Posted in: Amazon MGM Studios, Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: The Devil's Mouth

The Devil's Mouth: Kathryn Newton on Immersive Shark Survival Horror

Kathryn Newton (Avengers: Doomsday) spoke to us about her latest shark survival horror film The Devil’s Mouth from Amazon MGM Studios/Thunder Road, plus stunts & more.

Kathryn Newton emerged as one of the most versatile talents in Hollywood, making her impact across TV and film, whether it's action, comedy, comic book, fantasy, or especially horror. Since her memorable performance in Paranormal Activity 4 (2012), the Ant-Man franchise and upcoming Avengers: Doomsday star has done everything from battling monsters in The CW's Supernatural, becoming one in the body-swap horror comedy Freaky (2020), building one in the coming-of-age dark comedy Lisa Frankenstein (2024), and embracing her vampire in Abigail (2024). She's even joined another horror comedy franchise in the kill-or-be-killed Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026). Her latest is the survival horror film from Amazon MGM Studios/Thunder Road in The Devil's Mouth, which finds five friends out on one last adventure in Thailand as their journey takes them to a cave with time running out and a dangerous shark out on the prowl. Newton spoke to Bleeding Cool about how the Jeff Wadlow film checks off her horror wish list, the challenges of orientation and water stunt work, and how practical effects help deliver a more organic performance.

The Devil's Mouth Star Kathryn Newton on Tackling Aquatic Survival Horror

Bleeding Cool: You've got caught quite an impressive space in the horror genre with 'Freaky,' 'Lisa Frankenstein,' and 'Abigail.' What stood out to you about The Devil's Mouth?

Newton: Thank you. I think it's a new genre, a new genre for me. A little shark action horror film has never been done before on my end, and I was really excited. I'm a fan of the studios Lionsgate and Thunder Road. They make amazing action films, and Amazon MGM understands the audience that they're playing for, and I was just excited by the team. One of our producers, Erica Lee, and everyone were so cool to work with, so I was excited by the opportunity and felt really empowered by them. I wanted to do it and impress them.

Now, was all the filming done on location, or did you do some of the scenes on a soundstage?

I would say 30 percent of the movie is in the wild in Thailand. We went up to Chiang Mai and Krabi, hiked into the mountains, and kayaked into caves for real. Like, I'm not kidding you, man. I looked around and thought, "Is anyone watching us? [Turns her head from side to side] Are we really okay?" You know, we had shark radar, thunder radar, the tidal waves are like [twirls her finger in a circle], you just had to pay attention in a way that I wasn't aware of. As an actor, my job is to kind of forget and be free.

I had the best time ever, and then the rest, you're right, we had amazing sound stages. We had two caves built: One was a 20-foot cave, and the other was about five feet. The 20-foot cave is where we did most of our underwater acting, and I often wondered, why did they have to make it 20 feet? What was the point of that, but it all added to the element of…I really was in a terrifying situation, even though it was safe and I knew what was going on; you still have that element of fear within you. You can't deny it, you know? I thought that was really exciting, and I think you can feel it on camera.

What did you like working with Jeff as a creative?

Jeff really understood the task at hand, and I think he really wanted us to be prepared. He really wanted everyone to know it was going to be hard, and I wanted him to feel like he didn't have anything to worry about. He didn't have anything to worry about when it came to the cast that he was able to get with Lana Condor, Gavin Casalengo, Nico Hiraga, and Tommi Rose, who are incredible actors, prepared, and excited. He made sure we had a week of rehearsal just in the studio, like talking, doing table reads in rehearsal to create a good character dynamic, and then on the day, he didn't have to worry about anything. We were game. He really made it easy, because I knew what he wanted and he really listened to me. He was a really good collaborator.

Was the shark a practical effect with the shark, or was it all CG? How tough was it to do the choreography with the action sequences?

The choreography was hard because literally, we're in the water. As the camera moves around, I'm moving around. I had to use my little acting secrets to know where the camera was, because I didn't want to have to do it again. No one wanted to have to do it again, and you're dealing with an animatronic shark. You've got to hit those marks. We had a real shark, like a really scary puppet shark, and when it was lurking in the shadows there, I got chills. You really forget what you're doing. When you're in a cave like that all day, you don't even have to be an actor to feel it. It's like being on a ride at Disneyland or something. If you wanted to have fun and feel it all, you could. That's kind of what I do: revert to my inner child, and I allow myself to feel it, you know? It was easy, because I didn't have to use my imagination. That last sequence of the movie, I really hiked up a mountain and crawled through a cave. They had me in a harness so I couldn't fall, but I felt like I could. I felt that thing could snap. That fear is there; you can feel it.

The Devil's Mouth is available on Prime Video.

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