Highlights
- Making the horror movie Midsommar took a significant emotional toll on the actors, leaving a dark mark on several of them.
- Jack Reynor, one of the stars of Midsommar, admitted that there was a psychological toll involved in creating the film.
- Florence Pugh, who played the main character in Midsommar, went through a challenging experience while filming the gut-wrenching scenes.
Horror movies and psychological thrillers are exciting to watch as audience members, but some fans do not realize the emotional toll making a scary movie can take on actors and actresses. One of the scariest horror movies is 2019's Midsommar, which tells the story of a young couple getting trapped in the clutches of a cult. The sinister movie also is a story of grief and the effect it has on people. The film, starring Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor, left a dark mark on several of its actors.
Fans Have Called Florence Pugh's Accent Terrible, But Is She Faking It?
Fans have long debated Florence Pugh's accent; is it real or fake, and where is she really from?Audience members were fascinated by the disturbing film and consider it to be one of the top movies of its genre, but the stars of the film had a very different experience while creating Midsommar. Reynor specifically has spoken about how creating the film traumatized him severely, and how watching Pugh take on the dark role was horrifying. Here's what happened to the cast of Midsommar.
Filming Midsommar Took A Psychological Toll On Jack Reynor
One of the stars of Midsommar, Jack Reynor, got candid about his filming experience with Collider. While he is very proud of what he and the rest of the cast and crew created, filming the horror movie certainly left its mark on the actor.
"There was a psychological toll making this film for sure," Reynor admitted. "It was a tough week after it was finished, you know?"
Directly after filming of Midsommar wrapped, Reynor hopped on a plane and got out of the filming location. Midsommar had been filmed primarily in Budapest, Hungary despite it being actually set in Sweden. This was due to filming regulations in Sweden.
"It really sat on me." Reynor was particularly affected by his character's intense final sequence in the film. Reynor was put into some very revealing and traumatizing positions during the final days of filming.
"There's no processing of it in the moment," Reynor said of the final sequence in the film, during which his character is completely exposed. "There's not really any processing of it beforehand because it's so outside the norms of what you experience in your day to day life that you just have to prepare yourself in terms of the practicing of good mental health.
Mental health was a priority for Reynor throughout filming Midsommar, and he had to make sure that he was of stable enough mind and character to handle filming such horrific content. "For the entire shoot, I've never done a film where I as more on top of that aspect of it than I was on this film."
"People don't even think about it. I think a lot of people just think, 'Oh, it's just a movie. You're just going to do it. It's not real," Reynor said at the conclusion of the interview with Collider. "It's f*cking real when you're there."
What Happened To Florence Pugh During Midsommar?
Florence Pugh played the main character of Midsommar, and taking on that kind of role is certainly not an easy feat. The film is told through her character's perspective, which leads audience members to root for her and take her side, particularly in matters with Jack Reynor's character.
"Florence and I are great friends, and we have a really great relationship with one another," Reynor told Collider about making their relationship look real in the movie. "I think if anything lent itself to the authenticity of the relationship and it feeling like a lived in relationship, it's the fact that it's hard to watch someone that you care about living in the pain and trauma of this character for such a long time."
Pugh went through the ringer while making Midsommar, as some of the most gut-wrenching scenes revolve around her. Taking on those emotions was certainly not easy.
"She spent two months every day really present in that pain and that heartbreak," shared Reynor, describing Florence Pugh's experience filming Midsommar.
How The Midsommar Cast Felt After Filming The Ari Aster Film
Though the cast had all lived through the horrific events of Midsommar and came out the other side, watching the film for the first time was traumatizing all over again.
Actor Will Poulter had a difficult time after seeing the film.
"I had the worst night's sleep of my life the night after," Poulter said on the Empire Podcast. "Terrible, terrible, full-on nightmares. Which is strange, because I wouldn't actually describe the film as being typically scary."
"But it is utterly disturbing. And it's that kind of disturbing feeling that I think lingers longer than a fright. A fright has a very limited life-span." Poulter described being very caught off guard by the film despite having lived through it.
Florence Pugh had a similar reaction. "So.. I saw it. I'm currently sat. Staring. Wide eyed at my food. Midsommar is one helluva ride folks," Pugh tweeted after seeing the film.
If the cast's feelings are any indication, Midsommar is certainly not for the weak.
Is Midsommar The Scariest Movie Ever?
Horror movies continue to fascinate audiences, but for more than just a good jump scare. Some of the most terrifying movies actually do not include many quick scares, if any at all. Slasher films tend to go for the shock factor, and fans of the genre have begun to realize that the truly scary movies rely on the psyche.
Some examples of these psychological horror films include The Silence of the Lambs, Black Swan, and Hereditary.
It is impossible to discuss the scariest psychological horror film without bringing up Midsommar.
Midsommar is a classified as a folk horror film. It was both written and directed by Ari Aster. Released in 2019, the movie stars Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor as a dysfunctional couple traveling to attend a midsummer festival in Sweden.
Pugh and Reynor's characters find themselves entangled with a Scandinavian pagan cult, and the events that transpire are truly horrifying.
Not only does the cult provide the film with a sinister plot, but the underlying themes of the film also create an uneasy experience for audience members. The film focuses on the grieving process and how it can impact a person, as well as telling the story of a dying relationship.
This relationship was actually inspired by one Aster experienced himself.
Before Fame, Florence Pugh Worried About People Finding Out One Detail About Her
Florence Pugh is lauded as one of her generation's best actors, but she once hid a secret that she worried would ruin her career.The film received lots of praise, particular for Aster's remarkable direction and for Pugh's performance in the film. The topic of the film, however, did cause a lot of debate in the public, which was anticipated.
Midsommar is considered to be one of the most horrifying and traumatizing films ever created. While it is a terrifying experience for viewers, it was even more horrific for the cast members creating the film.
