From writer/director Anna Elizabeth James comes the new psychological thriller Held Hostage In My House, and with the film now streaming on Netflix worldwise, we recently caught up with the star of the film, Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect; Just Friends; Stargirl)!
Speaking with the fan favorite actress, we learned more about the intricacies of playing a character like Dawn who pushed her both emotionally and physically. We also talked about the film's big twist ending, some of the behind-the-scenes secrets, and a few of her past projects, including Stargirl and Scrubs!
In addition to Smart, the film stars Matthew Davis (Legally Blonde; The Vampire Diaries), Greer Grammer (Awkward.; Deadly Illusions), Jay Ali (Daredevil; The Purge), and Gilles Marini (Sex and the City; Brothers & Sisters).
Held Hostage In My House is now streaming on Netflix!
Watch our full chat below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube chann+{}\ for more exclusive content!
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ROHAN: What was it about Dawn, as a character, that first attracted you to the role and the movie?
AMY: I thought that Dawn was a really relatable character, where she's single mom’ing it, working hard, trying her best. I love that she's sort of really complex. She's an artist. She's trying to make ends meet, supporting her son. And I think the Airbnb aspect is interesting. She's sort of one of the rare ones that actually meets the guests, you know, most people in real life, you kind of just like, I think, with Airbnb, you don't ever really get to know the people that will rent out the space. So, I think that she's had interesting interactions, and I just like that she's this strong woman who is up against, you know, the battle of custody for her son and trying to figure life out, and wanting to date again, and there's just so much complexity to her, and she's an artist, again, going back to that point, it's hard to choose to be an artist in life.
ROHAN: When you're in a psychological thriller like this, was there a particular aspect of the film you found more emotionally taxing?
AMY: Probably the most is when she's in serious delirium, and, you know, it's probably day two, and she's sort of losing her mind and doesn't know what's real and what's not. I like the story that it's like this mystery, this suspense mystery, where you're trying to figure out whodunit, along with some comedy, which always is needed, and especially in this type of movie.
ROHAN: You are tied to a bed for a good chunk of the movie, what kind of physical challenges did that present?
AMY: I mean, I do a lot of work prior to working on any film, because usually nowadays we don't get many rehearsals. And so I sort of worked on it a lot before and when we went to film those scenes, I mean, literally, it was, I think, three or four days, just tied up in the bed with potty breaks and lunch breaks, but that was about it. So, that alone was taxing but I don't know, I think a lot of times actors do what ifs or substitutions, different types of modalities to build in that depth in their character. It’s hard to always say what, you know, on that personal level to describe it, but it definitely helped being stuck in that bed.
ROHAN: Considering the shifting tones of the movie and the twists and turns, what was it like working with Anna as a director?
AMY: I mean, Annie was incredible as a director. She's so outside the box. I think that she brought this film - there's so many dimensions to this film, and she's not about just keeping to one genre. She loves the real story lines with the mother and son, she loves the best friends, she loves the art, the drama, the suspense, the sexuality, and there's obviously different dramatic moments in the film. And Annie is so full of energy. She has so much conviction. She's always positive, always motivated, wants to make the best film she can, and she's really collaborative. We were able to work on a lot of the different scenes and continue to work together, rather than just, you know, her just dictating, like, what it is she wants, she was very open to getting the best that we can, and it was fun with all the different actors too. I mean, a really talented cast.
ROHAN: I don't want to give away too much about the film's ending, but what was your initial reaction to learning the twist and ultimate fallout?
AMY: Well, you want to build into any story something that you don't see coming, you know, the fun part is you don't know what the ending will be, and hopefully people don't know until the end. It’s hard to say anything without giving it away, but, you know, people, it’s sort of like the least person that you would suspect being the person that did it or is responsible for it.
ROHAN: You were part of this great show a few years ago, Stargirl, did that role inform your portrayal of a mother in this movie?
AMY: No, I think, you know, it's way different than that character. Being a mother in real life, in general, has helped me play a mother, because I have more personal experience so I can relate to it. I have played mothers prior to being a mother, but now, I'm like, oh, I get the nuances, and I get the deeper relationship that you have being a mother. But I feel like this character, Dawn, is way different than the character Barbara in Stargirl - Barbara, in Stargirl, like she was the matriarch, she is keeping the family together. She is, you know, sort of multitasking in so many ways, in a very family-oriented life where Dawn is like this artist who thinks outside the box and is trying to make ends meet and be a single parent, but live in this beautiful countryside.
ROHAN: Was there ever any alternate ending to this movie? Or was everything always scripted?
AMY: So, the film has changed in some ways, and we've had to sort of work through that because, and I'm not sure how much I should say, but it was originally called blunt, and there was much more, like marijuana smoking in it, but when we went to sell it originally, the streaming service was like, um no, you know, that's not going to really work for our audience, so we we had to cut out some stuff, but still make it work. So, that was challenging, but I think actually it still really works without what we thought was necessary for the script.
ROHAN: After playing Dawn, was there anything from the character that you will take to a future role or even your personal life?
AMY: I do think that when I work on whatever character, I learn from that character and some of their lessons end up getting, you know, personal in my own life, and and for that character, it really sort of brought out the artist in me, like the creative artist - I now take pottery classes, which I never thought I could do. And, so it's sort of, on a personal note, branched me out to explore my more artistic side, other than acting. I know acting is artistic, but like, I think more of the concrete, you know, painting and sculpting and that type of art. So, that inspired me more, in a way, because it's so easy to get caught in life just doing your day to day and not using that creative energy in your mind to move out of your comfort zone and do something that's different and that you think you can't do.
ROHAN: You were part of Scrubs, which is one of my all-time favorite shows - so I was just wondering if you had any memories from that experience or if you'd be interested in revisiting your character?
AMY: I would definitely revisit the Tasty Coma Wife. I mean it was just honestly, such a fun, quirky show to do. Zach is hilarious. The whole cast was really great. The writers, you know, it took the medical world, and flipped it around and brought so much levity to it. But then, there's also obviously heartfelt moments as well in that show. So I felt like it was really innovative for its time and dark and twisted. I mean, my character is called Tasty Coma Wife. I mean, that's not the typical medical, you know, show type of character. And there's like fun fantasy, you know, in that show, and it goes on all these weird tangents. I loved working on that. It was just like a blast.
ROHAN: You've done so many great films - The Butterfly Effect, Just Friends, Crank, just to name a few - do you have any character or project you'd like revisiting now?
AMY: I mean, I thought about, you know, maybe at some point, if we could do a Just Friends 2, that would be really fun. I would potentially do a Crank 3, maybe, if my bones would take it. It's been a while. And, I mean, I wish Stargirl went longer. That was just unfortunate that the CW was sold and they didn't really pick up many of the shows that they had on. But I loved working with that group. I loved Geoff Johns, who created it, and it was so fun with Luke and Brec and Trae.
I wish it continued. And, who knows, the industry is so hard to read right now. I'm not sure where things are going, but there are really great roles that continue to come out, so that's exciting. ,
Struggling artist and single mother Dawn Van Brocklin runs a charming vacation rental in the countryside, where her guests range from socialites to tech innovators. After a brutal attack leaves her tied up in her own home, Dawn must sift through her memories of past guests to uncover who is responsible. As she fights for survival, betrayal, obsession, and dark secrets emerge, blurring the lines between reality and her worsening hallucinations.