Launching her career in British TV shows like “Cold Feet,” “Doctors” and the cult-comedy hit “Mrs. Ratcliffe’s Revolution,” Brittany Ashworth has steadily expanded her acting portfolio. Her most recent Hollywood films include starring roles in the horror thriller ‘The Crucifixion,” the horror drama “Hostile,” and the crime thriller “Accident Man.”
In the critically acclaimed, award-winning indie “Hostile,” Ashworth is Juliette, one of few survivors in a global epidemic that has wiped out most of Earth’s population. Trapped in her overturned car, with a broken leg, in the middle of an unforgiving desert, Juliette faces the perils of a post-apocalyptic world and a strange creature on the prowl. In this one-on-one interview, Ashworth reveals the challenges and triumphs throughout her career and her thoughts about “Hostile.”
How old were you when you got the acting bug? Where you influenced by any particular film or actor?
Brittany Ashworth: I’ve been acting since I was 6 years old. I was performing in the local theater to a sold-out stage. I loved to dress up and pretend to be different people. I’ve been spoiled and feel like I’ve been performing forever. I enjoy storytelling and I studied at Oxford. I’ve always loved putting myself in a different place, a different world. My favorite actors are Meryl Streep and Andrea Riseborough. My favorite kinds of films would be English dramas like Fish Tank from filmmakers like Andrea Arnold.
You seem to be attracted to thrillers of one kind or another. What drew you to this film and the character of Juliette?
BA: I don’t think I’ve ever read a film that was so honest. It’s a film that deals with several parts of a character. The parts that deal with physical strength that hold a character together and the parts that are very real that deal the thrillers and horror. It goes to dark places, experiencing things like loss and mourning, which is what the supernatural is all about. It deals with all those traumatic things in one’s life. When I read the script, I said please let me play this character.
Did you audition for the role of Juliette? If so what was that like?
BA: I didn’t audition, actually. I had previously worked with the French director on the film “Crucifixion,” a very dark story. So the director said I’ve got this script with a fantastic female role.
“Hostile” is a tragic love story within a survivalist horror thriller. How did you prepare to constantly shift in an out of these two diverse yet intertwined characters?
BA: We shot the film in three different locations intermixed chronologically. One was to fill out Juliette’s backstory, which explains how she got to this particular place in her life. In New York, Juliette is a hustler, but she’s quite alone and we explore her love story. We shot that part of her life first. Then we shot her love story in Paris. Then came the survival scenes in this very barren part of the Moroccan desert. We shot 12 to 14 hour days. It was hot and really physically demanding. The guy who played the cannibal is military trained. So there was a lot of physical and mental preparation.
You were trapped in an upside-down vehicle in the desert—day and night. What was that like?
BA: That was the day I was a bit terrified. It wasn’t in the script. Instead of a van, it was this old car. The part of the desert where we shot was very high up where one would be prone to altitude sickness. It was cold and windy. But as an actor, it gives you plenty to work with. It was also very creepy and dark at night. You could only see as far as the car’s headlights. And you’re in the land of scorpions.
What did you find most challenging being in this film?
BA: There’s the weight and responsibility of playing someone who has a lot of dramatic things happening to her. It was both physically and mentally challenging. I felt quite blue after filming, having to portray what Juliette had experienced. And it was an independent film, so every day there’s something that doesn’t quite follow the plan. But each day was fun and new and challenging. The last scene was shot at sunrise and we only had 15 minutes to get it done.
How are you like Juliette and how are you different?
BA: One of the really interesting aspects of her character is that she really thinks she’s independent. As for me, I’m not as strong as she is. She’s very able to internalize everything. But I need people around me. I wish I were more like Juliette. She’s really cool.
What do you see as the core message in “Hostile”?
BA: Good Question. The ending is deliberately ambiguous. Whether they end up together or not. But I think the message here is to savor living in the moment. And make yourself vulnerable for other people. There’s a time for strength and a time to let people in. She doesn’t let people in until she realizes it’s almost too late.
How would you compare working on British TV with working on films in Hollywood?
BA: My experience in Hollywood is one of affection. This film had a French director, so it had a particularly European feel. In TV, everything has to be done very quickly. You’re in a studio with a tight schedule. In independent films, you start the day and it seems like it never ends. In filming “Hostile,” there was an evening where the cameras stopped working.
What’s next for you? More thrillers? A comedy?
BA: After “Hostile,” I want to do something that challenges me in a different way. My next project, which hasn’t been announced yet, will be a historical period piece. I’m also in a comic thriller called “Accident Man” with Ashley Greene and Ray Stevenson. And that one’s a bit lighter. But I love thrillers.
Check out the trailer for “Hostile.”
