From director Rob King and writer Arne Olsen, the thriller Distorted follows Lauren Curran (Christina Ricci), a young woman who moves into a luxury condo with state-of-the-art features and security systems with her husband, Russel (Brendan Fletcher). Once they move in, Lauren begins to suspect that the building has a dark side and, with the help of an investigative journalist (John Cusack) with an interest in cyber conspiracy, discovers that it may actually be brainwashing its unsuspecting residents.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Christina Ricci talked about what attracted her to this character, why she has a difficult time with technology, being a bit starstruck to work with John Cusack, and the biggest challenges of making Distorted. She also talked about being heartbroken over the cancellation of her Amazon series Z: The Beginning of Everything, looking for another TV project, and that she’d like to try her hand at directing.

Collider:  It’s always so interesting to talk to you about the roles you’re playing because you play such interesting characters. We last spoke when you played Zelda Fitzgerald, and this woman in Distorted is definitely a complex woman.

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Image via QME Entertainment

CHRISTINA RICCI:  Yeah, this character is the reason that I took the movie. I’ve never played anyone and recovering from this amount of loss. Being a mother myself, it really meant something to me, this level of loss, so it was something that I was very interested in playing.

How did this come your way?

RICCI:  The usual channels. I got an offer through my agent.

I love the look of this film. The hallways of the apartment building feel very much like The Shining. Did you find the aesthetic creepy?

RICCI:  Yeah, it’s very creepy. I think the idea of a house itself being alive, like in The Shining, is terrifying for us. The more technology starts to animate our inanimate objects, the more magical thinking and that childish fear creeps in.

I’ve seen quite a few movies recently that explore issues of privacy and technology and manipulation, and how that can all work within itself. It’s very personally scary to think about things like that. Could you ever see yourself living in a smart home, or would you personally avoid something like that?

RICCI:  I don’t know. I have a very difficult time with technology. I don’t want to admit this because I feel like it’s like admitting that you can’t read, but I am terrible with technology and I tend to break things, just by being close to them. I don’t think that I would do well in a smart home. I also find it really disturbing to be so dependent on technology. It’s that idea of, what happens if everything fails? What happens when you lose your phone and it’s like the end of the world? It’s definitely a little disturbing. Life is so much easier, but should the thing that you’re depending on break, you’re screwed. Four years ago, my phone broke in New York and I thought, “Oh, I’ll just use a payphone.” Now, there aren’t any payphones. You can’t call anyone. It’s really interesting. It opens so much up, but then it really limits you, in other ways, which I think people should be more aware of.

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Image via QME Entertainment

As someone with a child who is growing up in a world surrounded by technology and who won’t know what it was like before that, do you notice that your own child interacts different with technology than you do?

RICCI:  Yeah. These things are intuitive. He could swipe the iPad thing before he could speak or walk. Obviously, they have more access and they think differently. They’ll never know what it’s like to grow up in a world where this has not always been the norm. I feel very distant from the younger generation, I have to say, because I feel like it is such a disconnect.

In what ways did you most easily identify with this character, and was there research that you did to understand the other aspects of her, as far as the grief or the illness that she’s struggling with?

RICCI:  Yeah. I familiarized myself with what version of emotional issue or mental stability we were going to go with for this character. And then, beyond that, I was able to really extrapolate and imagine knowing how much I love my child and what that would do to me. I don’t know. I might not recover the way that she has, but I was able to draw on my own life a bit.

I really liked the fact that her illness, which could be perceived as a weakness, is something that actually helps make her stronger, in this situation. Was that something that also stood out for you, the fact that because of her illness, she’s actually more aware of what’s going on?

RICCI:  Yeah, that was interesting, and it’s very smart. It’s a smart device that was used to tell this story. I think one reason why this movie is more successful than some other movies is that a lot of this is grounded in reality. All of this is possible, so that’s great.

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Image via QME Entertainment

Were there challenges in figuring out and playing such an unreliable protagonist? She’s Suffering from this illness and she’s prone to paranoid delusions, so we don’t know what’s real or if any of it’s real. Was that strange to navigate?

RICCI:  I guess so. For me, I just track the emotional and mental journey of the character. When she believes what she’s saying, she believes it. When she doubts herself, that’s very clear, as well. That wasn’t so hard, to be honest.

There’s such an interesting and really very delicate dynamic between this couple. What was that like to explore? Did you and Brendan Fletcher spend any time together to talk about this relationship?

RICCI:  We did some rehearsals and we talked about it, at the beginning. It wasn’t really that difficult. Everyone knew what we were doing and knew how to execute it, and Brendan is an incredible actor. It just worked out.

You also get to share some scenes with John Cusack in this, and you’ve previously said that you were a bit starstruck to work with him and that you’re a fan of Say Anything. Why was it that film that spoke to you?

RICCI:  I think probably the timing of that movie and my age. I was completely in love with Lloyd Dobler, from the time I was like 11. That movie came out in 1989, and I saw it on VHS. I just loved him. I grew up loving him.

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Image via QME Entertainment

How did you find working with him in this? Did you ever tell him what a fan you were of that film?

RICCI:  No. When I was doing the second Addams Family, Joan [Cusack] took me to meet him. He had an office on the Paramount lot, while we were shooting, so I felt like he knew already. I just tried to be cool and respectful, and a good scene partner.

You go through a lot in this film, physically and emotionally. Were there any specific scenes or things that you had to do that you found most challenging, or were they all fun to get to explore?

RICCI:  I think the challenges and the stuff you dread is the emotional breakdown scenes. And then, there was the added element of reacting to memory. There’s a camera in front of you and 30 people, and everyone’s just being really quiet and you’re doing stuff. You have to really throw out any self-consciousness you have, and that element can be really daunting. That’s the part of this that made it hard, in addition to the emotional aspects. I am not a miserable person. I’m genuinely happy. The more dark and dramatic the thing that I’m filming, the lighter I am, in general, to balance that out on set. When we shot Monster, all Charlize [Theron] and I did was giggle, the entire time, to balance out how dark the material was.

Do you have any idea what you’re going to be doing next? Are you currently working on something?

RICCI:  I’m not. I’m just spending time with my family, this summer, and really looking for the right next thing. Z, my TV show, was such a huge experience for me. Being able to produce that opened up my mind, so much, to what is possible and beautiful and what I really have talent for. I’m definitely looking for something else for television, and to produce my own stuff.

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Image via QME Entertainment

Zelda Fitzgerald was such a great character, with so many layers to her.

RICCI:  Yeah, and we were just laying the groundwork, too. Where she had to go was so interesting, and it’s a shame that we never got to tell that story. That’s what kills me. That was all of the boring stuff, in the beginning. She was a teenager, and then she met F. Scott Fitzgerald and moved to New York. We were cut off before we really got to the good stuff, so that was a heartbreak for me. I learned a lot about what I want to start with, next time. If I felt like I was just laying the groundwork and getting through the boring stuff, then I’m sure that’s what the audience felt, and that taught me a lot.

As a woman in an industry that’s still predominantly male, have you felt like you’ve had to fight harder to ensure that your voice is heard, or have you felt lucky, in that regard?

RICCI:  Yeah, I feel like I’ve been really lucky, in that regard. When I have actually applied myself, taken the time, done the work, dug in, and actually really focused on something, I’ve been able to do it. For me, that shows that, if you have something valuable and you really are willing to work hard for it, you can achieve that. My experience is my own, and I’m sure it’s incredibly specific to the very unique life that I’ve had and the fame that I’ve had. I was protected from a lot of things because I was a child.

Because you did quite a bit of work as a child, and are still working now, did you have that shift where you thought, “This is something I want to actually keep doing, as I transition into an adult”?

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Image via QME Entertainment

RICCI:  Yeah. I love the work, and I’ve always loved the work. As a kid, I loved being on set. I love acting. It’s my passion. I love filmmaking. It’s my passion. I don’t necessarily like the other things that go on with it. Fame can be a very stressful thing to people, and to thrust fame upon a child is very disruptive.

You’re also taking on projects, as a producer, but have you ever thought of the possibility of directing?

RICCI:  Yeah, it’s something that I hope to do, one day.

Is it something that scares you, or is it something that really excites you?

RICCI:  I feel both ways about it. I think it’s something that I’ve been afraid of for a very, very long time, but the more experiences I’ve had, as a creative producer, the more I’ve realized that I don’t have as much to be afraid of. It’s good to have a healthy respect and healthy fear of something new, but I definitely feel like it’s taken me a long time to even say, “Yes, this is something I’d like to do,” because I wanted to feel like I was prepared and like I would be capable.

Distorted is in theaters and on-demand on June 22nd.

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Image via QME Entertainment