help forge that mother-son bond. “We did get time beforehand to rehearse,” recalls Seána, “but we were conscious of the fact, especially with a young actor, that we didn’t want things to become too rigid. We didn’t overly rehearse; it was more a case of hanging out with James and developing a base foundation. It was also very helpful for me to see the dynamic between James and his own mother. I wanted to get to know James as a person and I know from watching mothers around me that it’s very relaxing being with your children. at’s why I wanted us to be relaxed, not forced, when we were working together. It got to the point where he might engage with me or his head might be stuck in a book or a screen, just like a real child might be with his mother.”
Despite being heralded as a new scream queen, Seána is not what you would call a devotee of the genre. “I’m actually a big scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies!” she laughs, “so I felt I wouldn’t know the various points of reference for this lm. But the more we spoke about it, the more I realised, actually, I’ve seen that one and I’ve seen that one. So I am a scaredy-cat, but I do like e Shining and Rosemary’s Baby and some of the new wave of horror movies. I admire them but I still get scared and my imagination runs wild!”
As for Lee, horror movies have been a constant feature in his life. “I found myself in interviews in the US being described as ‘the horror guy’” he recalls. “ at’s true, but there are some contemporary horror movies I’m not interested in. e genre is a lot broader now than it used to me. Seven of my top ten favourite movies of all time are horror movies. My exposure to horror movies at a young age is what shaped me as a lm-maker: those are the movies that got under my skin.”
Given the fact that horror movies also clearly get under Seána’s skin, I wonder which scenes she found the most challenging to lm: the physical ones or the psychological ones? “ at’s a good question,” she laughs. “I found some of those underworld scenes mentally very challenging and some of those scenes in the basement were physically very demanding. You have to hit exact spots in that sequence. It’s almost like a dance. As a character, you’re supposed to be out of control, but as an actor, you are actually controlling the scene and making sure you hit all the right marks. ere were times when I was feeling a certain way in a scene, a bit claustrophobic, but I knew that my character was determined to push forward, so push forward I did!” “As a director, I was always there to help Seána,” Lee explains, “but there were times during those moments you’re talking about, when I knew it was right to leave her alone!”
Given her performance in this lm and the quality of her work on stage and screen to date, Seána Kerslake is unlikely to be le alone for long.
The Hole in the Ground opens nationwide on March 1