Interview: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods on ‘Heretic’
Fresh off their success with their screenplay for A Quiet Place, a surprise hit that ended up launching a successful franchise, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods return with Heretic, a sharp, unsettling exploration of faith and fear. Starring Hugh Grant as the enigmatic Mr. Reed, and Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as the Mormon missionaries looking to convert him, the film grapples with belief, doubt, and the seductive dangers of dogma.
For Beck and Woods, Heretic began with a universal question: what happens when we die? “We were excited about this fear that every human on planet Earth has,” says Woods. “It’s scary not knowing. Religion is an answer to that question, and we thought it would make a fascinating conversation.” Their discussions of religion and truth stemmed from a deeply personal place, as the duo has been examining these themes together since they were kids. “Scott and I have known each other since we were 11 years old,” explains Woods. “So we’ve kind of been discussing religion and cults, and we’ve been taking a religious journey ourselves throughout our lives. To translate that conversation into a movie was really exciting.”
Drawing on influences ranging from Robert Zemeckis’ Contact to the dialogue-driven work of David Mamet, Beck and Woods say they purposely crafted a narrative that was designed to provoke and unsettle. “Zemeckis being able to put this conversation about religion and the afterlife into a big blockbuster vessel was massively inspiring,” Beck notes. Meanwhile, Mamet’s polarizing writing informed the razor-sharp exchanges between characters, particularly those involving Mr. Reed. Beck describes moments where the audience might find themselves uncomfortably siding with the villain: “At times, you’re swinging the opposite direction, questioning why you’re siding with somebody that otherwise feels like a villain character.”
Casting was another meticulous process, particularly for the pivotal roles of the Mormon missionaries played by Thatcher and East. “Searching for Sophie and Chloe was a really long casting process,” Woods recalls. “A lot of terrific, brilliant actors in the business were raising their hands to play these roles, competing and fighting to chase these roles down. And so it was a thorough process. We left no stone unturned.” After auditioning many talented actors, they kept returning to Thatcher and East for their authenticity. “They felt specific and uniquely Mormon to us,” he says. “There was an authenticity that we recognized in their portrayals. They felt like they were speaking in the Mormon dialect that we that we’ve experienced when meeting with Mormon missionaries.” It wasn’t until later in the casting process that the filmmakers learned both actresses had been raised in Mormon families, adding more depth and authenticity to their performances.
And then there’s Grant. As Mr. Reed, Grant weaponizes decades of audience goodwill to deliver a performance that is both magnetic and menacing. “Hugh Grant is somebody who we’ve admired since we were kids, of course,” gushes Woods. “But in the last 10 years, his work, starting with Cloud Atlas, his work with Guy Ritchie, and all these interesting character roles that he’s done, he’s emerged as one of the great actors in cinema history, frankly. And we needed a unicorn to play Mr. Reed. Somebody who could weaponize their charm, be terrifying, and deliver monologue after monologue while keeping the audience riveted. That Venn diagram pointed to only one person: Hugh.”
For Beck and Woods, Heretic isn’t just a genre piece—it’s an invitation to think and talk about bigger questions. By blending theological inquiry with atmospheric dread, they’ve managed to create a story that challenges as much as it entertains. “Hopefully,” Beck says, “this movie inspires people to continue the conversation after they see it.”
Heretic will be released in theaters on November 8.
