Posted in: Movies, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros | Tagged: weapons, Zach Cregger

Weapons Star Callie Schuttera on Tarantino Vibes from Horror Film

Callie Schuttera (The Rookie) spoke to Bleeding Cool about her role on the Warner Bros/New Line horror film Weapons, Zach Cregger & more.

Callie Schuttera has been active for over 15 years since her debut in the 2009 mockumentary Run Hollywood Summer. As she's been finding her voice as an actor and writer, she's started to hit her stride in the last decade, writing and starring in the 2018 dramedy, Blue, which she co-wrote with her director and spouse, Gabriela Ledesma. Schuttera has since appeared on TV shows like AppleTV+'s The Mosquito Coast, Prime Video's On Call, and now stars in the Warner Bros/New Line horror film Weapons. The film follows a mysterious event when all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. Schuttera, who plays the mother of Alex (Cary Christopher), spoke to Bleeding Cool about writer-director Zach Creggar (Barbarian), following his work, his similar narrative style to Quentin Tarantino, working with co-stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Aldren Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Whitmer Thomas, why Amy Madigan is the MVP of the film, and more.

Weapons Star Callie Schuttera on Embracing Zach Creggar's Storytelling, Bonding on Set, and Future

What intrigued you about 'Weapons', and how did you get involved?

The script stood out. It was such an easy read because it was gripping and so much fun. My manager sent it to me. I was on a different project at the time, away from home, and she said, "Hey, I don't know if you have time to squeeze this in when you're done, but this is the untitled Zach Cregger project if you have heard of him." I said, "Yes, I have." I've seen 'Barbarian' (2022) in theaters twice. I saw 'The Whitest Kids U'Know,' probably every episode, when I was in high school, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity.

When you looked at the script, did something about it speak to you about how it stood out compared to anything else you've done before?

It was clear that it wasn't trying to be anything else. It didn't feel like it fit neatly in the slasher genre. It didn't feel like it fit into classic allegories about witches. I also have a deep fascination and fear of witches. They're both very cool and awesome, and I'm also very deep down afraid of them. I used to have nightmares about the Wicked Witch of the West (from 'The Wizard of Oz') when I was little, so there was that. I also appreciated the script style and the breakdown of the POVs. I liked that kind of story. I'm also a big Tarantino fan, and I love it when he breaks down a story that way. I loved it when 'Barbarian' was broken down into two distinct POVs, and it's also important to note that [Cregger] did it so well. It was distinct chapters, but you always knew where you were in time and space, and you never felt like you were getting the same story over again, and you were never confused about where you were. I fell in love with it.

Were you surprised by the film's success? I know it just came out.

A little, yeah, I knew it was good, but I thought it would reach that cap that horror films do, where they don't quite ever reach the mainstream, and a friend of mine in the cast had said, "This could be an Oscar movie," and I remember at the time saying like, "Well, that's not going to happen." I hope it does, and that would be so great. Now that I'm looking at the response, I think it's possible. I mean, Amy Madigan. We SHOULD give her all the awards today.

What's the biggest challenge of doing horror of this nature?

This is my first proper horror, and I wasn't sure how to approach that demonic side of things going into it. I have a Brazilian mother-in-law who told me that whenever I was doing possession scenes that I needed a piece of tape over my belly button, so my hair and makeup artist on set and the costumers knew that there was a piece of tape over my belly button most of the time. Other than that, I wanted to find a way into a scary character that still felt real to me and didn't just feel like a monster caricature. That was probably my biggest hurdle.

What about some of the scenes you shared with your co-stars, Cary, Julia, Whitmer, or anyone else?

That was my little family. Cary, Whitmer, and I were together most of the time on set. Julie was also lovely. Anytime I got to interact with her, she was so kind, down-to-earth, and so good in this movie. Cary was a bright spot on set. He's so smart, energetic, and ready to jump into anything, just as professional as any actor I've ever worked with. Whit was my comedic relief on set. He would be making jokes right up until we called action, and even a lot of the little nicknames that he has for (Cary's character) Alex in the film are improvised. He has such a sweet demeanor, and we loved being a little family for that time.

Was there anyone you particularly hung out with on set or came into production with an impression of any actor, and surprised you?

Yeah, like I said, the entire cast was so lovely, despite everyone's giant stance in the industry. Josh Brolin and Amy Madigan were lovely. Austin Abrams was funny and easy to hang out with, and Alden [Ehrenreich] as well. I would say Amy gave me the biggest surprise, because most actors, when they finish their coverage, go back to their trailer. They'll do their own thing once they know they're completely done being shot out, and Amy was so present, so shockingly frightening in our scenes together. Even when Whit and I were doing a scene that [Amy] was completely done shooting, she was supposed to be there in the corner. She would always stay for us, for Cary, and make sure she always provided that presence. She was so kind to everyone, and everyone knew Amy as one of the sweetest people on set, and then she turns into this monster.

Shifting gears, I wanted to talk about your appearances on 'The Rookie and 'On Call.' How do you feel about working as a guest star on episodic television, and if you want to expand on that in the future, joining a series as part of a featured cast?

Yeah, I was so grateful to do my first Dick Wolf show, 'On Call.' That feels like some rite of passage as an actor, and I loved that character (of Mystery Mary). She was so much fun to play, and she has some elements of Austin Abrams' character James in 'Weapons.' I would say "episodic" is something so different. It's so long and sustained if you're a recurring character, and that's something I would love to be a part of as well, a show that has longevity. You get to remain a family, but also keep your performance consistent and interesting over such a long period. This week, I'm moving into production on another movie, and this is one that my wife is directing. She and I wrote it together, which is this dystopian political horror thriller.

Follow-up question. Can you talk about the type of projects you want to do on top of this, since this comes after your first project you wrote in 'Blue?'

This [thriller] is the next original piece by our company. This will be our third feature film, and we've made these projects with small budgets up until now. We're moving more into the horror thriller genre, which we're excited about. It's something we've always wanted to do. The next thing I'd like to explore after this one is that I have a couple of scripts with horror thriller elements. Also, magical realism is a genre I'm really interested in exploring. 'The OA' is a good example of magical realism. I have one that has religious themes tied there, which I'm extremely interested in exploring in a horror thriller capacity. So that's where I'd love to go after this.

Weapons, which also stars Benedict Wong, is in theaters.

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