Warning: SPOILERS lie forward for Twisted (2026)!Lauren LaVera is again within the horror style and is attending to flex her artistic muscle tissue in a manner she’s not but been capable of.
Hailing from four-time Noticed franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman, Twisted facilities on con artists Paloma and Smith, a millennial couple who’ve been making massive sums of cash by renting out costly homes and residences they do not truly personal. Throughout their newest scheme, which includes good neuroscientist Dr. Kezian — who finds his newest breakthrough stifled by scientific rules — Paloma is attacked by a possible mark and left close to lifeless, just for Kezian to avoid wasting her to be able to fulfill his personal hidden agenda.
LaVera, who has been on a gentle rise to fame because of her main flip as Sienna within the Terrifier franchise, leads the ensemble Twisted solid as Paloma. She’s joined by two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou as Dr. Kezian, Motorheads‘ Mia Healey as Smith, Longlegs‘ Alicia Witt, Arrowverse alum Neal McDonough, Jeepers Creepers‘ Gina Philips and Victor Del Rio.
In honor of the film’s launch, ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns interviewed Lauren LaVera to debate Twisted. Reflecting on her journey with touchdown the main function within the movie, the star recalled how Bousman had “reached out to me a number of years in the past” and informed her “he was a fan of my work” and shared his hope to work together with her sooner or later. Nonetheless, as she’s come to be taught from the business, “individuals all the time say that to you” and that “you type of take it with a grain of salt.”
Which then made it a shock when Bousman turned “one among [the few] that adopted by way of,” because the director reached out to her by way of her direct messages on social media — or, “as he likes to very affectionately say, he slid into my DM’s.” There was a hitch, nonetheless, as LaVera does not typically examine her DM’s, citing social media as being a “bizarre place” for her within the wake of her rising stardom, requiring a 3rd celebration to tell her:
Lauren LaVera: We had a mutual good friend that reached out and mentioned, “Lauren, Darren’s been attempting to achieve out to you. He has a job that he is actually enthusiastic about, and he desires to give you the function.” So I used to be like, “Oh crap, okay, lemme get again to him.” So I did, and we mentioned the function, and I used to be already a bit biased, as a result of I like Darren’s work. He’s clearly a director with a really particular, area of interest inventive imaginative and prescient, which I wholeheartedly respect. So, I used to be like, “Properly, I’ve a sense I’d need to do that.”
As soon as she obtained the Twisted script, she discovered she instantly “fell in love with Paloma,” describing the character as “so deliciously mischievous,” however extra importantly “a lot totally different than the roles I am recognized for.” She additional acquired excited on the prospect to “actually flex that versatility” in her efficiency, significantly as Paloma’s con schemes allowed her to “have enjoyable with dialects” and “play all these totally different characters.” When she in the end discovered that “the good Djimon Hounsou” could be her predominant co-star within the movie, LaVera noticed it as “the final nail within the coffin” that she wanted to do it.
In expounding on getting to alter from the troubled survivor mentality of Terrifier‘s Sienna to the free-moving Paloma, the star went on to acknowledge that it was “terrifying for me to play.” Explaining that appearing is “a really weak state of being,” she was introduced with an actual problem of taking part in a personality “who’s free in her sexuality, she’s free in her character” and “she’s uninhibited,” one thing she does not actually discover herself being “on a day-to-day foundation.”
Lauren LaVera’s Paloma holding Mia Healey’s Smith and taking a look at her sweetly in TwistedCourtesy of Republic Photos
Lauren LaVera: It felt like I used to be capable of step into the footwear of somebody and have the excuse to see what it might be prefer to cosplay somebody with that stage of confidence. I feel it did assist increase my confidence. It is nearly like you’re who you say you’re sort of mentality. So, I do assume that taking part in Paloma assisted me in being a extra free particular person, which is so humorous to think about or name her somebody who’s free, as a result of she is chained up for many of the film. [Chuckles] However she could be very free in the kind of particular person she is. And I labored very onerous with two of my appearing coaches with that simply to permit myself to launch, permit myself to undergo this function, and I’m so glad I did. I feel I’ve grown as an individual due to it.
One component that left LaVera a bit extra terrified was that she had simply three weeks to arrange for Twisted forward of filming, an “exceptional” window for the sheer vary of character personas she’d should play. The star turned to 2 totally different dialect coaches for assist getting ready for Paloma’s shifts between the British-leaning Emma Woodhouse to her Irish and American-centric identities, to be able to flip to 1 “when [the other] wasn’t out there,” particularly since each informed her “we should always have a minimum of six months” to prep.
It was actually cramming into three weeks attempting to develop these individuals, these ladies, and in addition attempt to good as rapidly and effectively as I may, these dialects.
Reflecting on which of the con identities she had probably the most enjoyable taking part in within the movie, LaVera cited Emma Woodhouse as being her favourite, confessing she’s “all the time wished to be a pure redhead” after falling in love with Nicole Kidman within the cult traditional Sensible Magic. She even sought to take inspiration immediately from the character’s namesake within the Jane Austen traditional, making the persona “very elegant” and with “an air about her that’s only a heightened sense of style.”
Speaking with Bousman, LaVera even acquired to determine on the particular accent for her Emma persona, with the script specifying it to be an English character, whereas the beginning “gave her extra of a fancy English accent” to maintain that tribute going for Austen’s novel. Describing all of Paloma’s personas, together with her actual one, as “wonderful,” LaVera concluded by saying she “had a lot enjoyable” attending to play Emma.
LaVera Labored With Director Darren Lynn Bousman To Depart Clues For Twisted’s Shock Ending
ScreenRant: So, you talked about Djimon, and I did need to ask, I like that a lot of this movie is nearly attempting to play this psychological chess recreation with him, and he is simply not responding by any means as he strikes ahead along with his experiments. What was it like growing that dynamic with him all through filming?
Lauren LaVera: I used to be sh—-ng myself after I discovered that I used to be going to be working with Djimon. I’ve a lot respect for him as an artist. My first day, I blamed it on being chilly, however I used to be shaking, and I used to be identical to, “It is a two-time Oscar-nominated actor. I’ve seen his work. He is all the time so grounded and current. I have to deliver it for him. I want to ensure I’m a scene accomplice that simply arrives for him and is there to assist him.” One among my first scenes with him was after I was taking part in Paloma, taking part in Aptitude Forsyte in my blonde wig, and he was fixing the minimize on my hand. He was simply speaking so much all through the scene, and I bear in mind simply getting misplaced in his voice. English is his fifth or seventh language, or one thing like that. He is a superb man, and he simply arrives with this demanding presence that can be what’s so fascinating and contradictory about it. It is demanding, however so extremely calm, and you’re feeling very snug in his presence. When he speaks, his voice invitations you to need to type of lean in, and I discovered myself forgetting that I needed to communicate, as a result of I simply would’ve been so glad to be on the receiving finish of his monologues. However it was a dialogue, so I discovered myself having to remind myself that I had traces within the scene, as a result of I simply acquired misplaced in listening to him communicate. However he’s such a beneficiant scene accomplice. He listens so properly, which helps make a scene so extremely dynamic. He goals to make an influence on a scene accomplice, which is a present if you’re an actor, as a result of we’re each simply attempting to influence one another within the scene, and making it about one another. So, working with him was simply working with the grasp. It was an honor.
Djimon Hounsou’s Kezian conducting surgical procedure on somebody’s head in TwistedCourtesy of Republic Photos
ScreenRant: Now, my subsequent couple of questions are spoilers, so we’ll save them till after the movie’s launched. At first, the top shaving scene. That is all the time one thing I discover so fascinating in a movie, as a result of clearly it may be faked, or it may be actual. Both manner, like we had been speaking about earlier, it is such a option to make an actor really feel very weak. What was it like for you going into the filming of that scene and the way a lot of it was truly sensible?
Lauren LaVera: Every little thing we did was sensible. I feel CGI we used as a software. I feel, and you’re in fact conscious of this, however it’s a widespread false impression that movies are both sensible or CGI, when often, when it is performed properly, it is a wholesome mixture of each of them. Even in Terrifier, which is understood for its sensible results, they use an excellent quantity of CGI to help within the practicals. I’ve lots of very thick, thick hair, and each actor who needed to put on the bald cap didn’t truly shave their head. That they had the bald caps with hair on prime, and I might come onto set trying like Dan Aykroyd from Coneheads. My hair’s not solely lengthy, it’s extremely curly and thick, so it was actually powerful to get it beneath there. However the CGI did help in type of shrinking like 9 inches. So as a substitute of trying like I’ve a 10-finger brow, it is extra like a five-finger brow. It was actually weak. Particularly if you end up a femme-presenting particular person, or anyone with lengthy hair, hair can generally be a crutch for you. It shields you, it helps cowl your face, and it’d protect a few of your internal secrets and techniques. So, not having that on my head was actually a really weak scenario, and I feel it did help in serving to me obtain among the extra weak, dialogue-heavy scenes.
ScreenRant: Speaking in regards to the unpredictable nature of this movie, I didn’t see Paloma’s destiny coming, by way of being embedded into Alicia Witt’s character on the finish. I might love to listen to for you, what was your response if you learn the script, and also you noticed that destiny, and also you then noticed Alicia embody Paloma in that finale?
Lauren LaVera: That is such an excellent query. I acquired very shut with Alicia throughout filming. We had been so bummed that we did not get to share any scenes collectively, however once we had been each entering into our bald caps, lots of our occasions overlapped, so we acquired to actually get to know one another. She’s simply such an angel. She has the sweetest voice that you simply simply need to take heed to on a regular basis, she’s only a ball of sunshine. It is really outstanding how great of an individual she is. And she or he did speak to me about embodying Paloma, and I consider she requested Darren to take a look at a few of my earlier scenes, and you can simply really feel the stance altering. Even her facial expressions modified. I used to be so blown away, and I’ve seen her play roles like that previously, significantly her Strolling Lifeless visitor star type of had a little bit of a extra mischievous air about her, so I knew she had it in her. I had little question in her from the very starting, however it was so nice to see that.
Alicia Witt’s Rebecca trying intensely whereas standing in a nook in a yellow gown in TwistedCourtesy of Republic Photos
After which additionally, as type of an inspiration of her, I made a decision and spoke to Darren about this, that for Aptitude Forsyte sporting the wig, I wished to embody Rebecca, her character, as a lot as attainable. Perhaps increase my voice a little bit of an octave, communicate a bit sweeter, simply because I felt that it might make extra sense that Djimon’s character, Dr. Kezian, would need to perhaps use this lady’s physique that perhaps, subconsciously, reminds him of his personal spouse, Rebecca. I feel she’s a lot sweeter, perhaps she’s not as sexually ahead as Emma Woodhouse or Molly Bloom, among the different personas. She has an American accent and, once more, simply has this delicate nature about her and I gave her the slightest of LA accents. So, that was one thing that Alicia and I acquired to play with. We acquired to take inspiration from one another’s characters and infuse them in a manner into our personal characters.
Twisted is now out there on VOD and digital platforms!
