Interview: Elizabeth Debicki and Kevin Bacon on ‘MaXXXine’
MaXXXine, the latest entry in Ti West‘s X series, is set in 1980s Hollywood and follows adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), who finally gets her big break following years of attempting to cross over into the mainstream. Cast alongside actress Molly Bennett (Lily Collins) in The Puritan II, a highly-anticipated sequel to a cult classic B-horror movie, Maxine thinks she’s finally found her big Hollywood moment. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, including her friends and loved ones, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
In addition to Goth, who reprises her role from X, the film also stars Elizabeth Debicki and Kevin Bacon, both of whom almost steal the film with fantastic performances as Elizabeth Bender, the acclaimed director of The Puritan II, and John Labat, a private investigator hot on Maxine’s trail, respectively. As Elizabeth Bender, Debicki all but chews the scenery, delivering an instantly iconic performance as a demanding, high maintenance director who aims to make a “B movie with A ideas.” Asked if she based her performance on any specific directors she may or may not have worked with, Debicki replies in the negative.
“I think she’s a blend of all the kind of good bits of directors that I know,” she elaborates. “I think sometimes when she opens her mouth, she’s a little bit of Ti [West, director of Maxxxine] speaking about using how to use this genre to kind of make work that people sit up and listen to and watch but no, [I didn’t base the performance on a specific director]. I think there was some degree of catharsis moving through me playing her because as an actor, it’s not that you’re at the bottom of the food chain, but you don’t have a lot of power on that often. So it was nice to pretend to be sort of powerful, but ultimately, it’s a fake director so I had all the power and none of the responsibility.”
Debicki plays an established woman director in the ’80s, an era which saw the rise of women directors such as Martha Coolidge, Penny Marshall and Amy Heckerling, all who made a splash with acclaimed and successful studio films. However, despite the steady emergence of films directed by women throughout the decade, Bacon, who regularly worked as a popular actor in the ’80s, says it was incredibly rare for up-and-coming actors to find work with women directors in the era, especially within the horror space. “Something struck me last night when I was talking to my family about [Debicki] in the movie,” he says. “I was there in 1985 making movies and I swear to God, I can’t remember a single female director. It took me about 30 years or more before there was a female that I worked with. We still have a lot farther to go but I will say that in the last few years, I’ve worked with multiple female directors so that is hopefully a step in the right direction, because that wouldn’t happen in 1985.”
Bacon’s John Labat is a private investigator who is hired to look into Maxine’s past and her potential involvement in the murders, leaving no stone unturned in his search for answers. Bacon’s charismatic performance brings to mind the dark, gritty crime thrillers of the ’80s, such as Michael Mann‘s stylish Manhunter and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. However, Bacon says he didn’t base his performance on any specific character or film, but rather real private investigators of the era.
“I will say that I really don’t look at films in order to build characters,” he explains. “I love films. I’m a huge consumer of movies. I like to go to the theater to see movies. I grew up a fan of movies. But when it comes to building a character, looking at another actor’s performance has never been helpful to me. I would look at a documentary. I went onto YouTube and looked up New Orleans policeman, New Orleans private eyes, Louisiana politicians, things like that. I find that fun and inspirational, but in terms of other performances, if there’s ever any similarities, it’s not because I’m trying [to copy a specific performance]; someone may have filtered their way into my consciousness.”
Despite her involvement in the film – her first time ever starring in a horror movie – Debicki says she tries to stay away from horror films – not out of a lack of love for the genre but because “it does what it says on the tin and it scares me.”
“I’m a wuss so if I were to watch a really scary movie, then when I have to go and pee, I have to get someone to come with me because I’m scared,” she laughs. “So that’s a hazard, which is why I avoid them. But what I’ve always been able to see in horror is that it creates amazing performance opportunities for actors. Sometimes, people’s work that really puts them on a map as an actor is within this genre. I think of an actress I really adore, Essie Davis, who did a film called The Babadook. I’ve known Essie as an incredible actress for a long time, but suddenly, because horror is so readily consumed by people and she did incredible work in that piece, it puts her on the map and gives her a lot of opportunities as an actress. I know that [the horror genre] can do that for people. I really respect people’s work in horror because as an actor, you’re working so hard to create that performance, and so even though I don’t seek it out, I have watched quite a few [horror films] and scared myself.” There is, however, one subgenre she refuses to put herself through. “I don’t like gory things,” she says. “I can’t watch gore. I cannot do it. There are bits of Maxxxine that I watched [covering my eyes.] I still don’t know what happened!”
A veteran of the genre – he previously appeared in the iconic Friday the 13th in addition to beloved classics like Tremors and Stir of Echoes – Bacon names Takashi Miike‘s extremely gorey Audition as a horror favorite of his. In fact, he loved the film so much, he attempted to get the ball rolling on an English-remake of the film, which has become a cult classic since its release in 1999. “I really tried for a lot of years to to do an American version of it,” he says. “We never really got it together. It was difficult for a lot of reasons. I was close [to making it] but we didn’t get it all the way. But that is a great movie. It would scare the shit out of [Debicki], who, by the way, would be amazing in it.” Debicki, who has, unsurprisingly, not seen the film, says she would be interested. “I’m gonna call my agent right now!”
MaXXXine will be released in theaters on Friday, July 5.
Ahmad W.
Aspiring critic and poster designer.