Pop-Culturalist.com

Amanda Crew is one of the industry’s most prolific storytellers. She’s starred in critically-acclaimed projects including The Haunting in Connecticut, Final Destination 3, and The Age of Adaline. This January, she stars in the must-see horror film, There’s Something Wrong with the Children.

When Margaret (Alisha Wainwright) and Ben (Zach Gilford) take a weekend trip with longtime friends Ellie (Amanda Crew) and Thoma s (Carlos Santos) and their two young children (Briella Guiza and David Mattle), Ben begins to suspect something supernatural is occurring when the kids behave strangely after disappearing into the woods overnight.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Amanda about There’s Something Wrong with the Children, her love for horror, and more.

PC: Tell us about There’s Something Wrong with the Children and your character in the film.
Amanda: It’s a horror movie, shocker. It’s about two married couples who are longtime friends. They spend the weekend at this cabin. Carlos Santos and I play husband and wife. We have two kids that we bring to the cabin. The kids go off into the woods and something happens. Then they start acting a bit strange.

I play Ellie, who is a wife and mother, but what I love so much about her is that she’s not your stereotypical mother and wife. She’s in a messy stage of her life, and she’s trying to figure some things out. She’s very sloppy about it, which I love. The whole weekend, she’s like, “This is my time. Someone else can take care of them, watch them, and pay attention to them. I’m here for my wine and me time.” That was really fun to play.

PC: You’ve played so many powerful female characters throughout your life. Who were the women in your own life who shaped the storyteller that you are today?
Amanda: My mom, first and foremost. My mom is so inspiring. She came from nothing and worked hard to build something for herself. She really taught me the power of dedication, commitment, showing up, and being reliable and consistent. She’s a very structured person. She showed me that it was possible to dream big. She saw that in me. When I was younger, I was in dance. She was like, “You love to perform.” Not in a stage-mommy way. She made me wait to get an agent. She wanted to make sure that this was real. She found me acting classes to take recreationally to see if this was something that I wanted to do. Over time, she was like, “You can get an agent.” But she really saw that in me and made sure I was set up so that I had the opportunity. I wouldn’t have had this career if it wasn’t for my mom.

PC: There’s such fantastic chemistry that comes off the screen between the entire cast, specifically those four friends. How were you all able to build that bond and chemistry?
Amanda: I knew Zach Gilford because I’ve worked with him in the past, so I was really excited to work with him again. But Carlos Santos and Alisha Wainwright, I didn’t know personally going into this project. It’s always a gamble going into these things. We got really lucky with this group. We’re still in touch, which is a testament to the friendship we built. It was a really fun group. I felt very safe.

PC: The two actors who play your children are just getting started in this career. Did you share any words of wisdom with them about navigating this industry?
Amanda: Their parents are great. I had a lot of conversations with them. They’re navigating this in a really great way of, “Do this if you like it. We’re not going to force you to continue doing this.” I feel like that’s what I said at the end because they were so emotional at the end because it was so fun and then it was over. There was this devastation.

I’m always cautious when I am working with kids. You want to encourage them and celebrate their performances and what they’re doing but also make sure you’re celebrating other parts of them that have nothing to do with this. Because this is such a formative time where it’s easy for them to be like, “People really like me when I’m doing this thing, and I don’t get this attention when I’m doing other things.” Things can get cross-wired. That’s my approach when I’m working with kid actors. I’m always cautious and mindful.

PC: You shot this film in New Orleans which is often regarded as one of the most haunted cities in the US. How helpful was that environment and ambiance as you delved into this world?
Amanda: I’m now just remembering what happened in my hotel room when I first got there. It was a weird hotel and my lights were turned off. I’m into witchy stuff. I love tarot. It was the second or third night. I pulled out my tarot cards, and I was going to spread them across my bed. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back two cards were separated. I took a photo of it! I won’t share what the cards were because that’s personal, but it was a very clear message. I also had really, really vivid dreams while I was there. It was such a magical place. The culture and people are incredible. The crew was amazing. I love New Orleans. It’s a great city.

PC: You’re no stranger to horror. What is it about this genre that excites you as a creative and storyteller?
Amanda: There aren’t a lot of rules. We’re not beholden to check certain boxes. Even with my character, she’s fighting to not be your stereotypical mom. I feel like you’re not afforded that luxury in other genres. But horror, it’s like you can really push the boundaries. As an actor, that to me is so exciting because I don’t like to be put into a box. The most nuanced characters that I’ve gotten to play have been either in the horror or psychological-thriller genre. That’s what I’m usually attracted to: a character with depth.

PC: Similar to you, Roxanne [Benjamin] has had such a terrific track record with horror. What was it like getting to collaborate with her?
Amanda: I was so excited to get to work with Roxanne. I have a few friends who’ve gotten to work with her who said nothing but amazing things. It’s unfortunately still rare to work with female directors. I was really excited to work with her, and she did not disappoint. She came in with such a clear vision and knew what she wanted to do and was really good at communicating that. I felt like as an actor I really understood what we were doing. Whereas sometimes that’s not so clear and you can leave feeling like, “I think I’m doing the right thing? I’m not sure.” I never had that feeling on this set. You can really blossom and thrive in your role when you’re not doubting yourself. She has such a love for this genre. It’s so great to work with someone who eats, breathes, and sleeps this genre.

PC: You’re such a dynamic storyteller. What’s next for you? What’s left on your bucket list?
Amanda: I don’t know what’s next for me. There’s part of me that’s a control freak, but there’s also this desire not to know. I’m always at war with the two. It’s always best when I don’t know and I’m surprised.

I feel so fortunate to have had a career where I’ve gotten to play so many different kinds of characters in so many different genres. I hope to continue to do that. I’ve been doing this for almost twenty years, but I feel like the past four years I’ve evolved and changed so much. So I’m really excited. It feels like I’ve just begun because of this whole other part of me that’s starting to come out. I’m really excited to explore what acting feels like from this place.

To keep up with Amanda, follow her on Instagram. There’s Something Wrong with the Children is out now On Demand and Digital.

Photo Credit: Sela Shiloni