Emmanuel Itier: How was it to be part of such an horrific movie? Any pressure, any challenges?

Elisha Cuthbert: Well, sure it´s quite a challenge. It´s all about breaking down her emotions when she feels them and applying these emotions when it´s necessary to avoid it all blending together. I had to find out when she would get upset, or give up, or stand up and fight back. It´s about figuring out all the bits of different aspects of her being scared, and to make sure they are at the right places along the movie. That´s what I was focused on. And of course it´s about getting the high energy. It´s also easier when you are on these creepy sets and doing your scenes with the other actors. Also, some devices, such as in the “sand-box” scene, were real. It was not CGI and it was crazy. And when you really experience something that horrific, it helps create the right emotion. But of course, you’re totally dead tired by the end of the day.

EI: What frame of mind do you put yourself in to truly experience the “horror”? Do you think about things that really scare you in life?

EC: No, I think about what is really happening to the character and what I would do if I was her. Acting lots of times is about listening and reacting to what’s happening in such or such a scene you’re doing at the time. If I was trying to think about another situation that would scare me, it would take me out of the moment, out of this scene. Really, I’m just trying to figure out if I would fight back like she does, and what I would do if I was in this situation.

EI: And God forbid that you are in this situation, but what would you do if this would happen to you?

EC: I think that, like her, I would fight back! I think I would have done the same things to get out of this horrific situation.

EI: Do you like these types of horror movies out there? Why do we need them? Why are there so many out there?

EC: Well, I don’t think horror films have just all of a sudden become popular and successful, but they have been around for a while now, since the ’60s and before. But the “genre” has changed and has evolved. These films, I think, are smarter and more focused on the psychological aspect of the story rather than its graphic tone. Horror films are scarier and they push the envelope. This one is like Saw or a Hostel–it’s very dark, twisted and psychological, and not predictable. But in this one, there is also a love story and to understand how love can come out of an extreme situation.

EI: What scares you in real life?

EC: I don’t like to fly! I’m shooting a movie right now in Toronto and so I’m trying to get used to it to go back and forth, but it makes me feel uncomfortable. I’m not afraid of the dark like my character in this film. Flying still makes me tense.

EI: The movie, as you said, is about relationships and how tough it is to fall in love. What do you think about that?

EC: People fall in love under interesting circumstances, and this is why Roland Joffe wanted to do this film. For him it was indeed about a quest to find if love was possible under an intense situation. For myself, I would say that relationships happen for amazing reasons, and some are so interesting. The movie touches on that a little bit.

EI: Speaking of Roland Joffe, how was it to work with him and what did you learn from him?

EC: I learned about “patience” because Roland is so calm and patient, which was amazing for me to observe when you do such an intense and fast-paced movie. But he was always very laid back, focused, calm…he always was so gentle and he kept me sane, really. I learned about myself to be calm under extreme measures. Roland also helped me a lot with so many prep-works such as giving me a complete background on my character. I had never received such a big help from a director before. Roland was so hands-on, and it was such a pleasure to work with him.