Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Voyeurs’ Sydney Sweeney & Michael Mohan

In Amazon Prime’s The Voyeurs, nothing is as it seems. Written and directed by Michael Mohan, the erotic thriller will have audiences on the edge of their seats, wondering whether or not it’s okay to watch.

After moving into a beautiful apartment, a young couple (Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith) find themselves becoming increasingly interested in the lives of their eccentric neighbors across the street (Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo). What starts out as an innocent curiosity slowly turns into an unhealthy obsession, after they discover one of their neighbors is cheating on the other. Temptation and desire cause their lives to become tangled together in unexpected ways, leading to deadly consequences.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Sydney and Michael about The Voyeurs, reuniting and collaborating on the film, and bringing back the erotic thriller genre.

PC: Michael, you’re bringing back erotic thrillers with this film. Why do you think it’s been so long since we’ve seen a project like this? Why do you think the industry hasn’t embraced the genre?
Michael: That’s a really good question. It’s a total mystery to me. When you talk about erotic thrillers, that might conjure different things to different people, right? You might think of a film like Body Heat or Wild Things. I would call those a sweaty neo-noir. Or you might think of The Nanny from Hell or The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.

But our film is what I call a steamy moral dilemma, think of Unfaithful or Indecent Proposal. Those films are so controversial because the problems the characters face have problematic answers, like would you sleep with Robert Redford for a million bucks? What I love about this is that you’re going to have a strong opinion on what the character should or should not do, and the person next to you is going to have a completely different opinion. You get to have this debate afterwards that is almost like revealing parts of yourself to your friends. Our hope is that The Voyeurs is part of that tradition where people just don’t feel like they want to miss out on the conversation that happens afterwards.

PC: Sydney, you’ve done it all in your career. What was it about this particular project and character that stood out to you?
Sydney: Well, one, I really wanted to work with Michael again. It was this full circle family reunion getting to work with him again. When I read the script, my jaw kept hitting the floor because there are so many moments that you don’t expect. Like Michael said, you have an idea and expectation of what you think the characters should do. I kept thinking, “Pippa is going to do this,” and I kept being blown away by her choices. I love a character that is exciting and different. I love the story that she was telling: is it okay to watch? I thought that was a complex idea that Michael dove into.

PC: There is so much trust that’s involved in a project like this. Sydney, how were you able to build that relationship with the rest of the cast?
Sydney: Michael creates such a beautiful environment where it feels organic, freeing, and safe to have relationships with the cast, crew, and everyone that you’re working with. We all lived together in this hotel and became best friends. We had working sessions together, and we hit it off.

Michael: A big part of it is casting really nice, cool, down-to-earth people, which all four of them are. They’re awesome.

PC: Michael, it’s been a six-year journey to the screen. What has it meant to you to finally have this come out? What do you hope audiences take away after seeing it?
Michael: I’m still a little in denial that it’s happening because we were editing the film through COVID. Then, we got shut down. Then, we came back, and it just feels surreal right now. But when I think about the themes of the film, I always go back to this notion that the grass is always greener. Even if we’re in a committed relationship, we’re always wondering whether or not what’s in front of us is the best possible thing for us.

In the last ten years, it’s gotten worse with Instagram. You now have this app where you can stare into the windows of other people’s lives. Even though we know that what we’re looking at has been Facetuned and filtered to present this completely unattainable non-reality, it still makes ourselves feel dissatisfied by comparison.

What I hope with this film is that A, it’s an allegory—you can watch it with that lens if you want, but it’s still a fun ride, even if you’re not paying attention to it. B, you get to see our characters go through that window, and they look around, they sneak into a Halloween party, and drink all their booze and look in corners. What they see is that beyond the image of this pristine, artistic, successful couple is actually quite broken and sad.

PC: Sydney, you and your character take audiences on an emotional roller coaster throughout this film. How did you prepare to tackle her journey? Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Sydney: I build these character books, and I built a very vast book for Pippa. Michael and I worked on it together. We built her world out so during this entire process, everything that affected Pippa would affect me the way that it would affect her. I didn’t really have to necessarily think about it; it would be natural because I knew this character so well.

I don’t know which scene I’m most excited about. There’s a bit of Pippa that I was able to bring Syd into—Mike definitely saw that. I’m really excited for the audience to see my goofy side through Pippa.

Michael: People don’t know that Syd is actually a secret nerd.

Sydney: I love it. I think weirdly enough, that’s what I’m most excited for.

Make sure to follow Sydney (Twitter/Instagram) and Michael (Twitter/Instagram). Watch The Voyeurs on Amazon Prime today.