Actor Alex Wolff says that the horror film Hereditary deeply affected him emotionally. Wolff originally got his start in the spotlight by starring with his older brother in the Nickelodeon series The Naked Brothers Band, which aired from 2007-2009. He would ultimately make big feature films in the form of Jumanji and its sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In between those films, in 2018, he starred in Ari Aster’s Hereditary.

The film follows Annie (Toni Collette) and her dysfunctional family after her mother passes away. However, the grandchildren (Wolff and Milly Shapiro) begin to uncover secrets about their grandmother that become increasingly terrifying. They attempt to escape the fate they inherited from her long ago. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and went on to become one of A24’s most successful features to date.

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In an exclusive interview with Looper, Wolff talked about his experience starring in Hereditary. He expressed how it had a deep emotional impact that he couldn’t shake. He suffered from loss of sleep, among other psychological effects. While Wolff acknowledged his privilege as an actor, he said that this particular film was incredibly difficult for him. See below for Wolff’s full statements:

“I’ll tell you that movie did about as much damage to me as a movie can do. It really affected me. 

“It’s very hard because as an actor, you really don’t want to sound pretentious or self-serious or like anything is too serious. Because we have a cushy job in a lot of ways, but this, emotionally, it was one of those tough ones, it was one of those ones that really did some gymnastics on my emotional well-being.”

Aster’s horror film received a D+ on an A to F scale by CinemaScore, although the movie garnered a very positive reception from critics. However, given that the film brought in a worldwide total of $80 million against a reported $10 million budget, the film clearly performed well. And, despite his difficult experience filming Hereditary, Wolff has continued to take on complex characters in thought-provoking films. Most recently, he starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s horror film Old. where his character finds himself on a beach that causes rapid aging, reducing the course of visitors’ lives to a single day. He also recently turned out his best performance yet in the genre-defying Pig alongside Nicolas Cage.

Hereditary offers a mix of horror and drama in a way that increases how disturbing the visuals can be. Coupled with Collette’s outstanding performance, the tension and unease continuously ramp up throughout the film. The climax of Hereditary is particularly shocking and its graphic nature sticks with the viewer. It’s understandable that putting oneself into such a distressing universe would have an impact, especially given how long film shoots typically are. Wolff certainly isn’t the first and won’t be the last actor to be emotionally affected by the films and televisions series that they star in. Still, it’s refreshing to hear actors talk openly about their mental health, especially when it comes to films that tend to stick with audiences as well.

Source: Looper

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Jeff Nelson
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Jeff Nelson is a news senior writer for Screen Rant and a film critic for DVD Talk. He has worked in areas of the entertainment industry including film criticism, content acquisitions, and research. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema & Television with an emphasis in Media Management and again in 2019 with a Master’s degree in Sociology. His passion for film began by watching Titanic on repeat as a child until the dual-VHS tapes wore out. While he still loves big Hollywood features, his movie taste expanded to independent filmmaking, foreign, and the horror genre. Each year, he looks forward to seeing the breakout films from the festival circuit. When he isn’t watching or writing about film, Jeff is discovering new music, playing video games, and seeking out unique bars and restaurants to try. Follow Jeff on Twitter @SirJeffNelson.

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