ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with My Animal stars Amandla Stenberg and Bobbi Salvör Menuez about the horror romance movie. The film is set to release in select theaters on Friday, September 8 and digitally on Friday, September 15.
(Note: This interview was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike.)
“Bobbi Salvör Menuez (Euphoria) and Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies) ignite in this genre-bending supernatural love story,” reads the official synopsis. “Tormented by a hidden family curse, Heather is forced to live a secluded life on the outskirts of a small town. When she falls for the rebellious Jonny, their connection threatens to unravel Heather’s suppressed desires, tempting her to unleash the animal within.”
Tyler Treese: Amandla, you and Bobbi knew each other before this project. How important was already having that chemistry between yourselves and knowing that you’d be comfortable with each other? There are some intimate scenes in this movie, and you guys go through a lot.
Amandla Stenberg: Yeah. I think Bobbi actually said it really great earlier, that it was such a privilege to work with someone you love and respect and to build a creative world with them, but also to work alongside another person. It lent itself to a lot of space for freedom and creativity to draw these characters authentically and think about what experiences we wanted to have represented, and what facets of queerness we wanted to explore. And I just always felt very supported by Bobbi in exploring that.
I think we’re able to provide that safety and comfort for each other, and we were also given a lot of freedom and support from our director, [Jacqueline Castel], who just put a lot of trust in us, and created a space for us to feel very comfortable. So, yeah, it’s kind of a dream come true, being able to explore these things that are so deeply personal and rich with people that you love.
Bobbi, what I really enjoyed about the movie is that there’s this great sense of tension that grows, especially when we see the full moon looming throughout, and you just know it’s going to build up to this big moment. What did you like about the pace of the movie and the slow rise until the big climax that really pays everything off?
Bobbi Salvör Menuez: Yeah, it was interesting. Obviously, we don’t usually film things in order, but there was a little bit I felt like, actually in the production design, it was really nice that some of the most intense climactic things did come later in filming. The first week of filming is when we did all of the one-on-one scenes between Heather and Jonny, and something about that order of how things went was so lovely because we got the opportunity to start really small and quiet and vulnerable in that kind of way, and then build towards the more explosive emotions and experiences that happen in the world of the story. So that was a real treat. [Laughs].
Amandla, I thought the romance was so well done in this movie. Jonny and Heather are obviously drawn to each other, but it really plays out naturally and over time — it’s not super rushed or instant. So what did you like most about that portrayal of the romance that forms?
Amandla Stenberg: I think I love being able to explore how layered that relationship can be when you’re that young. I mean all relationships are always layered and textured with so many different kinds of dynamics, but I remember at that age, knowing that I was intrinsically drawn to people or friends or having a level of intimacy that felt like it was beyond friendship and not having the language or the comfort or life experience yet to understand what that was.
So I feel like that’s a big part of Jonny and Heather’s relationship, that there’s something inside of them that is deeply aching for a particular kind of connection — a deep and very profound connection. They don’t necessarily have the language or the tools to process that and move through that, and that’s what creates the tension between them.
Bobbi, I was so impressed by your performance in My Animal. It’s hard to imagine anybody else playing Heather. What really connected you with this character and you? It really seems like a breakout performance.
Bobbi Salvör Menuez: Oh, wow, thank you! I mean, I think this story really holds such a range of this person’s capacity for emotion. From pre-heartbreak, the experience of falling in love for the first time to the experience of heartbreak for the first time. And specifically the intensity of heartbreak. Then, obviously, the loss of her father. I don’t know. I mean, there was something about this character that was both so resonant to different experiences I have had in my life.
At the same time, it felt like it really asked me to show up in a really full-body way, which was really exciting to me as a performer, to just to be asked to push myself. I really like that. I really like feeling the range of what’s possible for my body and my emotions and how those two things interact. I just felt like there was so much room to explore those things really fully. Heather was just such a special character for me to connect with and work through and really fall in love with, in a way. [Laughs].
Amandla, you’ve done such interesting and great work lately. I loved Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. What’s been your general approach of identifying the roles that you go after and what films you want to be a part of?
Amandla Stenberg: Oh, yeah. I mean, if that’s the result, that’s awesome. [Laughs]. That’s ideal. I think I just approach projects the same way, where it just comes down to the script and if it’s a world that I can visualize and dive into. And I’ve just been really lucky to have some wonderful scripts come through my inbox.
