Spoiler Warning: Ahead of the release of Longlegs, I had a chance to catch up with Blair Underwood, who I was very excited to speak with, especially given his excellent performance in the film. Having seen Longlegs for a second time earlier this week, it just really cemented how crucial the role of Agent Carter was in establishing the seriousness of the events that unfold. Given the film’s supernatural elements, Lee Harker’s abilities, and the insanity of Longlegs himself, Blair Underwood’s performance is what really makes all of this work, because it grounds the film in reality, making everything that happens around him and to him in the finale more terrifying. In many ways, we’re following along similary to Agent Carter, unable to fully comprehend or stop the events that unfold.
During our interview, we talked not only about his experience making the film, but his love of horror movies, and the film he recently directed that you’ll want to keep on your radar:
How did you first get involved with Longlegs and what made you want to be a part of it?
Blair Underwood: This one came through my agent, who was aware of the project and knows the director. Then I had a conversation with Oz Perkins, the director, and I found out two weeks later that he had cast me in the role. I was very excited because, at the time, the final scene wasn’t written, where my character gets possessed. So he said, “I’m working on that final scene right now, but I have an idea where it may go,” and I just loved where the story was headed from what I read already. I was excited to be in a horror film, and the way people are responding to it makes it that much more exciting.
What I really love about Oz Perkins, and it’s clear in Longlegs, is that he has a distinct vision for the world and its characters. When it came to collaborating with him on your character, what was that process like?
Blair Underwood: He could not have been a better collaborator. Because my character is pretty straightforward as the FBI agent, as the boss, if you will, to Maika’s character, it really was an investigative journey for him. We didn’t want to play too much into the fact that there’s this birthday coming up. I had questions sometimes about the mythology, Maika and I both, and about how much we know and when we know it, so we look like we’re one step ahead of Longlegs, until we’re not…
I know that for most of the film you’re chasing down Longlegs, but when you have him in custody, were you around for any of Nicolas Cage’s scenes with Maika Monroe?
Blair Underwood: The strangest thing is to be in a movie with Nicolas Cage and we have no scenes together, and I never met him [during filming]. I don’t know if you’ve talked to Maika yet, but she said, “I don’t know if I feel like I met him,” because he was in character the whole time I heard from the crew. So he was very quiet, apparently, on set until the cameras were rolling and he did his thing.
I know Oz was very excited about it because there’s that scene we have in the FBI office, and we’re watching the videotape of the interrogation, and that was my first time seeing what Nicolas Cage had done with the character. I’d heard about the changing of the look and the prosthetics, but I hadn’t seen his characterization, which was very eerie to watch and mesmerizing at the same time.
What was your experience with Maika on set? She’s been in quite a few genre roles over the course of her career, and it was interesting seeing her take on a very different type of character in her portrayal of Lee Harker.
Blair Underwood: I was excited to work with her because she’s done a number of films in the horror genre, and this is my first, so I was psyched. Maika was just really wonderful to work with. She’s very laid back, very easy going, and she flips the switch when the cameras are rolling and there’s the call to action. She’s right there with this characterization that she embodied, [playing someone who is] either on the autism spectrum and/or traumatized as a child. But either way, it’s just fascinating what she did. She was dialed in every single time and Oz would call cut, and she was just very relaxed and being herself. So that was fascinating to watch and to work with her.
Of course, your character’s journey culminates in the birthday party scene, where I think the story really sticks its landing. What was it like for you when you heard what was going to go down and then how was it like to actually film those scenes?
Blair Underwood: By the time we started shooting, Oz had written that final scene, but it was near the end of shooting that we filmed it, which was always great. You have this emotional and very realistic ramp up with the characters, with the actors, and with the flow of the film to do those emotional, high-adrenaline scenes near the end of shooting. So that was really helpful.
I got very excited because it gave me something more to lean into for this investigative law enforcement character, who was trying to figure out where the serial killer is. That’s one kind of rhythm, but then to play into this other scene where there’s so many different levels and dimensions, I really appreciated that. Oz put a little bit of humor in there too, with [Agent Carter] telling his wife to go into the kitchen, saying, “I’m going to come back, but you won’t.” It’s tongue-in-cheek without playing it tongue-in-cheek, but Oz wasn’t afraid to go to that place.
I understand that you’re a big fan of horror movies, so I wanted to learn a bit more about some of your favorites.
Blair Underwood: I just love films and I have two favorite movies: Dances with Wolves and The Exorcist. And the reason for The Exorcist, and I hear this a lot with Longlegs, is that it gets under your skin and stays with you.
When The Exorcist first came out in the ’70s, I remember hearing about the filming of it and that people had died during the film. I didn’t know if that was hype or not, but it stuck and it really was part of the lore when the film came out. Also, I’d heard that this was based on a true story about a boy in Washington D.C., so that just makes it that much more eerie that it was based in some kind of truth in reality.
Interestingly enough, I did a film with Will Friedkin years later, called Rules of Engagement, with Sam Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. I was so excited to work with him, and I talked with him about The Exorcist. The Exorcist sequels just didn’t resonate with me at all, and so I asked him, “What made the first one so unique and so different?” And he said very simply, “We believed it.” They approached everything as if, from his words, they believed this did happen, could happen, and is happening. And they allowed the dark spirituality of it to just kind of reside with the viewer.
In a lot of ways, except the doll aspect, Longlegs has that same sense because you’re dealing with Satanic worship, which is very real. People believe it, and damn sure in Longlegs, Nicholas Cage’s character believes it, and we believe it.
In terms of recent horror releases, is there anything that stood out recently that you liked?
Blair Underwood: M3GAN, which of course was tongue-in-cheek, was fun and I saw that up in Canada when we were shooting Longlegs. Two actors I really enjoy are Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, and I recently saw The Pope’s Exorcist and really enjoyed that as well.
I understand that you directed a film called Viral, and was hoping you could tell Daily Dead readers more about it.
Blair Underwood: This one is done independently, like Longlegs, so we still have yet to sell it. But it stars Sarah Silverman, in a very dramatic role, and Alfre Woodard, Jeanine Mason, and myself. This one’s more of a psychological drama, and I love the character aspect of it. It’s in the realm of Memento. It’s mind-bending, with twists and turns, and you have to see where it all goes. There’s a guy who loses his wife, and he is not sure if he’s descending into madness or if what he sees on his security cameras at home is real.