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I was so fucked up after watching it that I didnt sleep.
Its maybe the most aggressive reaction Ive ever had to a film.
Which is why its particularly fascinating that Poulter himself could hardly handle watching the film.
This movie is … out of control.
It was very visceral, and it had the potential to be great, but it was intimidatingly ambitious.
Im a huge fan of both them and Im a very close friend of Jacks.
I couldnt afford to let the opportunity go.
Was Tuesday the first time you saw it?Tuesday was the first time I saw it.
And I didnt sleep on Tuesday night.
Why?Because I was so fucked up after watching it.
Even knowing what was going to happen?Oh my God.
Its maybe the most aggressive reaction Ive ever had to a film.
That youve been in, or ever?Ever.
Why do you think that was?It was so unfamiliar; theres nothing like it.
Which is crazy to say, because I read the script, and I was in it.
The atmosphere created within that film is so engrossing, and you get embroiled in all of it.
Coming out the other side is a disorientating experience that lasts for a long time.
Did the rest of the cast feel similarly fucked up by watching it?Yeah.
We were all fucked.
For ten minutes afterward, we were just completely silent.
We couldnt talk; we were all in a state of shock and deeply disturbed.
What disturbed you the most about it?The fact that its all real.
In the sense that there arent ghouls and there arent ghosts and there arent monsters.
The square root of all of the hideous things you see in the film is that theyre human.
Even when you know characters are under the influence of psychedelic drugs, theyre still natural.
And the horror derives from a very real place.
The entry point for the audience is human.
He does the same thing here with toxic relationship, under this prevailing idea of grief.
He fiddles with the dials to make it highly uncomfortable and apply some distortion.
But the original thing that hes commenting on is natural and thats what so fucked up about it.
What was the mood like on set?
My character is one of the more comedic aspects of the film, because hes deeply insecure.
So I was joking around a little bit more.
But I marveled at some of the things that Florence and Jack went through.
For Florence, there wasnt as much of an opportunity to be jovial.
Everyone got along so well.
Actually fourth, if you include the short that Jack directed recently.
Did Ari have you guys do any sort of group-building exercises or hallucinogens to bond?[Laughs.
]No, there were no hallucinogens taken.
That was all acted.
But we did do some really cool group exercises.
I read that Ari made a 100-page bible of the movies backstory and mythologies.
Did you ever get to see it?No.
I wouldnt be surprised if it was 1,000 pages and he buried it somewhere in the mountains of Sweden.
He just sits on all of this brilliance.
All of these secrets and background work.
He wont tell you unless you ask him, What are the Easter eggs in this scene?
But he will tell you if you ask?
Because we played it in such a way that Jacks coverage is in the mirror.
I was always like, Why the fuck didnt he get coverage on that?
I didnt even realize there was a mirror behind us.
[Warning: Youll better appreciate the following three questions and Poulters answers if youve seen the film.
If you havent, youll be a bit confused by the extremely vague spoilers ahead.]
I never had the chance to go to an actual bathroom.
I peed in what feels like every part of Canada.
Can we talk a little bit about that skin suit?
That was very unnerving as well.
So they used that mold, plus a bit of 3-D scanning, to create my skin suit.
What was it like to see your own face on someone elses face?It was terrifying.
Theres something very off about it.
I think again, it speaks to Ari as a director.
Ive never seen someone work harder.
I think that is very true of Ari.
Ive never seen a director work harder.
What does Ari Aster do for fun?I think … eat?
When youre working so hard, your fun is what you might have for dinner.
I know hes a huge film fan.
But honestly, I wouldnt know.
I never saw Ari not working; he was just working his ass off.
The media kind of spun it and this and that and the other, which was a bit disappointing.
Am I nervous about people not likingMidsommar?
Cause Ive seen it.
I think its really, really special.
But people are entitled to their opinion.
I hope it stokes a discussion.
Theyll definitely have a strong reaction either way.Right maybe a global lack-of-sleep epidemic.
