Exclusive Interview: Jane Widdop Talks It’s a Wonderful Knife, Bringing Their Lived Experiences to Their Character, and More

Jane Widdop is an award-winning storyteller best known for the dynamic characters and nuanced performances brought to life in projects such as Angie: Lost Girls, Yellowjackets, and Truth Be Told. Their next feature has Jane in the lead role as Winnie Carruthers in It’s a Wonderful Knife, a holiday slasher destined to become an instant classic.

A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie’s life is anything but wonderful. When she wishes she had never been born, she finds herself in a nightmare parallel universe and discovers that without her, things could be much, much worse. Now, the killer is back, and she must team up with the town misfit to identify the killer and return to her own reality.

Pop Culturalist was fortunate enough to speak with Jane about It’s a Wonderful Knife, how they brought their lived experiences into shaping their character, and more.

PC: You were on a shortlist of actors that Tyler [MacIntyre] wanted for the role of Winnie. Did you know that heading into the project? What was it about this script and character that resonated with you?
Jane: Honestly, I didn’t. I did receive an email asking if I’d be interested in this project. It wasn’t a formal audition. It was like, “We’re going to send you the script and see if you’re interested in it.” That’s never happened to me before, so that was immediately very cool to me. I’m such a huge fan of Michael Kennedy. I loved Freaky. So seeing that it was written by him, I was like, “Okay.” Then as soon as I started reading the script, the first description that we get of Winnie is a teenage girl and all these things, but it also said there’s an air of loneliness to her. I took that and ran with it.

In high school and middle school, I was part of the popular kids, the theater kids, the jocks, and all these different social circles, but I never felt like I was truly in any of them. I just drifted. I feel like a lot of queer people can relate to that and not knowing what their identity is, especially when they’re that young. So I really appreciated that part of her description and I related to that. I took that from what I had experienced and brought that to Winnie.

PC: Tyler has been really complimentary about the fact that you helped shape this character, and you were one of his top choices. What was that process like getting to work with him and take what you saw on the page and make her your own?
Jane: The thing that I really appreciated about Tyler is that he would much rather have a conversation with an actor as opposed to seeing a scene play out in front of him. So I sent an audition to him, and then he wanted to have a meeting over Zoom. It was really cool to talk to this person and be able to pick their brain about the project, even before I booked it. But I just loved the project so much. For the audition, I wrote out an entire timeline on my iPad, and I was on a flight at the time. I’m sure the person next to me was like, “That’s a little crazy and extreme.” But I just fell in love with it. Also, Tyler has such a beautiful mind. There’s about a million things going on in his head at once, and it’s cool to be able to see his process, see the way that he works, and be able to pick his brain. I was always able to be like, “Do you think this choice works? How are we going to film this? What do I need to know going into this?”

Then I had a session with Jess [McLeod] and Tyler. That really helped dictate where we wanted to take that relationship. Tyler is just so collaborative, and the same can be said about Michael. I really love that, and they were so receptive to my questions and made sure if I had an idea that I wanted to put into the character or script, they would do their best to do that.

PC: Winnie is haunted by the events that happened a year ago, and she’s dealing with a lot of grief in her life, which you brought so much nuance to. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that vulnerability that ultimately turns into strength throughout the film?
Jane: Sometimes you have to go where you don’t want to go, and sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes you’re like, “Oh, I did need to look at that and I needed to be able to process that.” That’s what I love about my job. Sometimes I will process things at work that I’m like, “Whoa, I didn’t even realize that I was processing that and look, it happened.” Doing these up and downs emotions is something that I love. I love the dark and twisty stuff. I love that as an actor; I’m able to do that. There are some days where you want to cry at work, but you can’t because you’re at work. I get to do that because it’s part of my work. [laughs] But it’s really fun to be able to go into that dark and moody headspace at times. I have playlists that I set up. I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers and horror films. It’s easy for me to dive into that space. [laughs]

PC: Throughout the film, your character realizes the impact she’s had on those around her. Who were the people in your own life who have shaped the storyteller that you are today?
Jane: Definitely my family and my best friend. I have an older sister. She’s like Winnie’s Jimmy (played by Aiden Howard). That scene in which I figure out that Jimmy’s not here anymore, I really thought about my sister and how that would be the hardest thing if I lost her. It’s kind of sad thinking about it now and how I was able to use her for that, but I’m so grateful for her. But having a similar support system like Winnie has really helped me in terms of getting into this role.

PC: Like you were saying earlier that chemistry between you and Jess is imperative in bringing that dynamic between Winnie and Bernie to life. How were the two of you able to build that bond?
Jane: Honestly, it was there from day one. We didn’t expect it to be anything. It was written as a friendship. It wasn’t supposed to be anything, but as soon as we had the first director session with Tyler and we started doing these scenes, we realized that we did have a lot of chemistry. It’s funny because Jess and Jane don’t have chemistry, but Winnie and Bernie had a lot of chemistry. It’s one of those movie magic things.

After that first director’s session, we were both thinking about it in our heads, but we didn’t want to queer bait, but we wanted to be able to show an authentic version of what we’ve lived through too in our own personal experiences. Then we brought it up to Michael and Tyler, and they were fully on board. They were like, “How can we make it gayer? Let’s go.” That was really fun to be able to do and develop this little love story in the center of it. I can’t even imagine it not being there now. That was really cool. Jess is fantastic, and I loved doing scenes with them. They’re such a great scene partner, and that’s also where that chemistry comes from. It’s about having that really great scene partner because you never know. It always depends on personalities and everything.

PC: You also shared on social media how special this project has been for you. When you look back, what will you remember the most? Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
Jane: I’ll probably remember how accepted I felt as a queer person. That’s such a beautiful thing. Every actor had their pronouns listed. Their characters had their pronouns listed on the call sheet. Our call sheet also had pronoun etiquette; how to speak to somebody, what to say. I’ve never had that before and that was incredible, and that’s our production team.

Favorite behind-the-scenes moment? It’s probably when I light the angel on fire with the jumper cables. We were supposed to have practical effects where the sparks would fly, but actually in the shot, we weren’t going to put them in post. It was the last scene of the day, and it was one of the last filming days, and I went to do it, and they were like, “Sparks will go off.” But nothing happened. They were like, “We’re going to reset it and we’ll try it again.” Keep in mind that it was rigged throughout my jacket and there was a button that I had to press. I did it again and not a single spark happened. We tried it one more time before we gave up. They were like, “We’ll add it in post.” It’s just one of those things that you have to laugh about.

PC: What’s so brilliant about this project is that it plays in all these different genres. It’s a slasher film with a lot of heart and humor. When it comes out, is there a scene in particular that you’re excited for audiences to see? What do you hope they take away?
Jane: I hope that they take away the fact that this film really helps you see what it would be like to walk in another person’s shoes. I love that about the film. My favorite scene is probably the theater scene when we’re watching a film because it’s so cute, and that’s when you see the sparks flying.

I also love that scene because I’ve actually seen the film a few times in theaters and I saw it with my girlfriend this past time. During that scene, she was like, “You’re sitting in a theater right now watching a film.” It’s very meta for her. I find that so funny. When I sit in a theater and I see that scene now, it’s so meta. I didn’t even think about that.

To keep up with Jane, follow them on Twitter and Instagram. It’s a Wonderful Knife will be released on Shudder on AMC+ and Everywhere you Rent Movies on December 1, 2023.

Photo Credit: RLJE Films and Shudder