Storm Reid is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation, thanks to roles in projects like 12 Years a Slave, A Wrinkle in Time, Don’t Let Go, and the TV series Euphoria, with her most recent project, The Invisible Man, seeing the actress face off against an intimidating and unseen threat. Reid plays Sydney in the film, sharing her home with family friend Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) as she attempts to recuperate from her former abusive partner seemingly killing himself, only for the abuse to mysteriously continue. This forced the cast, Reid included, to convey an immense sense of fear without always getting to see the face of their tormentors.
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“On set, imagining somebody invisible torturing you, I think that will get you a little bit emotional,” Reid shared with ComicBook.com of shooting the film. “If it doesn’t, you’re one brave person. With my fight sequence, I didn’t really have anything to work off of. It was just me and the camera and me fighting with thin air, but I think it really challenged me and sharpened my skills, so I’m appreciative for that experience and it was a lot of fun.”
While some of the sequences utilized special effects to erase elements from the scene to create the illusion of an invisible tormentor, some sequences were entirely devoid of an intimidating presence, forcing Reid to conjure up her own images of fear. The actress noted that this allowed her the freedom to be terrified of anything her imagination could conjure.
“I think my imagination is scarier,” Reid pointed out. “I think imagining the unimaginable is very scary and really the fear of the unknown is scary, as well. I think that’s the most frightening thing, for me, and for audience members, because you just don’t know what’s coming and you don’t know where this guy is.”
The film shares the name with the 1933 Universal monster movie, but this new approach shifts the focus away from the titular character and his descent into madness and instead focuses on the torment endured by Cecilia. This results in a complete tonal shift from its predecessor, making the film feel entirely original.
“The story is something that has been loved for so many years and people continue to rave about it and I don’t think we tried to change it in any way,” Reid pointed out. “But just reimagine it with a woman at the center who was struggling, and that really spoke to me because, yes, it is a genre piece, but it is something that will evoke a conversation and really relate to people and that’s what I try to be a part of every time.”
The Invisible Man lands in theaters Friday.
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