Exclusive Interview: Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner Talk Fall

Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner are the stars of the must-see new film, Fall.

For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fueled thriller costarring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Grace and Virginia about Fall, bringing the nuances of their characters to life, and more.

PC: You’ve both done it all throughout your careers. What was it about Fall and these characters that attracted you to this project?
Grace: The physicality of it got me really excited, especially when I was reading through the script and imagining how much was going to be involved and how much was going to be required of me both emotionally and physically. All I wanted to do was talk to Scott [Mann], our director. I wanted to ask, “Are we going to do this practically or am I going to be on a soundstage?” He wanted to do it practically, which only made me want to do it more because that’s the dream of an actor: to be challenged and in an immersive experience.

Virginia: I would say the same. It was the most physically challenging project I’ve ever been a part of. Emotionally challenging as well. You really had to get past your own fears. We were shooting a hundred feet up, and there were so many mental blocks to get past. I was really excited by the challenge. Reading the script, my palms were sweating. I was terrified. I kept thinking, “If I’m having this kind of physical reaction now, what’s going to happen when people see this thing? It’s going to be so exciting.”

PC: There are so many twists and turns within this film. What were both of your initial reactions when you read that first scene and the twist that happens later on in the film?
Grace: The script itself really had me on the edge of my seat. The betrayal element was really compelling to me. I was excited to play the dynamics of the relationships, which had so much trust but also the experience of loss not once but twice in the film with the betrayal. I thought that was a really, really exciting thing to play as an actor.

Virginia: I completely agree. It was fun to create this larger-than-life, thrill-seeking YouTuber persona. In some ways, it’s a commentary on social media. It was very fun to create this character that had developed this big persona for her following, her Instagram, and her life. Then they get up there and it’s just the two of them. There are no fans. There’s nothing to hide behind. It’s her and her friend in survival mode. To strip this character of her big personality and have her have to be herself for the first time in a long time was a fun arc to explore.

PC: Grace, your character is dealing with so much grief in her life, and you handle that with so much nuance. As an actor, how did you create this space for yourself to dive into that arc?
Grace: That’s so kind. Thank you. I think so much of it was talking to Scott and trying to be mindful and protect Becky and how I played her because she’s in such a place of self-doubt. That can be annoying to witness sometimes when people are constantly saying, “I can’t do this. I can’t.” We didn’t want Becky to come off annoying. We were really trying to have her be sympathetic and to share the truth of it and her vulnerability. I felt really sad for Becky. I felt a lot of empathy and sadness for her. She’s been through a lot. It’s horrific.

PC: Ginny, like you were saying, your character is this YouTube personality/social media influencer who has to be larger than life. You do such a fantastic job keeping her grounded. How challenging was it to find that balance? What was that process like?
Virginia: I wanted to find a balance so as to not make her so big and, for lack of a better word, obnoxious that you lose people from the beginning. She had to be forgivable a bit. She couldn’t be so big. There was a very fine line to walk to keep her grounded and likable so that you’re still rooting for her. There is an element of betrayal. It was important that Grace and I had such strong chemistry. You had to believe we were friends. You still root for the two of them together and you still root for their friendship.

Grace: I remember Scott and I talking about finding and casting his Hunter. I had to read with some other actresses. He and I were both talking about how Ginny found such a beautiful line for this larger-than-life personality who didn’t come off as ingenuine. Because a lot of the time when you’re going for that larger-than-life personality, the actor struggles with those more genuine scenes. It doesn’t feel right. It feels insincere. But not with Ginny.

PC: Scott and Jonathan [Frank] set out to make this ultimate fear of heights movie, which they’ve undoubtedly done. What was your relationship with heights before this film, and did it change as a result of being a part of this project?
Virginia: I had no fear of heights before this film. I understood that some people did, but it never bugged me. After having been dropped off a 100-foot tower several times and knowing how it feels to actually fall, I absolutely have a fear of heights now. I never had one before filming. Post filming, I’m like, “I don’t think I can be up that high ever again. I’m good.”

Grace: I don’t have a massive fear of heights. My experience with heights was more from climbing gyms. I know that feeling when you’re up high and your arms are tired. You have to depend on your arms a lot when you’re claiming and your harness. I’m like, “I’m pretty high up here. My arms are getting tired. My hands are going to go like this and I’m going to fall.” I knew that about myself, but the biggest thing when we were shooting was trusting the harnesses and the wires, and how all the stunts worked and the mechanics behind it helped me with the height elements for sure. Also, trusting the professionals we were surrounded with was really big.

Make sure to follow Grace (Instagram) and Virginia (Twitter/Instagram). Catch Fall in theaters today.