The sun-kissed beaches and crystal blue waters of the California coast might make Palos Verdes seem picture perfect, but for Medina (Maika Monroe), it’s the place where her seemingly happy family falls apart. In The Tribes of Palos Verdes, directed by Brendan and Emmett Malloy, Medina’s mother (Jennifer Garner) spirals into an emotional free-fall as her marriage disintegrates and her twin brother (Cody Fern) turns to drugs while Medina must find her own inner strength, just to survive it all.
During the film’s L.A. press day, Collider got on the phone with Maika Monroe to talk about why she felt such a strong connection to Medina, understanding her character’s love of surfing, forming a family bond, and why she hopes her character can be inspirational for others. She also talked about the impact that The Guest and It Follows had on her, and her upcoming films The Widow and Tau.
How did you come to be a part of this film?
MAIKA MONROE: I fought for this role. I was sent the script, and it was incredibly close to me and close to my upbringing. I just felt a connection to it that I hadn’t really ever felt with another script. So, I went and auditioned and talked to the directors (Brendan & Emmett Malloy). I remember sending emails saying, “I need to do this!”
What was it about Medina, as a character, that made you want to be a part of it?
MONROE: I grew up in Santa Barbara, which can be seen as being very similar to Palos Verdes. I grew up in a very small little home, up in the foothills, with my mom and dad, and I went to a high school where there were a lot of kids that came from extreme wealth. You’d go to people’s homes to hang out or to parties, and they’d live in these huge mansions. Santa Barbara is a beautiful little world, in this bubble, and in high school, it was hard to find people that really understood me. Very similar to Medina, my dad taught me how to kiteboard when I was 13. I’d finish school, and then I’d go to the beach. For me, that was an escape. It was a place where I wasn’t thinking about what happened that day, or what was going on with my family or friends. The script made me feel a way that I’ve never really felt, reading a script, just ‘cause it was so close.
Why kiteboarding, as opposed to regular surfing?
MONROE: Both of my parents were windsurfers. My mom taught it, back in college. They taught me windsurfing, when I was about 10 or 11. Kiteboarding is a very new sport. My dad and some of his friends were like, “Come on, we’ve gotta try kiteboarding!” So, he started learning and we’d take trips for him to kite. I was like, “You’ve gotta teach me!” There were no other girls doing it, and I wanted to be the girl on the beach who was kiteboarding. My mom was not a fan of the idea, but we warmed her up to it.
There is such an interesting family dynamic in this film, that starts off seemingly idyllic, but was already crumbling before they even realized it. What was it like to work with these actors, as a family unit, and did you get any time to build that relationship, prior to shooting?
MONROE: Yeah, especially with a film like this, the relationships are so important. The Malloys, the directors, made it a priority to spend time together before filming, so we actually had a lot of rehearsals at the house that we filmed at, which was really nice. The directors had us playing boardgames and doing all of these crazy things that families do together, which really helped. In the film, you see a lot of the family breaking apart, but to believe the family breaking apart, you have to believe that they were once a unit together. I also spent a lot of time with Cody Fern, which was super important. So, we had some time before that was really nice.
It’s one thing to read the script and know what the scene is that you’re going to have to act out, but what was it like to actually work with Jennifer Garner, and watch and act opposite her, in some of the really intense moments?
MONROE: It was incredible! We had to go to some really dark places, and every day, I was just blown away by what she brought. For me to do a good job, she had to bring it, and every day was so hard. There was some sort of breakdown or crying or screaming, every day on set, and she just lets it all go and, as an actor, gives you everything. I was very, very lucky to work with an actor like that.
Medina’s story is tragic but also very inspirational because she seemingly achieves the impossible, surviving her family’s downward spiral and finding her own place in the world. Do you see her as someone who teenage girls could look up to and find inspiration from?
MONROE: I really hope so. A huge reason why I do what I do and would make a film like this is to have other girls out there be able to connect and be like, “Oh, I’ve had that experience before. I felt left out. I felt like I was alone.”
This movie was directed by a duo of brothers, Emmett and Brendan Malloy, who also grew up surfing. How were they to collaborate with? Do you think they were able to understand the surf aspect much more than someone who wouldn’t have been familiar with it, firsthand?
MONROE: They’re very well known in the surf world, and they really brought that to the film and the style of it. The wardrobe and set decoration were a huge part of it. They just really had this vision and made it feel a little bit timeless. Obviously, they know the surfing very well and bringing their knowledge of that to our set was really important.
The Guest and It Follows really put you on a lot of people’s radar. Do you feel like those movies were a real turning point for you, as an actress?
MONROE: Oh, yeah! The Guest came out first, and that was the first time I ever did the film festival thing. I just remember people coming up and saying, “That was so cool!” A response like that is just so incredible and so special. And It Follows just wasn’t expected. No one expected that. Still, to this day, people tell me that it’s one of their favorite horror films, and I just feel so lucky to be a part of something like that and to work with such a cool group of people.
At this point in your career, what do you look for in a project and character? Are there specific things you look for, or is it more about an instinct that you get when you’re reading a script?
MONROE: I don’t know. I look for so many different things. When I first read a script, I look at the character. I want to continue to challenge myself and continue to love my job, and work with people that inspire me and push me. It’s different with every project. You read so much and you try to find things that could be really special with a special group of people.
Do you know what you’re going to do next?
MONROE: I just got back from filming in Dublin, for this film called The Widow. That’s directed by Neil Jordan and it’s with Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz. I’m really excited about that. I had a great time working with someone like Neil, who’s been around so long and made such great film, and Isabelle, who I’m such a fan of. I pinch myself sometimes.
Who are you playing in that?
MONROE: Chloe and I play best friends who get caught up in this crazy story with Isabelle.
You also did Tau, which sounds like an intense story.
MONROE: It was!
Did you know what you were getting yourself into, when you signed on for that?
MONROE: That’s funny! I think the first time I really learned that lesson, where I read a script and was like, “Oh, this is so cool!,” and then I got there and was like, “Holy shit, this is actually so hard!,” was It Follows. I knew it was an insane script, but I didn’t realize that I was actually going to physically and mentally go through that. That was my first lesson with that, and now I read scripts in a different way. I know that I’m actually really going to have to do it. So, I knew Tau was gonna be hard, but it was very, very hard.
When you do a project like Tau or It Follows, that’s so physically demanding, or you do so much emotional work, like on The Tribes of Palos Verdes, do you have something you like to do to shake that all off, or do you like to jump right into the next project when you can?
MONROE: I think it’s so important to decompress. I’m happy person. I think it’s important to give yourself to a project, but I also want to stay sane and still be me, at the end of something. So, spending time with my family and hanging out with my friends and doing normal things, like watching happy movies, really does the trick for me.
The Tribes of Palos Verdes is in theaters and on VOD on December 1st.