We recently got the chance to speak with Elyse Levesque about her new film Disquiet, and what she loved about her character Monica. Also working with Jonathan Rhys Meyer and Lochlyn Munro who is a fellow Canadian actor. Hope you all enjoy the interview. Paramount Pictures and SPMG will release Disquiet in select theatres, on digital, and on-demand on February 10, 2023.
AJ Friar:
So, Elyse, what got you interested in joining the cast of this film?
Elyse Levesque:
Well, when I auditioned for it, I put myself on tape, funnily enough, about a year ago almost exactly, and I just really fell in love with the character of Monica. I didn’t have the script or anything when I first taped it, and then they redirected me to change a few things with the character and I did it again, and I just really enjoyed her sense of humor and her sincerity. It was an opportunity for me to play someone somewhat outside of myself, so that’s one of the things that really excited me about it, and then when I found out that Johnny, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, was attached, I was extra excited, because I was a big fan of his work.
AJ Friar:
Right. And how was it working in just this isolated, abandoned hospital as well? Just how was that, working in such a tight space with the cast?
Elyse Levesque:
Well, it’s not my first time working in an abandoned hospital. I did an episode of a show called The Originals and we filmed it at this abandoned asylum in Georgia, and that one was even scarier, because it was really, really run down. Whereas this one has been used a bunch for film and television, so parts of it are maintained. That being said, there are some buildings on the property that are condemned and you cannot go into them. And a number of the crew had some pretty crazy stories, because they filmed there a lot, of seeing things, hearing things. There was one floor which we were told like, “Don’t go up there.” The people who supervise the estate, if you will, the security people, they won’t even go up to this floor. So, it naturally-
AJ Friar:
Oh.
Elyse Levesque:
Yeah, so it naturally created sort of a claustrophobic, dark, uneasy feeling just by filming in that space. So I’m sure it informed what we were doing, whether we were always aware of it or not.
AJ Friar:
Right. That had to help a lot with getting the tension that everybody needed for this story to come out on screen as well, just being in that place might have helped everybody be on edge a little bit and bring that out of their characters.
Elyse Levesque:
Oh, for sure, and I wish I could remember, but I feel like there was a couple times where some weird things happened and you could feel everyone was like… Just weird sounds or something going out, lights going out. So yeah, no, it definitely was a character in and of itself.
AJ Friar:
And how was it like working with Lochlyn, or Laughlin, on this?
Elyse Levesque:
Yeah, Lochlyn Munro
AJ Friar:
Because I remember him ass a kid in the first Scary Movie, kind of just like a goofball character. And now he’s transitioned and doing some serious work, because this isn’t his first horror film that he’s done in the past few years. So, how was it like just being around him on set as well?
Elyse Levesque:
Oh, he’s so great. I weirdly had never worked with him before, even though he’s a fellow Canadian, and our paths have never crossed. I don’t think I’d ever even met him in person, even though everyone I know knows him. But he’s such a consummate professional and he brings a real levity to the set between takes, which is really nice when stuff is so serious. But he’s great, he’s so nice and it’s always classic, he plays a lot of bad guys, and always the nicest people play baddies. I don’t know how that ends up happening, but it’s a trend, for sure. But no, he was great, he was great. I wish I had more stuff with him. We had just a handful of group scenes, but his character and Trezzo’s character were a little more intertwined, whereas I was a lot more with Johnny for most of the stuff, and Rachelle.
AJ Friar:
Got it. And how was it like working with Jonathan? Because he’s worked with a lot of big names, like John Travolta with From Paris with Love, and he’s kind of made a name for himself as well. So, how was it just having his essence around you on set as well?
Elyse Levesque:
Yeah. I mean, going into it, like I said, I was very, very familiar with his work, big fan. I watched all the seasons of The Tudors, and one of my favorite performances of his is Velvet Goldmine, in this film called Velvet Goldmine. So I was a big fan, and so I was definitely intimidated to meet him, but he’s so goofy and funny. And of course, he takes his work very seriously and for the first several days was very in character, so I didn’t quite know how to approach him. But then about four or five days into filming, we started to chat a little bit more between setups and I got to know him a bit, and he’s really a lovely human with a massive heart. So, he’s not only talented, but just a really genuine, fascinating, knowledgeable, he’s so smart, human being.
AJ Friar:
All right, and one final question for you, Elyse. What were some of the most fun moments that you had while filming this film, if any, on set? Because you already talked about how that abandoned hospital was kind of scary for a lot of people who film in there, so what were some of the funnest moments that you’ve had?
Elyse Levesque:
Gosh. I mean, I’m just getting flashes of all of us laughing, and I can’t remember what it was about. I think it was the second to last day, and I don’t know what we were filming, I just remember we could not keep it together. And it of course was one of the climax scenes of the film.
AJ Friar:
Right.
Elyse Levesque:
And we’re all… I mean, oh, there’s one moment I remember. This is actually the moment, because like I said, Johnny, he’s very in character, he’s very, very committed to his work, and I think it was the fourth day of filming and my character wakes up in the hospital. She goes in to undergo breast augmentation, so she falls asleep on this operating table and wakes up and finds herself stuck in this really crazy hellscape. So needless to say, I grab a medical sheet and I wrap it around myself, and then I end up meeting Johnny’s character. And at one point I’m starting to put clothes on while we’re being chased by something, and Johnny was running ahead of me down the hall and I was having a really hard time getting my shoes on, so I was hopping after him down the hallway trying to get my shoes on. And I just remember, because he was so in character, he was like, “Monica, run!” And then he turned around and he saw me hobbling behind him and he just completely broke character and was laughing hysterically at me. Anyway, that’s just one moment that sort of stands out. I made Johnny break.
AJ Friar:
Well, Elyse, thank you so much for joining us at Infamous Horrors today. It’s been fun. And congratulations.
Elyse Levesque:
Thank you so much. Take care.
