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Isabel Cueva and Douglas Tait are the creative duo behind the edge-of-your-seat horror-thriller, Angel Baby.

Val (Isabel Cueva), a loving wife, and her husband Justin (Dan Thiel), move to a remote cabin to heal from the sudden death of their unborn twins and to get a fresh start. Soon, she senses an evil presence. After her best friend (Whitney Anderson) comes to check on her mental health, dark secrets begin to unravel. Val meets a mysterious neighbor (Chris Browning) and starts searching for the truth. With the help of the local bar owner (Rebecca DeMornay), she gains the strength she needs to face what is tormenting her peace.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of interviewing Isabel and Douglas regarding Angel Baby, delving into their roles both in front of and behind the camera for the project, their commitment to creating opportunities for talented individuals, and more.

PC: Isabel, this film keeps audiences guessing until the very end. When you think you know the direction in which it’s heading, it’s that final reveal that’s so shocking and devastating. Without giving any spoilers, what was your initial reaction when you read that for the first time? What was it about this character and story that resonated with you and made you also want to produce it?
Isabel: Well, Douglas had a cabin that his dad owned an hour and fifteen minutes from where we live. We had this desire to get a project made. I have other bigger projects that need over $10 million to get made. It was about finding a script that we could shoot that didn’t require a massive budget. That inspired the search.

I started talking to writer friends and asked, “Do you have a script that takes place in one or two locations?” I reached out to my friend Elisa Manzini, who had cast me in her pilot called Hollywood Angels as a series regular. So, I knew her. She said, “I have a script. I have a script.”

So, I read it, and it was a horror film. I thought, “I like the characters and I like the story.” I talked to Doug about it. We’re more thriller-driven, so we wanted it to have more of those elements. So, we optioned it. We said to Elisa, “Do you mind if we turn it into more of a thriller? But we love the story and the characters, and that’s what we did.” That’s what inspired me to say, “Let’s do this.”

Douglas wanted to make a movie as a director as well. I’ve always loved the little movies that he showed me that he made as a kid and as a young adult. I was fascinated by them. They were so hilarious and entertaining, and most of them were horror. I said to him, “I think it’s time for you to direct because he’s always wanted to do it.

PC: It’s quite the debut. Douglas, one of the most fascinating things about horror is that you can convey so many universal themes in such an understated way. You’re no stranger to this genre. What is it about horror that excites you as a creative and storyteller?
Douglas: Sometimes with a career, you can’t pick where you’re going to get cast. A lot of the stuff that I’ve been cast in has been horror, but it’s not necessarily the genre that I’m most passionate about. Like she said, with this film, working in this space, I definitely enjoy, but it’s not my favorite genre. It was one of those things where we had this cabin and a script, and we ran with it.

PC: It’s gripping to watch. Isabel, your character is dealing with so much grief in her life after losing her stillborn twins. You brought so much depth and nuance to that journey. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to tackle that vulnerable place that we find your character?
Isabel: Thank you so much. I’m a mother of three kids. That’s the deepest love that exists. Just talking about them makes me emotional. I love my kids so much. That helped create the space because you feel that loss instantly. I can’t even go to that place of what I would do if I lost one of them. I didn’t even have to go to that place because I’d be crying so much in the scene like I’m doing now.

I feel like I’m a super loving person. Being a kid of a Mexican family, you got me, just talking about my family and how much love they’ve given me, it gives you the space to love and feel loss in such a great way. When you’re taught to love so deeply, and you’ve been given that love by your parents, you live in that space. I’m so grateful for my parents.

My family is my inspiration. They give you everything you need to bring to your craft. They’re the ones that gave me that vulnerability and the emotions. My parents are such open hearts, as is my family. What more do you need to be an actress, just to open your heart and be vulnerable in different roles? I hope that I conveyed that and people can feel this story through my work.

It’s also emotional because being a mom, I took so much time just to be a full-time parent for them and give them that love. I hadn’t really been working full-time in my career until now. This piece means so much to be because I’m finally in my work full-time. I hope that you guys will enjoy many more movies with me to come.

PC: You brought that love to your performance in this. Douglas, this is your directorial debut. Congratulations, by the way. As the director, how do you create the space on set where your actors do feel comfortable to go to those vulnerable places? Is there a different shorthand that’s developed because you do have experience in front of the camera as well?
Douglas: That was the biggest thing as a new director. Even though I’ve been in this business for thirty years, a lot of the technical stuff with the cameras and lenses I may not have known, but the one thing I did know was acting. I know from working with actor-directors that they give that space. That’s what I was able to offer. Everybody has a different process, but with acting, I knew how to speak with the actors and get the performances that I wanted. It wasn’t like I had to do a lot because everybody that was in the cast was amazing. It was a little adjustment here and there to get them to do something a little different. That was all they needed. I learned so much from doing it, but the acting side was the one thing that I felt the most confident in as I was getting ready to direct.

Isabel: We were friends with Dan Thiel, Whitney Anderson, Chris Browning, and Daniel Roebuck. We knew everyone except Rebecca De Mornay. Dan and Whitney, we met in acting classes fifteen, sixteen years ago. We knew what they could do. We were so happy that they ended up in the roles. We initially had offered these roles, especially Whitney’s, to A-listers. But sometimes you can’t wait for the A-lister to give you an answer when you’re already set for production, and their manager or agent is taking too long to say yes or no. You have to go with the best person that you know can deliver and you’ll have an amazing experience with.

PC: Isabel, similar to Douglas, you’re also a multifaceted talent. How have your experiences behind the camera impacted the way that you approach your work on screen and interpret characters and scripts like Angel Baby?
Isabel: Even when I was a little girl, I always knew inside my heart that I was going to be an actress, a writer, a director, and a producer. I love that there’s so much of that now because my parents being immigrants, they gave me that freedom. They were like, “You’re here. You can do whatever you want in life. God’s the only one that can stop you.” I’ve had that drive in me since I was a little girl.

Growing up, I tell this story to my kids, in the last twenty years, I’m sure you remember, people would be critical of people who could do more than one thing. There weren’t a lot of actors who were writing, directing, and producing, especially women. Clint Eastwood was one of them. I was always in awe of him. I was like, “I want to be like Clint Eastwood.” Someone who could do more than one thing and be a master of it.

It’s been great to see in the last ten, fifteen years, it’s starting to open up. We have more people like Ben Affleck and Salma Hayek who are starting to write and produce their own films. I started to research people who have been so successful in this industry and saw that Halle Berry produced Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which shot her to stardom. You start seeing that so many were doing it so long ago, and that’s so rewarding. You have confidence, but you also want to show and give that to the young people who are poor and all they have is their dreams. I wanted to show them that they can be great at whatever they want and they can be great at more than one thing. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be multitalented and be amazing doing more than one thing. That’s the message that I hope they see through my example. You can be great at more than one thing.

It feels so great to do more than one thing. Like on this movie, I love that I produced it as well because I could hire who deserves to be hired. I could give opportunities to those I know who need to be in the light. I’ve seen Douglas’ work. When you see an actor who’s struggled for ten, twenty, thirty years and are able to give a voice to talented people, that’s so rewarding. To see my friends Dan Thiel, Whitney Anderson, and Chris Browning and their beautiful work out there makes your whole decade.

PC: Douglas, with this being your directorial debut, did anything surprise you about the overall experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Douglas: There are so many of them. It’s such a great learning experience. Even though it was so difficult in certain areas, you learn so much from production to post-production. You obviously make mistakes, but those mistakes make you better. I’m ready to do another one. For a while, I wasn’t because it was so hard to finish it. But I guess through those challenges, it became better, and you learn more throughout it. I’m just excited for the next one because I learned so much.

I know that I’ve taken away so much stuff that I would have never seen because as an actor, you don’t go into sound editing. You don’t see how important, especially on a film like this, where every little creak, every little sound effect is added in post, which makes the film feel full. Those are a few things that I’ve taken away from this and feel even more confident going into something in the future.

PC: It’s often said that in filmmaking, you make three films. You have what’s written, what’s shot, and what’s edited. It’s in that final stage where the story really starts to take shape. You both had a hand in that process. What discoveries were made during the final edit that were less prevalent than when you were reading the script or when you were shooting it?
Douglas: Gosh, that’s so true. It really does change in that final stage.

Isabel: Yeah, it really does take its final form in editing. It’s tedious because you’re in that stage for so many days or months, but it’s very rewarding because it takes a life of its own. Sometimes you just have to give in to the direction that it’s taking you because sometimes it’s even better than what you thought. But sometimes it’s also complicated, and you maybe didn’t get that shot, so we can’t do it in this way, so you have to edit in another way. It’s really rewarding in the editing process. To be honest, I thought it turned out better than we thought.

Douglas: Yeah, an example of that is the ending. We ended up adding to that scene with things that weren’t even in the script. That came from production and editing, and us saying that we actually need something else.

Isabel: I wrote that role for Rebecca De Mornay. I wrote it after the rough cut. I always knew I wanted to put an A-lister. Once you have that rough, rough cut, you realize you have to do pickups. I got to have my A-lister who can carry the film and the distribution. That was really awesome because her role was actually written as a male. We had a friend of ours who we were going to have play the role, but he wasn’t available.

But things are meant to be the way they’re supposed to be in the end. I told Douglas, it’s going to be a female role because I need more women in here. I said to him, “I’m going to make a list of the top female thriller actresses of all time.” As soon as I saw Rebecca, she was my number one. I was like, “Oh my gosh. I have to get her.” I said to him, “I remember walking in when I was a little girl into the living room with my older brothers and watching The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. I came in and saw one of her scenes and I was blown away. I thought that lady has it. I want to be like that. She’s intense and amazing.

When I started to go after her, you start seeing how things were connected. I believe how the universe sends you messages. When we cast her, I called my brothers and sisters and texted them in a group because I have four siblings. I was like, “Guys, Rebecca De Mornay is going to be in our movie. She accepted.” My brother, Albert, who’s hilarious says, “Shut the f- up.” I’m like, “Why?” He said, “She’s been a client of mine for five years.” I said, “What? How could you not tell me?” He owns a landscaping company and she’s one of his clients. he was like, “You should have told me,” and I said, “You should have told me.” [laughs] I was like, “I could have gone through you.” But it was funny because you see how things are supposed to be pieced together.

Make sure to follow Isabel (Instagram) and Douglas (Instagram). Angel Baby is available wherever you stream movies.