In Betrayal, three desperate brothers return to the remote Scottish woodland where they killed their abusive father only to discover his shallow grave is now empty, forcing them to question each other’s loyalty as fear and paranoia set in.
The movie stars Paul Higgins, Brian Vernel, Daniel Portman, Calum Ross, Anita Vettesse, James Harkness, and Joanne Thomson, and is an absolute must-watch. While not a traditional "horror movie" per se, it will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and features powerhouse performances from its impressive cast.
Last week, we sat down with Higgins (The Thick of It, Utopia) to learn more about how he approached the role of Don, the twisted patriarch of Betrayal's family who is one of the most evil characters we've seen on screen in quite some time.
"I was very intrigued by it," the actor tells us in the video below when we wondered what drew him to the role. "I was into the thing about violence being handed down through the generations. That's what really got me going about it, so the twisty-turny thing was new for me. I don't think I've been in anything like that before...I was more drawn to the psychological element of it."
"So when I saw it, I was amazed by the violence and the, 'God, where have they all gone? Who is gonna shoot who next?' I really enjoyed doing all that stuff because the physicality was great fun."
As noted, Higgins steps into the shoes of a monster in Betrayal but that didn't negatively impact his relationship with co-stars Brian Vernel, Daniel Portman, and Calum Ross.
"We were all very friendly on and off set. We'd do a crossword together," he recalls. "I didn't feel the need to [distance myself]. We did do improv before we started in which I basically bullied and divided them. They were great and did exactly as they were told."
"When we first met, we set up this dynamic of Don being the boss but when we weren't actually acting in scenes, it was all very friendly and good fun!"
As for what it was like working with writer and director Rodger Griffiths, Higgins adds, "He's great. This is based on short film he did that's excellent as well. The actors in that are really good. He was terrific to work with. I hope it's a real success for him because he's a really good guy as well."
You can hear much more from Higgins in the player below, including more in-depth thoughts on how he approached this character and what he thinks about being part of Line of Duty, a series which became a global hit before wrapping up in 2021.
0:10 - Paul's reaction to reading the script for the first time
1:20 - How he prepared to step into the shoes of a character with no redeeming qualities
4:20 - Whether he had to distance himself from his co-stars to create the combative dynamic
5:50 - Exploring generational trauma
9:35 - Injecting a constant sense of menace into his performance and the challenge of doing so
12:50 - What he enjoyed about the physicality of this role
13:40 - Working with filmmaker Rodger Griffiths
14:50 - Line of Duty's legacy
16:20 - Whether Paul is interested in playing other villains moving forward
Betrayal will be available on Digital and On Demand starting September 6.