VANCOUVER-NATIVE MACKENZIE DAVIS CONTINUES TO GENRE-JUMP, FROM ROM-COMS AND FEMINIST INDIE FLICKS TO SCI-FI AND HORROR, WITH TV CREDITS INCLUDING HALT AND CATCH FIRE, STATION ELEVEN, AND BLACK MIRROR'S BELOVED "SAN JUNIPERO" EPISODE, TO MOVIE BLOCKBUSTERS SUCH AS TERMINATOR: DARK FATE AND BLADE RUNNER 2049, AND THE COMEDIES TULLY, IRRESISTIBLE AND HAPPIEST SEASON. THE 37-YEAR-OLD ACTRESS IS CURRENTLY MAKING US JUMP OUT OF OUR SEATS, IN THE REMAKE OF THE TENSE AND EERIE DANISH HORROR MOVIE, SPEAK NO EVIL, IN WHICH A DREAM HOLIDAY SOON TURNS INTO A PSYCHOLOGICAL NIGHTMARE FULL OF COMPLEX GENDER DYNAMICS. DAVIS INFUSES HER CHARACTER LOUISE, A MOTHER AND WIFE IN A TROUBLED MARRIAGE, WITH AN UNCOMFORTABLE BLEND OF SOCIAL ANXIETY, DIVORCED FROM HER INSTINCTS. WE CAUGHT UP WITH DAVIS TO TALK ABOUT RELYING ON HER INTUITION, CRAVING LIGHTNESS, AND HOW SLEEP IS ON HER WISH LIST FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.

Left Full look **Prada**
Right Coat **Miu Miu**, skirt **Maison Margiela**, shoes **Dries Van Noten**, socks **Falke**

Ok firstly, this movie has made me never want to be a host or house guest again! What about you?

Not at all, I love hosting, but it’s maybe not that wise to spend three isolated days with some people you only met on holiday in a dreamy location!

You can say that again. Let’s get under the skin of your character Louise, as I imagine she was quite complicated and layered to play – she’s a bit of a balancing act. Was that one of the things that attracted you to the movie?

Yes, I found her challenging in that I didn’t like her right away, and I found some of her behaviour frustrating, and the more I looked at her, the more I wanted to create a reason as to why she was the way she was. I feared that she would be a passive character who turned into the “strong female character archetype” at the end and there wouldn’t be a true line between the two, and so I tried to figure out a way into her that pushed against my initial judgements.

Full look **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

I’m assuming you didn’t see yourself, or aspects of yourself, in your character, as is often the case with acting, because Louise entirely goes against her instincts?

I initially didn’t see myself in the character as I couldn’t understand her reticence to call the shots when it was clear she had the instinct, impulse and intuition to read the situation clearly; I kept thinking, “Why is this woman always looking at her husband for answers?” What was helpful was building a framework where I could understand that reticence, that this couple were in therapy. It’s a relationship where she’s trying to atone for an indiscretion and is constantly in an apologetic, backfooted place. I think resolutions can come out of couples therapy that aren’t necessarily healthy or equal on the surface, but are stepping stones to solving a marital problem, and in this case, it was important that Ben (Scoot McNairey’s character) got to be the leader in public situations, and I hesitate to use the word “emasculated” because it’s my least favourite word on the planet, but it’s that feeling of him needing to have that power bestowed on him. So, once I figured all of that out, it made more sense to me why this smart, capable woman was constantly looking to her husband for approval, guidance or support in a situation where she clearly already knew what to do.

Left Full look **Louis Vuitton**
Right Sweater & skirt **Fendi**, boots **Prada**

For a lot of the movie, she’s trying to keep the peace and then she just can’t do it anymore. That will be relatable to many of us, trying to be all things at once. I liked that what she’s feeling is not always delivered through dialogue, but rather expressions or silence. That’s always interesting to explore on screen.

Behaviour is the most revealing aspect of your feelings or character and it was important to me to know that Louise wasn’t going to be overly vocal, and that our director James Watkins was interested in those moments of silence; not that she was absent from proceedings, but that her silence was spoken in other ways. I’m always interested in couples or families with a long relationship history, which is thick with subtext like past hurts, game playing, traps to see if ‘they do that thing you expect them to’, you don’t always see it all in dialogue, but those silences or looks are the most interesting.

Left Full look **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**
Right Sweater **Maison Margiela**, bottoms **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

The film takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride, from cringe laughing to feeling so unsettled, and what elevates it, I think, is a lot of the story explores digging into what it means not to speak up, so there is an emotional journey audiences can connect with, that feels logical. Would you agree?

I think the experience of trying to be polite, keep the peace, and trying to survive in society and not alienate people all the time is one I definitely relate to, as we’re constantly censoring ourselves, and sometimes it can feel like the stakes of offending or not are as high as being killed! To make some really insensitive misstep will cause you to get cast out of society in a way that could be like a death. I know I sound dramatic but this response to social situations can feel extremely high stakes. Then that’s also funny too, as comedy and horror are dealing with the same things, that tension and then release, you either scream or laugh, and you get both with this film, the social panic and mortal panic.

It's interesting you mention social panic, particularly with this fear everyone has of being cancelled for speaking up. What’s your take on it all?

I think society swings on a pendulum and sometimes we overcorrect in a way to rectify something that hasn’t been corrected for centuries. Some people may bristle to current culture as we’re correcting a system of order or power structure that kept people silent rather than speaking up against what the norm was deemed to be. People are having strong reactions to what they see as militant political correctness now, or cancel culture. But I think it’s also natural to swing to one side and not to feel the need to overcorrect, even though the impetus seems to be a radical empathy, at some times it feels like it’s neutered our impulses and intuitions as we’re constantly checking ourselves to make sure we’re not offending. I like to think I’m an empathetic person, but that there is also space to make a mistake and follow your intuition without being penalised for it.

Left Sweater **Maison Margiela**, bottoms **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**
Right Full look **Balenciaga**

In relation to your character Louise’s fear of not speaking up, but empathising with her logic, have you ever had to mute your intuitive responses in real-life experiences?

Yes, there are so many times I’ve had to mute, as I’m really sensitive to certain pejorative words, such as “emasculation”, as it doesn’t have a parallel for women, it’s a straight off panic of men not being able to rule the world and it’s such a stupid word. But then if I’m in a social situation I probably won’t call it out every time I hear it, I’ll give myself a few opportunities not to say what I’m thinking [Laughs], but then the weight of being the killjoy outweighs the other part of you that wants to just survive and not correct people and move on. So that meeting out of an allowance of intuitive responses, or not having free reign is part of surviving socially, but it does mute your sensitivities.

Speaking of intuition, I imagine the obvious thing with taking new roles is not to repeat yourself. What does get you excited when it comes to a script? And what type of roles do you automatically turn down? Is there such a thing?

It’s hard to say what I turn down, but there is a genre of speculative sci-fi, it’s not the genre, but easy dystopias can sometimes feel like something I don’t want to do, but so many things are a reaction to the last thing you did. So, I’m craving lightness rather than darkness right now, and often when I read a script, I think, “Can I feel the words in my mouth?” Sometimes things are great, objectionably wonderful, that I would love to be in, but it’s not going to fit in my body for some reason and it’s a strange litmus test that’s hard to describe to another person. I can just feel if something is going to fit with me or not and it’s a rhythm, understanding the tone and point of view of the writer when you’re reading something.

In the eclectic and complex mix of characters you’ve already played over your career, how has the feeling of being in front of a camera changed for you since your first screen role?

It’s changed a lot. I always felt comfortable acting between action and cut, even on my first movie, but I would say working on character and advocating for character has changed a lot, having grown up and found more authority and a right to advocate. It felt inappropriate when I was younger to be more strident or raise things that I had trouble with, like the way a scene was written, and if I got pushed back, I would be like, “Ok, moving on.” Now, I’m more loyal to my point of view because I trust it comes from a good place and that I have good instincts most of the time. I guess I’ve become a lot more annoying to work with.

Full looks **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**

Before your on-screen break came, were there movies you watched growing up that helped fuel your passion for acting?

Well, every Sunday we would go to Blockbuster and choose a film, then cook a roast dinner and we were allowed to eat it in front of the TV! There were so many movies we watched all the time at home, like Beetlejuice, Drop Dead Fred and Father of the Bride. I wouldn’t say there was one movie or performance that moved me or ignited my passion, but those kinds of films were on constant repeat in my house!

Left Sweater **Fendi**
Right Full look **Louis Vuitton**

What’s home life like for you now, after being on set for hours… Are you still watching movies? How do you relax?

Well, I just started running, which really scares me because I always end up injuring my ankle, but it’s been really helpful, as I’m shooting a show right now that’s really full on, and all I want to do when I get home is eat and watch something and tune out. So, I’ve been forcing myself to go out and run instead. I also love watching my dog, she helps me be in the moment because she’s so fascinated by things and emotionally available, and she also has a hair-trigger temper that I have to watch out for, so she keeps me excruciatingly present! [Laughs]

And the show you’re working on is the forthcoming Netflix series The Undertow?

Yes, I finish that soon and then I’m going to sleep more than anyone thought possible! After that, I’m going on vacation too, not sure where, and then it’ll be Christmas, so lots of cosy fires, reading, and more sleep!