(upbeat music)
- I'm Oliver Trevena in studio for The Hollywood Reporter
joined by the lovely Maika Monroe. How are ya?
- I'm doing well, how about you?
- Good, it's good to see you again.
- Good to see you, too.
- It's good to see you sitting still.
Cause that's something that you don't do.
- No I don't.
- You don't. We were just talking before the interview
and you are a machine.
You just continue, continue, continue.
And you're going straight into another project tomorrow.
Which is exciting.
We'll talk about that really quick.
Honey Boy. It just came out. - Yeah, I'm so excited.
- Yeah, so excited.
It was a project that I really really wanted
and some people that I really wanted to work with.
So it's ...
so exciting.
I'm really looking forward to this.
- When you say you really wanted it,
you heard about the project and then you just went --
I remember hearing about it and
reaching out to my team like,
what's going on with this?
I really want to go for it and so
yeah, I really fought for this one.
- Well done team.
- It's good when you say you want something --
- And you get it.
Very nice, I like when that happens.
- Different kind of project but,
Hot Summer Nights.
- Yep, people can watch it now.
Which is exciting. Yes?
- Quite a fun cast.
- Very fun cast.
- How was that?
They're quite an eclectic mix, too.
- I had worked with Alex Roe before so --
- Little British Alex Roe.
- Exactly, there ya go.
- I see him on a couple of bills here and there.
- So that was really fun.
And then obviously Timo is ...
incredible and so much fun.
We actually all stayed in the house together at the time.
We stayed in this big kind of creepy old house
where we shot in Atlanta.
We all stayed together and it was maybe
one of the best times on a film I've ever had.
- I love that, I love that. - It was so much fun.
- You say Timo; Timothee Chalamet.
- Yes, Timothee.
- He's amazing, he's incredible isn't he?
What a talent.
- Just insane, it's really really incredible.
- And I wouldn't have put you two together but in the movie
the chemistry is epic, it's amazing.
- It's so funny, I was actually attached to the
movie first and then they were looking for
the other actor so I did chemistry reads with,
I think it was like three actors, and Timothee --
- (mumbles), Ben Affleck, and --
- And then Timothee, exactly.
- Yeah, those were the ones.
But Timothee, he was the last one to come in
and I remember he was kind of scrawny
and this little kid.
I was like, "I don't know, let's see what he's got."
And just literally blew us all away.
He left the room and we were like,
"Okay, so that's the one, right?"
- That just happened? That's him, that's him.
- That's the one, okay cool.
Yeah, he's great.
- The movie starts and it kind of just goes
where you wouldn't expect it, basically.
And that's all I'm going to give away.
It goes where you wouldn't expect it.
McKayla's got a lot of layers to her as well.
Is that what kind of drew you to the project?
- Yeah, definitely.
I think she's got this really kind of tough exterior
and something that I can kind of relate with.
And there's a lot going on underneath and
she doesn't really share with a lot of people
and I think she hides a lot.
Daniel, played by Timothee, is the first one
that kind of cracks in.
- And Elijah was a first-time director.
- First time director. Incredible.
He wrote it, too, so I remember reading it first
and then being like, "I have got to
"meet this guy."
Just very very talented.
- Which is amazing for someone that's first time.
It's tough to get that ball rolling.
- And he's got such a specific taste and style.
So yeah, it was great.
- I love that, I love that.
We'll check it out now.
The Widow. Reunited with Chloe again.
- Yes again.
- The 5th Wave.
- The 5th Wave crew coming back.
- Yeah, well, you're all slightly older
but you're still so young.
That's the crazy thing.
It's like these projects were years ago --
- I know, and yet somehow we end up back together.
- Yep, no one ages from The 5th Wave.
They just stay the same.
That was the key to the project.
They were like, "If you do this movie you won't age."
- Yeah, you're stuck. It's great.
- So how was that?
- So much fun.
Obviously awesome being able to shoot
with a friend and then
Isabelle Huppert is like, ya know,
one of the best actresses of all time so
working with her, I remember initially going into
rehearsals and I was very nervous.
And she would just show up and just look
so glamorous all the time.
Yeah, she's incredible. She's the dream.
- I love that.
- And an amazing director on this one, too.
- Also, again, another just like I have to pinch myself.
Is this really happening?
Neil was incredible.
- I mean, The Crying Game--
- That is literally one of my favorite movies.
- I think it's a lot of people's.
- Is that more pressure, when you go into
a project like that?
He's the director, I've got to step this up.
- Oh yeah, it's really nerve wracking
I've done a lot of Indies and, for example,
Hot Summer Nights with Elijah.
He's a first-time director so it's really bold.
We're all going into this nervous and excited.
Then someone like Neil, who's done a million movies
and just knows exactly.
It's like the pressure's on, you feel.
But he's great.
- Amazing. Amazing.
And talking about being so busy,
you literally, when I say you're jumping
from project to project.
But it's really not one genre.
It's anything. It's like --
- Well yeah, all over the place.
- Is that tough?
Isn't that just like,
"Oh, I've done this, it's horror.
"Now this is drama.
"Now this is this"
and are your emotions everywhere?
That's basically what I'm asking.
- Yes, it is. Yes.
It's wild but man, I love my job.
It's so much fun.
It's so cool cause, ya know, I'm Maika.
I'm this one person my entire life
and being able to explore and experience
these different characters and yeah, it's a blast.
- Well, you're doing it very well. It's amazing.
- We're going to play the THRs Top Five.
It's five easy questions.
It's really easy, don't worry.
Don't worry, I could see it.
- I was like, uh-oh, uh-oh, what questions?
- Movie you watched as a kid that you wish you were in?
- Oh man.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
is there even a role for me?
I don't know.
But I want to be in it. - You could find it.
- Yeah, I'll find it.
We'll make it up.
- Movie that you would love to turn into a TV show?
- Blue Valentine.
- Oh, that's a good one.
- I feel like you could really expand on that story.
- Yeah, that could go places.
First moment that comes to mind when I say career highlight.
- Oh ...
- Cause there's a long list of projects.
- I mean, the first thing that comes to my mind
was the first red carpet that I ever walked
was the Venice Film Festival
for a movie that I did, At Any Price.
That was like, "What is going on?"
So yeah, I'd say that. First red carpet.
- That's a good one.
One word to describe your journey as an actress so far.
- Oh man...
One word ...
Tough.
- That's a good one. It's honest.
It's an honest one.
Tough is true. I mean, as I said
at the beginning of this interview, you don't stop.
So it's definitely not easy.
Lots of the world of TV and how it's changed,
lots of people cross over and guest star
on different shows.
If you could guest star on any TV show right now
what show would you pick?
- Handmaid's Tale, I think.
- I could totally see that, too.
Could totally see that.
- It's so good, so good!
- Maika Monroe.
When she finally stops,
you may be able to watch her in something else
like The Handmaid's Tale.
Thanks for coming in.
- Yeah, thank you.