Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Phobias’ Alexis Knapp

Alexis Knapp has been delivering pitch-perfect performances for over a decade. Her latest project, Phobias, is no different.

The horror-thriller follows five dangerous patients who are suffering from extreme phobias at a government testing facility. They’re put to the ultimate test under the supervision of a crazed doctor and his quest to weaponize fear. The groundbreaking film features five different filmmakers who each bring one phobia to life.

Alexis’ character, Lia, is involved in the atelophobia storyline, which is the fear of imperfection.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Alexis about Phobias and collaborating with longtime friend Maurice Fadida. Plus, we learned about an exciting new chapter in Alexis’ career and chatted about a potential Pitch Perfect 4!

PC: Tell us about Phobias and your character in the film.
Alexis: Phobias is a film that’s uncovering multiple areas of fear and how people have these really intense, sometimes irrational fears. Each fear is directed by a different filmmaker. It’s very unique in that way; I don’t know any other movie that’s ever done this. It could easily have felt like different movies in one, but it doesn’t. It’s a rollercoaster.

My character is Lia. She’s one of the few architects that works under Macy Gray’s character. I’m in her segment.

PC: Maurice Fadida, one of the producers, reached out to you about joining this project. The two of you have been wanting to work together for a long time. How did it all come together on Phobias?
Alexis: Yes! That’s all true. Maurice has been a friend of mine for years. He wanted to get into producing and different aspects of the business. I would bring him to events and premieres—that really helps somebody get an in, in the industry. We always wanted to work together. When he started producing, I was exploring worlds outside of Hollywood. There were some other aspects of my existence that needed some exploration, so we didn’t align for a long time. He’d be like, “Alexis, let’s do something together.” I was like, “No, no, no.” [laughs] I was taking a break at the time.

I was finishing up this apprenticeship for bodywork. It’s very weird and random, I know. I’m not a masseuse or anything, but I wanted to learn for myself. I wanted to know how to do therapy called neural muscle release. I had just finished that apprenticeship when Maurice called me up. He begged me to fill in for this character, Lia, because someone had dropped out last time. I was like, “What’s this about? Send me the script.”

I was actually in Sweden at the time when he called, so I didn’t have very much time to read the script and decide. He gave me the lowdown and told me Erykah Badu is in it. She didn’t stay on—Macy actually replaced her, but it was the same equivalent of awesomeness. I was like, “Oh my God. I’ll be there.” I didn’t even know Hana Mae [Lee] was going to be a part of the film.

I showed up and I was like, “Oh my God. Hana!” It’s so nice when you know somebody on set. That feeling is the best. You’re going into this foreign environment. Every single film is a completely new universe, but it felt so cozy with Hana there.

PC: I love that. Like you were saying earlier, this is a groundbreaking way to filmmaking. Did that bring any pressure?
Alexis: It did, but more so for the directors. The pressures were high, for sure. There wasn’t a ton of time on set to nilly around or play; it was a super tight schedule, so that brought pressure. Good question!

PC: The filmmakers intentionally chose five phobias that aren’t really known. Is there one that you connected with or what is your biggest fear?
Alexis: Oh yeah, I didn’t connect with any of the phobias in the film. There’s one that’s close to agoraphobia, which I can relate to. It’s the fear of leaving your house, the fear of leaving your safety zone. I remember when I first started getting a little traction in my career, I became agoraphobic because of the paparazzi. I couldn’t handle other people treating me like anything other than a person. Being famous, being photographed, people wanting to talk to me in that way really weirded me out for a long time. I couldn’t handle it. I always felt embarrassed, and I didn’t feel worthy. It was a whole lot of things. I went down a rabbit hole.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, the film finds you reuniting with your Pitch Perfect co-star. While you and Hana don’t have any scenes together [in the film], we have to ask, are there any hopes for a Pitch Perfect 4?
Alexis: I freaking hope so! Nobody has told me anything, but how could they not when so many people want it? The third film didn’t do as well as the first and second—I think they may be afraid that there aren’t enough people who want the franchise to return. You know what I mean? But we have diehard fans and they’re keeping us afloat. That’s why people are still talking about it. But will it be enough to get another installment? I don’t know.

I assume that’s how they’re thinking. I’m writing and producing now, and that’s how I would think. [laughs]

PC: Fingers crossed for a fourth film! With Phobias out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Alexis: I hope that audiences see the film as a wake-up call. There are so many different manifestations of fear. Everyone has their own fears. I hope it encourages them to stand up and face their fears because we don’t grow unless we face them—that’s just fact. I hope it inspires people to face their fears.

PC: Final question for you! In addition to acting, you’re also writing and producing. Is there anything fans can expect on the writing/producing front?
Alexis: I have a lot of different ideas that are skeletal right now. [laughs] They’re not complete scripts yet. When something is fully moving, I’ll definitely talk all about it. I can’t wait. This is a whole new world to me. It’s been a long time coming. Unfortunately, I’m pretty precious about my art and ideas—I’m actually a perfectionist. I know how detrimental that is because you hold onto your stuff and you don’t complete it because of the fear of it not being perfect. It sucks.

One of my goals this year is to complete my pitch and start my documentary travel series. Another goal is to complete and have my first screenplay in production. I would be one of the leads and it’s actually in the horror genre. I love horror, so it makes sense that I do it as my first.

I have all of these different genres that I want to explore. The human condition is a complex place. I can’t wait to make stuff that has a deeper meaning to entertain people.

To keep up with Alexis, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Phobias is out On Demand and on Digital.