Posted in: Preview, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Crypt TV, eli roth, exclusive, interview, Meta Quest, Staz Nair, The Faceless Lady

The Faceless Lady: Staz Nair on Joining Eli Roth's VR TV Series & More

Staz Nair (Rebel Moon) spoke with Bleeding Cool about joining CryptTV & Meta's horror series The Faceless Lady, VR's evolution/future & more.

Staz Nair is one of the most talented up-and-coming actors in Hollywood with an impressive filmography as he reaches a near-decade in Hollywood since his debut in 2015's Bazodee. As a follow-up, he starred in the 2016 TV movie adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as the title character before building an impressive presence on TV, including roles in AMC's Humans, HBO's Game of Thrones, Syfy's Krypton, CBS/The CW's Supergirl, leading to his biggest project to date, Zack Snyder's latest film franchise, Rebel Moon for Netflix as Tarak. Nair spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest work for Meta Quest in the virtual reality TV series The Faceless Lady, which follows three couples who have been invited to a medieval castle in Ireland for a weekend competition where they will either win their games or lose their lives. The actor discussed working with executive producer Eli Roth and director John Ross, how filming in VR differs from traditional filming, castmates, how VR adapts to horror, and his thoughts on the medium's future.

The Faceless Lady: Staz Nair on Taking Bold Steps Starring in VR TV Series

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'The Faceless Lady?' What does it mean to have someone like Eli Roth behind the project?

What intrigued me about joining 'The Faceless Lady' was that this medium is so undiscovered and at its embryonic stages. It's exciting to be a part of a style of TV and film that is yet to be fully discovered. Being the cornerstone of VR and being a part of the first-ever, if I'm not mistaken, live-action VR TV show was an honor and a privilege. Working with the legend that is Eli Roth in one of his projects, he's one of the godfathers of modern horror. It was an absolute pleasure and honor, and I jumped on my feet first at the opportunity.

What were the biggest differences for you filming for VR versus traditional?

There were quite a few differences, if I'm 100% honest. There's this element, the way that the lens works, and John Ross, our wonderful director, can probably tell you more, but the way that the lens works with VR, it's like fish-eye with the shots and frame. When you're too close to the lens, it expands you, if that makes sense. If you're too far away, you can get lost. There's this element of being able to…I remember John would say, "Fill the room" and "Fill the space," so there's this element of having to compensate in a way physically with certain things when you're further out in the shot, so definitely a learning curve, there's a big difference in that sense. Some aspects feel like TV, and aspects that almost feel like theater.

How would you describe the set that John Ross ran, and what stood out about Jerome Velinsky's writing?

There are multiple writers on this production, and I never met Jerome, but I'm grateful to him and all our wonderful writers for getting this done. Working with John is wonderful; he's a pragmatic thinker. He's an observer, and he had a clear impression of what he wanted and the ability to pull it off what we were trying to do. We filmed around 120 pages or maybe more in about six weeks. We're doing six to seven pages a day on a new medium like VR. Kudos to John for having the gall and the ability to steer the ship in such a wonderful way. He was instrumental in me figuring out Harvey as I came in less than nine days or ten days' notice. It was an absolute honor to have someone like John helm the ship. He's quite introverted and quite observant and extroverted. Sometimes, those two aspects can clash. We worked well, and I appreciate him knowing how to discipline the actors when we have little time and a lot to pull off. He smashed it.

Can you break down the rapport you built with your cast mates?

You always are fortunate enough most of the time to build in for, but this group was lovely. Everyone was super invested in putting everything into their performances, and it felt collaborative working with everyone. I can't single anyone out. Everyone was fantastic and easy to work with. My boy Ugo [Unwughalu] and I ended up being close friends. I'm so grateful that the collective cast with this was committed enough to make this work because, as I said earlier, the VR medium is different. It took a lot of trial and error, humility, and discovery to figure out what works. Everyone pulled it off and pulled through, and I'm proud of everyone and their work.

Do you feel VR will ever grow beyond the niche? Do you think there could also be a big-budget project like 'Game of Thrones' that could also be experienced in VR?

Oh, 100 percent. We might be a few years from that. I'm technologically inept, so I'm not the one to ask how far away we are from VR to reach that, but I have no doubt people are looking for new ways to immerse, escape, and enjoy TV and film. I do not doubt that once the technology starts matching up with the adventurousness of TV and film and the hopefulness of it, I'm sure we're going to have 'Game of Thrones' VR and all of the VR because it just creates an immersive and unique experience. The more genres we can recreate on VR, the better.

How do you feel about the horror genre VR, and how does it apply to 'The Faceless Lady?'

The horror genre fits VR very well. VR forces you to live inside the world with the actors or the people within the world itself. You feel involved instantly, which is a wonderful thing for something like horror, which is so visceral as a genre. It fits well for horror and 'The Faceless Lady' 100 percent because it's a six-to-seven-hander. You almost get to feel with 'The Faceless Lady', like you're one of the players in the game in Belvelly Castle. That gives you this wonderful POV that immerses you and allows you to feel a part of it, not just as a spectator but as a participator, which is a cool thing that VR manages to achieve.

The Faceless Lady, which also stars Tara Lee, Daisy Jelley, Sophie Rebecca-Jones, and Ned Dennehy, is available to stream on Meta Quest, with the finale premiering on May 2nd.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!