Sarah Wayne Callies on 'The Other Side of the Door'
The Walking Dead actress trades zombies for ancient rituals in Johannes Roberts’ latest supernatural horror.
“I don’t watch horror movies so I’m scared to even see it”, reveals actress Sarah Wayne Callies when discussing her latest role in the supernatural horror The Other Side of the Door. “I’m going to try and build up the courage to see it tonight – I’m terrified!”
Callies is well-known to viewers around the world for her portrayal of Lori Grimes in the hit AMC television series The Walking Dead (2011-). Based on the comic book character, Callies role as the American survivor remains her biggest to date following her portrayal of Dr. Sara Tancredi in the award-winning series Prison Break (2005-09).
The actress now makes her transition from television to the silver screen, having starred in a series of supporting roles in films such as Into the Storm (2014) and Pay the Ghost (2015). Callies now marks her first leading role as a grieving mother on the brink of madness. Starring opposite Jeremy Sisto, the duo plays a happily married American couple who relocate to India before having two children. Their idyllic world is turned upside down when a tragic accident causes the death of their young son. Grief-stricken and inconsolable, Maria (Callies) learns of an ancient ritual that could bring back her son for one final time, but at a heinous price.
“I didn't think that it was a horror movie when I read it: I thought it was a movie about grief and madness, They are right next to each other on that spectrum of the most unpredictable emotions that a person can have”, says Callies. The actress asserts that when choosing her roles, the uncertainties of a person are what alarms and intrigues her the most. “Maria is a very complicated female character for any genre. I was really drawn to the inexplicable, surprising aspects of her character: it speaks to that kind of madness.”
As well as being compassionate with the character of Maria, Callies asserts that, above all, it was her role as a mother that truly resonated with her. “Whatever you were afraid of before becoming a parent is nothing compared to your children’s lives,” she says. “There are parts of this movie that you didn't think would be as impactful or painful as they were but that sense of desperation as a parent is too powerful; it’s frightening.”
The Walking Dead is one of the highest rated shows in US and UK television history. Having remained on the series for three seasons, Callies underwent a series of physical and emotionally draining regimes in the role of Lori. However, the actress affirms that her role in The Other Side of the Door was by far the most challenging. “This was physically more difficult than anything I've done before and it was interesting for me in that it was a lead role.” She elaborates, “Andrew Lincoln used to say ‘I’m not a lead role, I just have more things to say’ and he’s right because playing a supporting role is to serve the story. But, for me, creatively playing this lead role was more challenging but rewarding because I was there every single day, in every scene.”
The Other Side of the Door is directed by British writer-director Johannes Roberts whose previous films include Roadkill (2011) and Storage 24 (2012). No stranger to horror, Callies knew that Roberts was the right man to guide when coming into the genre oblivious. “He knows this genre so well and comes to this as a true believer. He’s not some director who thinks he’s too good for horror and, because I was coming in to this with total ignorance, I trusted him completely.”
Roberts’ exploration of grief and the suspension of disbelief in The Other Side of the Door is a subject matter rarely explored in contemporary, mainstream horror films. “The whole notion of the horror genre is starting to fall apart in ways. But, as you’ve got directors like Frank Darabont directing things like The Walking Dead, you’ve got more sophisticated audiences now and a really good story.” Callies concludes, “That's where a movie like this comes in: I approached it no differently than how I'd approach a drama; it just happens to be scary.”