Posted in: Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Ali Fumiko Whitney, All My Friends Are Dead, Cineverse

AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead: Whitney on Social Media, Horror & More

Ali Fumiko Whitney (Cabin Girl) spoke to Bleeding Cool about her work in the Cineverse horror thriller AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead.

Ali Fumiko Whitney is ready to embrace all the challenges ahead of her in Hollywood with serious, untapped potential. She is currently in her third year in the business since her debut in the 2021 indie film The Road Dance. She's since been embracing the opportunities coming her way, including 2023's Cabin Girl and a big 2024 with three films: Snow Valley, Find Me Falling, and #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead. The actress spoke with Bleeding Cool about the social media-oriented Cineverse horror film, why the film offers a perfect mix of comedy and gore, director Marcus Dunstan, social media, and her future. All My Friends Are Dead follows a group of college friends who rent an Airbnb for the biggest music festival of the year. A weekend of partying quickly takes a turn, as the group is murdered one by one, according to their sin.

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead Star Ali Fumiko Whitney on Horror That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'All My Friends Are Dead?'

When I first read the script for 'All My Friends Are Dead,' I loved it because it was such an ensemble collaborative piece. I thought if they got the casting right for this, it would be so much fun to work on and play off each other. While I didn't necessarily grow up a horror-slasher genre film fan, I worked on a couple of horrors at this point and this one felt like it did the slasher genre proud. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It's lighthearted, there's comedy in it, but it also has the gory appeal people who love horror-slasher films enjoy. I loved the script and the idea of playing a character people would hate but finding ways to make her human and vulnerable so they can relate to her.

How do you break down the set that Marcus ran?

Marcus Dunstan, our director, is the nicest, most lovely man. He's so down-to-earth, humble, and so generous. It's funny because he's a horror film fanatic, and obviously he's worked on some incredible franchises like 'Saw,' and you would think he is this twisted man who has a mind for creepy movies like those, but he is so kind, and I don't say this lightly. He gave the actors so much respect to play with his film. As a director, he was collaborative, which I love. He ran the set with so much kindness, patience, and respect for everyone on the crew, and I have nothing but love for him.

Was there anything else aside from the script that helped inspire your performance as Liv?

Yeah, I would say. Listen, this film focuses on Gen Z and takes all the different tropes with social media, especially TikTok, Instagram, and vlogging today. All you must do is Google someone, and you can learn everything about them. With this part, [Liv] is a wannabe influencer. She's deeply insecure and wants validation. To her core, she wants to be well-liked and received, and that was too far off from being a young actress and on social media, right? We see it all the time. People want to overshare to get constant validation. I took inspiration from my life, experiences on social media, and following these influencers who are so public with their personal lives. I took that info and then tried to bring a piece of myself as Ali into it. How can I make this character who could be received sort of vapid and unlikable? How do I make her real so people connect to her and want to root for her throughout the film?

Working on the film, how does it affect your social media activity and attitudes?

Social media has become a big part of the entertainment industry and what we do as actors. There's a certain aspect: "I want to keep my own life private, but also, it's really exciting and cool to get to share what we work on." I'm not a stranger to social media, but I will say Liv's character is as far from me, and I am not an influencer. I don't tend to overshare on social media like my character did or wanted to. Social media can be viewed as a great tool for us as a business in terms of self-promotion.
I'm so grateful for social media because it's helped me promote myself and my project. There's also a dangerous aspect to it, and this film plays into that, right? [Our characters] each represent [one of the seven] deadly sins, and we show what happens if you are too prideful, greedy, or lustful, and my character is Greed. It shows what happens when you get too greedy.

How do you break down the cast chemistry? Was there anyone you hung out with on set?

We were in Vancouver for this 12-day shoot, which is fast for those unfamiliar with the film. Twelve days to do a feature film is nothing, and we bonded heavily because it was fast-paced. Every day was like a long day on set. We didn't have trailers, and we were in one green room. We were together all day, every day, essentially, for those 12 days, and we bonded quickly. Jade Pettyjohn, who was our number one on the call sheet, stars in the film. She set the tone for our set. She was so kind and lovely, and she gave to all of us as actors and human beings. The fact we got so close so quickly helped with our on-screen chemistry. We remain to this day good friends. We have a group chat, and we talk all the time. We have Jennifer Ens, Julian Haig, Justin Derickson, Cardy Wong, Jack Doupe-Smith, and Michaella Russell. As an ensemble, we got along well, so that was special.

What has working in horror taught you about yourself as an actor?

The horror genre is one of those honors that people love or hate. When I first got into this genre right with this project, and then I did 'Cabin Girl' (2023) and another film called 'Snow Valley' (2024). They're all different, and this one is specifically a horror-slasher film. Going into it, I'm a trained theatre actor, so a part of you wants things to be serious, like "It's drama! We must make sure we prep that." With [the horror] genre, I love it. It's so playful and, honestly, more of a challenge when you have unrealistic circumstances and must make it real for you as a person, so the movie turns out good. It's allowed me to get out of my head, be more playful, make bolder choices, go into things without judgment, and be receptive to what other actors do. Improv 101, I can say "Yes, and?" Horror taught me the "Yes, and?" in my acting, and I had a lot of fun with it. This is one of the most fun filming experiences I've had.

Is there another genre you hope you want to do in the future, or perhaps a subgenre of horror?

I am so grateful I've gotten to work in a couple of genres, with horror and rom-com being the main ones, but I got to do a period piece as my first film; I'm at the point where if I'm manifesting my dream roles to come, I would love to be in an action movie. I have a sports background. I've always said, "It would be so great to use my sports background in my acting career," something in Marvel or 'Mission: Impossible' world would be so cool to work on and different from anything I've done. I would say the action genre is one that I'm constantly in awe of, and I would love to be a part of that world.

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, which also stars JoJo Siwa, is available on digital and on-demand.

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