‘Leviticus’ Interview: Joe Bird and Adrian Chiarella

The film stars Joe Bird (‘Talk to Me’), Stacy Clausen (‘Thrash’), Ewan Leslie (‘Peter Rabbit’), Nicholas Hope (‘The Invisible Man’), and Mia Wasikowska (‘Alice in Wonderland’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joe Bird, and director Adrian Chiarella about their work on ‘Leviticus’, developing the screenplay, advancing the genre, casting Bird and Stacy Clausen, their onscreen chemistry, the most difficult scenes to shoot, and what type of movie Chiarella would like to make next.

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Joe Bird stars in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

Moviefone: To begin with, Adrian, can you talk about coming up with the idea for the film and developing the screenplay?

Adrian Chiarella: It’s an interesting question. I think I had noticed something shifting in the last few years around homophobia making this strange reemergence. I grew up in a time when as a young gay man, I saw all this progress being made. Then in the last five to 10 years that all seemed to be regressing back and I noticed a lot of quite toxic rhetoric going around and I wanted to make a film about that. So, I turned to the time in my life when I was experiencing homophobia as a teenager, and I thought about the kinds of films that I used to watch at that time, and they were horror movies, and I don’t think I was alone in that. A lot of young queer people had this connection, this very strong connection to horror movies. So, I started drawing the two threads together and thinking about what is it about fear, which is the central ingredient of a horror movie, that is being used to scare us away from our feelings? So, that’s when I came up with this idea of a monster that takes the form of the person that you’re most attracted to.

MF: Joe, what was your first reaction to reading the screenplay and learning about the concept for the movie?

Joe Bird: I remember reading the script and it was raw. It was honest, and it was authentic. It felt very grounded too. All these characters felt like real people, and I think that’s just such a big draw as an actor when you’re reading a script that it just feels as authentic as possible. I think you could tell the level of passion that Adrian had in this written script. So, I think from that, that informs, and I think this director does know what he wants to do. He has a meaning for this film. Even meeting him, that just solidified that in my head. I was like, “Yeah, this is a great, talented person and he knows exactly what he’s doing.” I just felt safe and supported the whole time and so did everyone else in the cast and crew because also this guy, he’s just nice as well. He just speaks to everyone, and it was just a lovely vibe on set. If I could go back, I would. It was so much fun.

Joe Bird stars in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

MF: Joe, can you talk about your approach to playing this character and did you work out a backstory for yourself with Adrian?

JB: I think it’s all a collaboration, but I did a lot of my own stuff that I would share with Adrian just so he could see my take on it. Adrian had a vision and then me and Stacy individually as well, we all have visions and it’s all about meeting in the middle and creating this together because it’s a collaboration. There’s so much real authenticity that comes out of working together and finding something because also in scenes you just want to let it go and see what happens. I remember Adrian had things written down and said, “If you feel like you’re not going to say that naturally, then say something else.” It’s like we were allowed to have that freedom and I think freedom creates that relatability and that comfortability on set, which you need to be able to let everything go and just be there in the moment.

MF: Adrian, can you talk about casting Joe and Stacy Clausen, and how did you know that their chemistry together would work on screen?

AC: It was like a lightning bolt. We did callbacks where we got a few different actors in for a few hours and got everyone to sort of try different scenes together and talk about the film and do bits of improvisation. It was about just seeing what everyone would bring to the roles. But as soon as Stacy and Joe did a scene together, I think their first one was that opening scene with the snake. I think as soon as they did that, we could instantly see this very organic connection between the two of them and it became very clear to me and to the producers on the film that this could form a very strong foundation for the core of the film, which is the relationship between those two characters.

(L to R) Stacy Clausen and Joe Bird star in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

MF: Adrian, can you talk about the relationship between the queer community and the horror genre, and how that applies to this film?

AC: I think there’s a great history of queer writers and authors working in the horror space. Quite often it was about using this metaphor in times when their experience was a bit taboo, but I think we’re starting to see all that change and we’re starting to see queer themes just emerge a little more and more. Less obscured basically, which is great to see. The film always started the way it started, which is you’re just thrown in and you meet these two guys. You don’t know how they’ve met, and you don’t know how long they’ve known each other. Then suddenly in the middle of this physicality, the intimacy begins. The only thing that changed about the beginning is I think one or two drafts in, I put the opening shower scene in, but that didn’t have anything to do with them. I felt like we didn’t need to have that throat clearing to introduce the love story. I really wanted to start there because then we’re going to see what they go through and the way in which that is threatened. If anything, we just did things to really strengthen the connection between the characters. On the last day of shooting, we did a little improvisation that we ended up shooting and putting in the film, which is just a little moment after they kiss where they’re walking back to their bikes, just so that the audience could really invest in the two of them.

MF: Joe, after your work on ‘Talk to Me’ and now ‘Leviticus’, do you think horror films are finally portray young people accurately?

JB: So, I haven’t just done horror. I have explored other genres recently. But in the horror films that I have done, I think it has been very prevalent on young people and I think it’s good that these stories are being told because I feel like sometimes young people may feel misunderstood in this world as well, in the current climate that it is. So, I think having these films that the public can have access to, hopefully creates a sense of comfortability for them and give people a good time at a movie theater with their friends to enjoy a night out and forget about the world.

(L to R) Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

MF: Adrian, as a director, what was the most difficult scene for you to shoot?

AC: There is a scene in the second half of the film where the pastor’s daughter takes the boys to a car park and there’s a moment of real-world aggression. For me, that scene was very difficult to shoot because technically and logistically we had cars and we had stunts and we were shooting all through the night, which always takes a real toll on the crew and on the cast as well. But on top of that, it’s the only moment in the film where we see the dark side of real-world homophobia. We’re not veiling it behind a metaphor. As a filmmaker that was a lot for me to have to face.

MF: Joe, what was the most challenging scene for you to shoot as an actor?

JB: I think what was really challenging for me was the coming out scene, because I remember going up to film that, and that is the only scene in the film where we say the word “gay.” I knew how important this scene was because it’s the turning point for Naim and his mother (Mia Wasikowska), where that whole dynamic starts to unfold more. But I remember we filmed it on the second day, and I was nervous. I really wanted to get it right. It was a scene where I wasn’t with anyone else in the main cast. Again, I just had so much support from Adrian and everyone on set and they let me get into the zone beforehand in a room by myself. I think that was it. It was challenging, but everything was so rewarding and, on the day, nothing ever actually felt that challenging because everyone was so supportive and great.

Joe Bird stars in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

MF: Adrian, as a filmmaker, do you think you’ll keep making horror movies or is there another genre you would like to explore?

AC: I’d love to do this. I really enjoyed working in the genre. I’d like to work in other genres too, but I think I’d always like to bring a grounded truth to whatever genre I work in. With this film, we were careful not to get too lazy about making a horror movie. Not to go, “Well, we’re in a horror movie, so it doesn’t matter if it looks real or not, or if it feels real from the actors or not.” We were still telling a very grounded drama at the end of the day.

MF: Finally, Adrian, you’ve made short films and worked in television, but what did you learn from making your first feature film?

AC: I think in Australian television, we shoot a lot of minutes per day. It moves fast. I think I had to get used to a different rhythm working in features. Not to say that it was easier because time gets taken up by certain other things and I think it was a different mindset of problem solving. I think in fast turnaround television, you’re always doing this logistical problem solving of, “Oh, well, we can’t get that location. Is there a way we can tell that story by doing it over here instead?” It’s a different way of solving problems when you work in features, which has more to do with really sticking to the vision and figuring out how you can deliver on that within the limited resources that you have.

Editorial Note: Don Kaye conducted this interview and contributed to this article.

(L to R) Stacy Clausen and Joe Bird star in ‘Leviticus’. Photo: Neon.

What is the plot of ‘Leviticus’?

Two teenage boys (Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen) must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most: each other.

Who is in the cast of ‘Leviticus’?

• Joe Bird as Naim
• Stacy Clausen as Ryan
• Mia Wasikowska as Arlene
• Jeremy Blewitt as Hunter
• Ewen Leslie as Rod
• Davida McKenzie as Izzie
• Nicholas Hope as the “Deliverance Healer”
• Zamira Newman as Rita
• Edwina Wren as Jacky

‘Leviticus’ opens in theaters on June 19th.

List of Movies Featuring Joe Bird:

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