Coming out this week from Warner Bros. is Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining novel as well as the classic Stanley Kubrick movie adaptation.
Doctor Sleep continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and newcomer Kyliegh Curran star in the supernatural thriller, directed by Mike Flanagan, from his own screenplay based upon the novel by Stephen King. The main ensemble cast also includes Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe and Cliff Curtis.
Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality.
Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.
Ferguson, best known for her film roles in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and The Greatest Showman, plays Rose the Hat, an Irish cult-leader who murders children that posses telepathic ability by torturing them to death and feeding off their energy which they refer to as steam.
Blackfilm.com spoke exclusively with Ferguson as she discussed her experience working on the film and her love for the sci-fi genre.
What attracted you to the film?
Rebecca Ferguson: I read the script and I fell in love with it. I had a meeting with the director, and the producer, which was so wonderful and happy and joyful and exciting. They are two geeks and I’m a geek and that suited me. Then I read the book and I thought, “This is a done deal. I’d love to do this.”
Were you aware that there was even a sequel to The Shining?
Rebecca Ferguson: It would have been strange not seeing the resemblance of the continuation of Danny Torrance’s life, 40 years later. But I also love the idea that this is its own entity. It stands by itself with connections to the first film. I also loved that my character had not appeared before. She’s new.
How would you best describe her?
Rebecca Ferguson: I would describe her as a loving, caring, nurturing woman who is 100% devoted to everything she does. Now the issue with her, is the only way to feed the people she loves is by going beyond the evil measures with children. That’s not great. She’s about 100 years old. She’s a rock star traveling through time to stay alive.
Had you gone back to see The Shining or read the books before you started production on this film?
Rebecca Ferguson: No. There was such a link between the films because basically the film is about Danny Torrance and 40 years after The Shining and there are new twists, but I think in trying to connect them even more would have made this in to what possibly could have become a disaster because everyone’s expectations would have been so grand. I think this film as itself and its own entity standing alone with those obvious links makes for a much better film.
You’re no stranger to doing fantasy films, so how was it working with this CGI this time?
Rebecca Ferguson: What I loved are the moments when I go to step into the world of special effects and makeup. The CGI is something that is applied after which I’m never really a part of but I loved the messing up of the hand and the traveling in space, the harness work, and the physical aspect of this film as well.
Some actors think it’s more pleasurable being the villain in a film than just playing the hero. Is that true?
Rebecca Ferguson: It’s not very often we watch a film where the good person is overly good. When you watch a good film with a really good script, the heroine or hero will always dip into dark areas and that is what we are drawn to and that’s what makes a good story. The same thing with a villain. When you play the antagonist, when you play the baddie in the film, all of the dark elements are already served on the platter. They are right there. You go beyond evil measures to do this. You look beautiful to lure children towards you so you can kill them. ‘My job is to find the beauty in her. My job is to make her relatable and human.
Being that the film is based on Stephen King novel, do you think it is as dark as it should be?
Rebecca Ferguson: That’s a very good question. There is a scene which is very dark in the film where my character needs to put this kid (Jacob Tremblay) through the wringer. We used five percent of what we shot because there was disastrous, tormenting moments that would have been too hard for viewers to watch. I wish probably that they were in the film, because I really enjoy doing it. It needs to also be manageable for the viewers. I think we balanced it pretty good but you can’t have a Stephen King film without darkness.
At what point do you envision yourself as the character? Do you read a script first and then you think about it later or as you’re reading it, do you start picturing yourself playing that role before you start shooting production?
Rebecca Ferguson: I read the script and I have to read the script as a consecutive piece. I never break it up. I never read a script I’ve been given a pause I will just binge through it, if I can. If it’s a boring script, I don’t want to do it. If I really like it, and I like the character I’m playing, then that’s a done deal. Then we continue and the deal is on.Then I usually look at any form of information. Then gradually I read the script again and I pick out all of the elements that I find intriguing. I go into the moments with other people when I’m not in the scene, but people start describing her and why they fear her. They talk about her brutality in the dialogue. Those are the key moments for me. I read the script, I project the role and then I start seeing her come to life.
How was working with the cast?
Rebecca Ferguson: It was such an incredible cast. I had the opportunity of working a lot with Kyliegh Curran, who plays Abra, and she was just phenomenal in her ways. Then there’s Ewan McGregor. I have followed his work and seen everything he’s done. To be at the receiving end at his actions and playing with him and throwing a curveball and have him catch it and throw it back, that’s the beauty of it. That’s why you do it.
With a Dune film coming up, where does the love of doing these sci-fi fantasy films come from?
Rebecca Ferguson: I don’t know. I try not to link together the jobs I’ve done. I know that a lot of people say that the last three characters I’ve done have been antagonist or baddies, and there’s sci-fi in Dune and there’s sci-fi fi in this one and sci-fi in my next one. I try and find the different elements. It’s not that I’m at all after a genre To be honest, but always trying go completely the opposite to something I’ve done. It’s just that I’ve loved all of these films that I’ve been offered and my job is to disconnect the characters and create something new within the same ingredients.
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