Interview: Ashley Bell Talks ‘The Last Exorcism’
The Last Exorcism – Interview with Ashley Bell – December 22, 2010
Interview conducted by Marc Patterson
As the old holiday standard goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. It’s also the most busy. In all the hustle and bustle we got an opportunity to chat with Ashley Bell, the young star of The Last Exorcism. The Last Exorcism proved to be the PG-13 film that could. It successfully found it’s way (almost across the board) onto our top film lists of 2010 and has garnered significant critical reception. Demanding horror fans have been applauding this film for delivering some fresh scares and executing on an original story effectively.
So at the height of the chaos that is Christmas, and only days before the DVD release (on January 4th) Ashley graced us with a few minutes to chat about her role in the film and what made this project so different from all the films on exorcism that have come before. She also gave us a sneak peek insight into her latest project, a post-apocalyptic horror film called The Day, where she co-stars with an all-star line-up that includes Shannyn Sossamon, Dominic Monaghan, and Shawn Ashmore.
Brutal As Hell: Hi Ashley! How are you?
Ashley Bell: Hi! I’m great. How are you?
Brutal As Hell: I’m great. I’m so glad I get to talk to you first thing in the morning before a bunch of us ask you the same questions a hundred times.
Ashley Bell: (Laughs) No, this is great!
Brutal As Hell: So we’re really excited to be talking to you about The Last Exorcism. Now, this was your first major film role. Can you tell me what initially attracted you to this project?
Ashley Bell: What was odd – the first time I read the character breakdown for Nell I was instantly attracted to that character. She was a 15 year old girl from the backwoods of Louisiana. She’s never left that area because she’s never really needed to, so going into it I just started asking myself questions, you know. What has she been exposed to? What doesn’t she know, what does she know? And then kind of the reverse side of that, playing in the possession scenes or playing the hysterical scenes, getting a chance to prepare for that role was really exciting. Daniel gave me the hint to the hope that I wasn’t possessed but it was a hysterical breakdown or a form of mania and so I started researching post-traumatic stress disorders and manias and any sort of break in the human psyche.
Brutal As Hell: Did you study up on exorcism or visit any reported exorcists outside of the Catholic church because this is different from Catholic exorcism? This is sort of almost a Southern Baptist thing, or just a different kind of animal, so can you tell us about that?
Ashley Bell: Yeah. You’re right. It definitely is a completely different kind of exorcism, and I read every book on exorcism I could find that hasn’t been banned, actually. I visited some more of the extremist churches out in the deep valley in Los Angeles and I listened to a lot of tapes of exorcisms happening, and it’s crazy because you don’t know what to believe when you’re starting out, and you’re doubtful and you hear sounds that you don’t know if they could be made, or they’re inhuman, and then there comes this noise that’s neither masculine or feminine or human or animal and you just go, “What is that?” I just wished I wasn’t doing my research at one in the morning (laughs).
Brutal As Hell: Since the release have you seen or experienced any backlash personally for making this film from the church, especially amongst the Southern preachers, since this film really puts that sector of our society in the spotlight in a very real way, moreso than most Exorcism films?
Ashley Bell: No, it was talked about that it might happen, but it was really interesting how it played out because I think both sides are equally represented. In the end it’s the man playing my father who’s trying to convince Patrick’s character (Rev. Cotton) that I needed exorcism. So it was interesting when I was up in Toronto doing press for it, one of the reporters there was like, the point of view that your father portrayed, that you were possessed, that was 110% accurate of what her father would, and that perspective, so I think that both of those points of view were equally portrayed.
Brutal As Hell: What have you seen so far as reactions regarding the end of the film? I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the last ten minutes has really had people talking and I’m curious what your experience has been and what you’ve been hearing.
Ashley Bell: I think it’s so exciting what the last ten minutes have done because it’s very controversial and I love that. When it was in theaters people were leaving and I heard people were debating about it and talking about it and going to coffee shops and discussing it and then going back to see it and figure it out, and I love it. Those are the most exciting films for me when I go see them, and it’s still with me and I’m still asking about it. And I think that’s something you hope for when you put a film out there, and I really hope that people buy the DVD to watch it again and figure it out and continue the debate.
Brutal as Hell: I read in another interview you gave that you were told to watch every film on exorcism that came before and then not to replicate anything you saw in those. What was your approach to this character in terms of re-inventing how you were going to portray someone who was demonically possessed?
Ashley Bell: I think that again is… well I have to thank Daniel Stamm for that in how he guided me through. He’s so interested in the character-to-character relationships in the film that he wanted to be extremely grounded from everyone. We would do thirty or forty takes of each scene and would be encouraged to test each other and play with each other, that way we could continue to remain grounded in those characters and to find new things. And I think kind of coming from that perspective and starting out there — and like I mentioned keeping that hope that no one was possessed — that in those scenes there could be any break in the human psyche. Like I mentioned, with the post traumatic stress disorder and in that instance where people are out of the human form. That was certainly what I was looking at when I was researching certain kind of seizures and manias and any kind of break in your mind mentally to kind of keep it grounded in that. He was really encouraging in that – to make you wonder is she possessed, or is she not? You know there were some instances where my eyes would change where one would dilate more or white out and they were nervous to put that in because it would give something away or say something they didn’t want. They really wanted there to be that fine line of possession or a hysterical breakdown.
Brutal As Hell: Well that definitely came through strongly because all throughout we’re asking that very question, so kudos to you for being able to bring that to life in a very realistic way and sell it. I thought it was done very well.
Ashley Bell: Oh thank you so much!
Brutal As Hell: Now poor Daniel Stamm. For a director he’s kind of overrun on this one because of Eli Roth and Eli gets his name on everything. But to Eli’s credit I understand he was very hands-on for a producer. Did you get to work with him much?
Ashley Bell: I did. Yes. I got a chance to work with him. He was in the editing room working with Daniel a little bit, and I got a chance to meet him there and to work with him there. It was so cool because he was just tweaking a scene slightly and he knew instinctively to shave a scene slightly and punch in on a shot and then instantly that scene would give you goosebumps all over. He knows how to manipulate an audience and get under your skin, that it was so cool to watch that happen first hand. And he had read the script when it was first sent around and he literally ran with it. He believed in the project and said it was the scariest story that he had ever read and took it [and] ran with it. And it’s unbelievable to have a producer commit that much and to be that enthusiastic and hands on.
Brutal As Hell: And you got double lucky here because Patrick Fabian is a vet of the industry and a tremendous actor. How was it working across from him? You share a lot of screen time.
Ashley Bell: It was incredible. Patrick is such a generous and giving actor. You know, Daniel wanted to keep a safe set, but also pretty closed, so things were mainly just myself, Daniel, Zoltan Honti (the DP) and Patrick, and just for hours on end he was so generous and so there and everyone in the cast was so there for each other. I shouldn’t say this for playing such a maniacal character, but it was a lot of fun and to have the ability to work with everyone in the cast was so wonderful.
Brutal As Hell: Well, I was very impressed with what I saw as I was very skeptical of it going in, being a PG-13 film, but it was extremely effective in what it accomplished. So obviously the chemistry was there, it was a unique angle, and I think it just worked.
Ashley Bell: Thank you so much. Being a PG-13 horror film I think that kind of threw people a little bit. It’s exciting that people were too scared to go see it, and I thought that was awesome and I was excited about it. And then people were like, “we’re going to wait for the DVD so we can watch it in our home with the lights on” (laughs), so they can have complete control with how they want to take it in and everything (laughs again).
Brutal As Hell: I always go out on one closing question — but I kind of know the answer — I’d like to ask what you’re doing now. I do see you’re involved in a post-apocalyptic film called The Day…
Ashley Bell: Yup
Brutal As Hell: …And I just saw the teaser trailer. It looks awesome. Can you tell us anything about the film?
Ashley Bell: Thank you so much. Yeah I just came back from filming in Canada. It’s a post-apocalyptic siege film that spans over the course of 24 hours that this group goes through and it’s awesome, an incredible film. I play a character that, for lack of a better word… I play a badass (laughs). I got a chance to go through shotgun training and I learned how to roll cigarettes, and being that it was post-apocalyptic they needed us to work-out to lose weight for the role. And to be able to transform to play a character like that is honestly what I love most about acting. To put yourself there and live through that is very exciting. So it’s kind of a character-driven action film. It’s going to be wonderfully exciting.
Brutal As Hell: And it’s a great looking cast too.
Ashley Bell: Oh yeah, everyone was so great to work with. The whole cast. I mean Shawn Ashmore, Dominic Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon are just incredible. And I guess also to touch base on that, your first question about what was so exciting to play this role was along the same lines. Those roles come along so few sometimes where you really get to go and make a complete transformation to be able to do that research and the physical demands as well as the character demands. And that was the most exciting thing about The Last Exorcism was I was allowed to do all that physical stuff myself. And Daniel was open to asking “Do you want to try anything? Do you have any ideas?” and I showed him the back bends and the physical stuff I’d been working on and he set that open floor to say, “Yes, let’s use that”. and “Yes, let’s put that in”, and move from there, and that was probably the most exciting to be allowed that opportunity to do that.
Brutal As Hell: Well, I think I’m about out of time. It was a lot of fun talking with you and I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us, and I do wish you a wonderful holiday.
Ashley Bell: Oh my God, thank you so much. You too. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!
Brutal As Hell: Thanks so much!
Again – special thanks goes out to Ashley for taking the time to talk to us only days before Christmas. Be sure to check out The Last Exorcism when it hits DVD and Blu-ray on January 4th and keep an eye out as we continue to bring you updates on The Day.
