Javier Botet Details How He Brought the Demonic ‘Mara’ to Life

Having starred in films like Mama, [REC], The Conjuring 2, and IT, actor Javier Botet has brought a number of horrifying entities to life with special effects and haunting physical performances. In the actor’s most recent film, Mara, he plays a demonic presence that visits its victims in their sleep, blurring the lines between the waking and dream worlds. Botet recently shared the process of developing his many terrifying characters.

“I always love to speak with the directors as soon as possible to get their point,” Botet shared with ComicBook.com. “But if, in the moment, they gave me freedom, I feel free to start helping, ’cause nobody knows my body like me. So I’m always giving ideas. Sometimes they say yes, sometimes they have something very clear, very concrete to do, and when a director knows exactly what they want, it’s very easy for me.”

Handing over full creative leadership to the director is sometimes easier said than done, as Botet’s own filmmaking experiences often result in adding his own input to the characters.

“I can’t even keep quiet when I’m shooting. I directed my own shorts and I have a lot of projects. I want to direct some movies, I’m writing, I’m drawing. I’m always in all the parts of a production. I love every part of the production,” Botet admitted. “And I can’t avoid giving my opinion always. So, most of the times, it’s my ideas mixed with the director’s ideas.”

Between characters like the Leper in IT or the Crooked Man in The Conjuring 2, Botet often has to communicate all of his ideas with just his body movements and without his speech. Whether he’s playing a silent character or gets to actually talk, like in the film Freehold, all performances require different talents.

“I love comedy and I’ve been, all my life, doing comedy,” Botet noted. “So the dialogue and everything, for example, in comedy, it’s as easy to me as using all of the body expressions. But if we are doing a drama, or something different, that’s more challenging for me. So that’s the difference.”

No matter what the genre, Botet appreciates each and every opportunity, ensuring that we’ll likely see him again in a number of different projects.

The actor admitted, “I love what I’m doing. I’m saying thank you all the time ’cause I’m very happy but I would love to do more of other things.”

Catch Botet in Mara this Friday on VOD and in select theaters.