The Invisible Man Star Oliver Jackson-Cohen Details Embracing the Iconic Villain

Horror fans have seen a handful of interpretations of what would happen if a man could unlock the key to invisibility, which often unleashes his more sinister qualities and explores the darker side of human nature. With the upcoming The Invisible Man, writer/director Leigh Whannell has shifted focus away from the adventures of the titular character, and instead focuses on the ex-girlfriend of such a character and the torment she endures at his hands. Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays the titular character in the new film and recently detailed his approach to bringing the character to life and portraying such a sinister figure.

“I was very much involved. We’re trying to keep how we did it … we’re trying to keep as much of that a secret as possible so the audiences don’t spend their time thinking about how we did it,” Jackson-Cohen revealed to ComicBook.com of the film’s shooting process. “It was such an amazing experience. It’s kind of an actor’s dream, that you’re in a movie, you’re the title character, and everyone talks about you the whole time and you don’t have to do much. And then they pay you, it’s crazy. So I feel very lucky.”

As evidenced by the film’s trailer, the nature of the film means Elisabeth Moss’ Cecilia spends much of her time seemingly alone on screen, only for audiences to know that Jackson-Cohen’s character exists in the scene, even if we can’t see him. Many of the effects were pulled off using stunt performers in green outfits who were then edited out with visual effects, but Jackson-Cohen made sure not to reveal all of the film’s secrets.

Jackson-Cohen’s breakout role came in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, in which he played a member of a troubled family who had seemingly been plagued by spirits. The actor’s character, Luke, also suffered with substance abuse and addiction. Despite winning fans over with his vulnerable character in that Netflix series, Jackson-Cohen wasn’t trepidatious about tackling such a formidable figure.

“I think they’re two very, very different projects and two very different experiences,” the actor noted. “I think that Hill House was such an incredible experience, a personal experience, for me. This felt very important. The fact that Leigh has written a movie that’s about domestic abuse and about someone escaping that, and gaslighting, I thought was really important. I wanted to be a part of it in whatever capacity, if I was going to be seen or not, it didn’t matter to me because it felt like he had written something that was very confronting and something that’s very real that a lot of people experience. I just wanted to be a part of it.”

The Invisible Man lands in theaters Friday.

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