Directed by Marc Meyers and written by Alan Trezza, the indie horror flick We Summon the Darkness follows Alexis (Alexandra Daddario), along with her friends Val (Maddie Hasson) and Bev (Amy Forsyth), who meet a trio of male fellow heavy metal fans at a concert, at a time when there are a series of satanic killings going on in the area. After they all go back to the estate owned by Alexis’ preacher father (Johnny Knoxville), what starts out as a party quickly becomes something very unexpected for all of them.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Alexandra Daddario talked about the fun in playing a character that’s so very different from her, why she always gets scared before doing a project, the energy between the cast on set, forming a real-life friendship with her co-stars, the advantage of having Johnny Knoxville as your co-star when you’re doing stunts together, and the fun of the ‘80s time period. She also talked about why she’d like to do more producing, and what she looks for in a project.

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Image via Saban Films

Collider: This seems like one of those characters that must have been a lot of crazy fun to play. Is this a project that you signed on for because it just seemed like it would be a really good time?

ALEXANDRA DADDARIO: That is why I signed onto it. I had worked with the writer (Alan Trezza) before and one of the producers, and I was a huge fan of the director, Marc Meyers. I just liked the role, how different it was for me, and how wild I got to be. It was fun to go and just play. I’m really grateful to my cast, as well, ‘cause they all knew exactly what movie they were in and hit exactly the right notes, and really created a supportive environment when the cameras are rolling, to just be nutty.

When you read this script, was this a character that you immediately you thought that you could do, or were you not sure about her?

DADDARIO: I always get scared, before I do something where there’s part of me that’s like, “Okay, how am I gonna approach this character, and what are my initial instincts on what this is?” It’s always scary, but I think that’s because I care so much. But I basically approached her like she’s not a teenager, but with this teenage idea of, you get something in your head that you think is right. You don’t really know what you’re talking about, but you’re so sure, and the naivete and confidence of youth makes you justify whatever your dumb or wild behavior is. That feeling of being young and not tamed, and just being able to do whatever because you’re good at it and you can justify why you’re doing what you’re doing, is a fun place to be in.

From the first time you read the script to the film that we see now, were there a lot of changes, along the way? Were there any major shifts in story or character, or is the film that we see now pretty close to what you read, the first time?

DADDARIO: It’s so weird ‘cause you go along the process so slowly. I don’t think there were any major changes. Depending on the character, an actor can come in and really bring something to it. I really loved what Maddie Hasson did and what Amy Forsyth did, as far as creating a dynamic, between us three girls, that was really different and bounced off of each other really well. The wild card always is, what’s this gonna look like, when we all get together? What’s the energy gonna be? And that was slightly different than I think what I originally imagined, but in a better way. Besides that, there weren’t major changes. We did do some improv. We were allowed to play. That, for our film, was important ‘cause there was a lot of screaming and yelling, and having the freedom to be a little absurd brought out the wildness of it.

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Image via Saban Films

There are certainly moments in this that I would imagine you probably never pictured yourself doing, for any reason, let alone in a movie, but that’s what makes doing a film like this so fun.

DADDARIO: Yeah, but I have that feeling on set, all the time. You’ll do a scene where you’re just like, “Oh, my god, this is so surreal. I can’t believe this is my job. This is such a weird thing to be doing.” It’s a very weird thing to lose yourself, in a moment of intimacy, or you’re screaming, or you’re doing a scene where a car is crushing you, or something. I have all of these different memories of being on set and, all of a sudden, being like, “This is so weird. What am I doing? This is a bizarre job that I have.” But I think that’s just a sign that you separate yourself from your real life and you’re lost in the moment, and that’s a cool feeling.

With something like this, where there are moments that are a bit over the top, as a result, were there ever times where you just couldn’t keep from laughing? Is it hard to keep a straight face sometimes, when you’re doing something so ridiculous or crazy?

DADDARIO: Sometimes. I’m pretty good at keeping a straight face. Even when things are absurd, I like to make sure I’m finding a grounded-ness, or some sort of realism or naturalism. I can’t think of anything, in particular, but there have definitely been moments where I crack up. Usually, it’s because of something my co-star has done.

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Image via Saban Films

The friendship between these three young women is a really important part, at the center of this story. You have to buy this trio of friends, in order to want to go on this ride with them. Did you, Maddie Hasson and Amy Forsyth get to spend much time together? Did you get to hang out and get to know each other, or were you just really relieved that it clicked really easily?

DADDARIO: Yeah, we did click really easily, but we also got time to spend together. Actors are so used to being open. I don’t think everyone has to be the best of friends, to find something in common or to find a rapport with someone, even it’s a weird rapport. I think actors are just really open people, in general. But these girls happened to be really cool, and the guys, as well. They were all really amazing and supportive. The girls and I are still friends. We had a cool dynamic that I think does show on screen, and that allowed us to be silly and comfortable and non-judgmental with each other. I’m really grateful to them for that.

Your character and Maddie Hasson’s character seem to be more on the same wavelength with each other. Do you have a favorite moment between your characters, in the film?

DADDARIO: It’s such an interesting dynamic because there’s nothing deep about what their relationship is. They have such great banter. There’s a scene in the kitchen, where we’re just fucking around and eating Twinkies. I forget if we improved or not because the script was so strong that a lot of it was there, but there were moments that we found the ridiculousness and we just got to play. You can see how insane these two people are, and how well they bounce off of each other. They’re a little sociopathic in the scene. It was really fun.

What was it like to have Johnny Knoxville playing your father? What sort of vibe does he create, on set?

DADDARIO: He was great. I didn’t work with him for that long, but I found him to be really professional and really great. He was really concerned with safety, in a really positive way. Because we had to do some stunts, he sees where everything can go wrong ‘cause he’s seen it all happen. That’s why you have a stunt coordinator on set. You want someone who knows the things that other people do not know, and it was great ‘cause it was like having a really, really experienced stunt coordinator on set.

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When you play a character like this, do you think about what makes her the way she is, and whether she’s somebody who would have turned out this way, had she not had the upbringing she had?

DADDARIO: Yeah, I think about that, for every character that I do. I always do a backstory. Sometimes I write it out. This is in a more absurd world, but in general, like people, every character has certain damage, certain things that have happened to them, and certain reasons they are the way that they are. That’s true of every human on this planet. So, yeah, I think diving into why this person is doing this and what the underlying motivations are, you have to do that because people are not just all good or all evil. People do bad things and they do good things, and there are reasons why they do them. I think it’s important to know why they’re doing what they’re doing, in order to make them more multi-layered, and for the audience to have compassion for them.

I’ve never personally listened to the type of metal music that these girls go to this concert for, but I do know what it’s like to get lost in music, especially in a live concert. What was it like to shoot that scene, where you’re all reacting to the band performing? Did you have to shoot that without the music, thrashing around to silence?

DADDARIO: I don’t remember if we were allowed to listen to music for that or not. Usually, you have to do it where they play it right before they roll, and then they’ll roll and you just have to keep doing what you were doing when the music was playing. I don’t remember if we did it for that, but we probably did ‘cause you have to for sound. That’s a very common thing. A lot of the time, when you see people dancing or yelling at a party, it’s in a completely silent room. It’s a very awkward thing to do. It’s actually one of my least favorite things to do, having to fake being loud at a party and pretending that there’s noise all around you.

The ‘80s time period for this allows for some fun wardrobe and hair. Did you get any input into your look for the film?

DADDARIO: I usually get input, but 99 times out of 100, I like to leave that to the experts. The people who do it – the costumers, and the hair and make-up – I trust them more than I trust myself. They help me build my character, so I really liked them to do what their vision is. Unless there’s something glaringly wrong, which I haven’t had, the character is usually defined by that, so I let them do their thing. I loved the hair crimping. I thought that was a great idea. The hairstylist found a crimper from the ‘80s in her closet, that had been in a box with stuff from her ex-boyfriend, and we literally use that crimper. And the wardrobe was great. It helped me get into character.

You had an executive producer credit on, Can You Keep A Secret. Is that something you’re looking to do more of? Do you want to get more involved, as a producer?

DADDARIO: I do. There’s a few layers to it. I’m always trying to learn and grow, as I get older, and I think that there are certain things that I can bring to the table now, that I couldn’t when I was younger. Some of that is connections or people I know, and some of it is my knowledge. There’s also stuff that I don’t know, and I know when to step away. It’s also cool to be in a position where I’m able to help bring financing to a project, which is where a lot of those executive credits come from. And then, you can also be more involved in helping the end product. I have been doing this for 20 years, so there are certain things that I can bring to the table, and there are certain things that I don’t have experience with. And I do think that, as far as women empowerment is concerned, financially empowering women to have careers beyond a certain type of career, whatever the case may be, is something that I’m a big believer in, and I think that getting more involved is a good way for me to do that. I don’t know exactly what my end goal is, honestly, because in this career, I take things as they come because you have to have a certain malleability to survive. But I think that it’s an empowering thing to help empower others.

At this point in your life and career, what do you look for in a project? Do you have your own personal checklist of things, or is it really just about an instinct when you read something, or who you’ll be working with?

DADDARIO: It’s a combination now. I used to go very much on instinct or someone I wanted to work with. No, I’m really focused on directors and the people that I work with. I think that being in a supportive environment with someone who you really trust is important. The director is huge, as far as the tone set on set. You want someone who is collaborative so that you’re in an environment where you feel supported, and you can support them. I’m working more with people that I’ve worked with before. That’s what’s really important to me. That’s what creates a great movie. Even if a movie doesn’t get well-reviewed, if you made something that you’ve all put your heart into, that you can be proud of, and you do it together, life is too short to do something that you don’t feel safe in. So, I feel very strongly about the people that I work with, much more so than before.

We Summon the Darkness is available on-demand on April 10th.