Director M. Night Shyamalan bounces back from a string of misses with the creepy and kooky The Visit.
Each movie is a new relationship.
You have to start fresh each time.
She is going to love me.
Thats a terrible way to start a new relationship.
Or, My last girlfriend, she was always on my case.
I cant believe you just said that to me.
Thats a terrible way.
And its just irreverent and funny and gross and emotional and dark as I am.
(I) can walk away and say, The Visitis 100% me.
That is such a wonderful feeling, and whatever comes from it, how can the result be wrong?
I storyboard every shot of my thrillers in general, he explained.
I draw them out and do them.
The difference in this one is I had to put it in the screenplay.
They leave it on the shelf.
She is carrying it in as they enter the door.
Thats in the screenplay.
So as I was writing it, I was kind of storyboarding it.
I cant take too much credit for what they did, said Shyamalan.
Making movies is an act of faith.
When I write these characters, I just pray that these individuals exist in the world.
Im not looking for a young Daniel Day-Lewis who transforms from one role to the next.
Thats not who Im looking for.
Im looking for these kids to exist somewhere.
Thats who they are in real life and theyre going to do a variation on that for me.
For the grandparents, Shyamalan went for two actors with extensive stage experience.
My directing style is long takes, especially on this one, he said.
I need actors who are versed in that style.
They dont edit themselves asking, Can we do that again?…
(theater actors) know when they have magic on stage when everybodys connected in this magic of storytelling.
I love, love stage actors.
My grandparents have passed away now, but my grandparents were classic Indian grandparents.
And then he would give a shot to scare me with them.
Thats the primal thing of it, is that were scared of getting old.
Playing on that is a powerful conceit.
Im a mischievous kind of guy.
He added, Ive been enjoying making people laugh.
I enjoy it and I hope to have that as a wonderful thread in the movies.
I think its a great foil.
The Visitis out in theaters now.
