With Robert Rodriguez’s latest thriller, Hypnotic, premiering in theaters this weekend, Collider’s Steve Weintraub talked to Alice Braga, who co-stars with Ben Affleck, about the “twists and turns” of this unexpected mystery. They discussed Rodriguez’s filmmaking style, notable for his independent techniques, and the challenges faced during production.

Hypnotic blends genres of noir mystery with sci-fi elements, introducing us to hypnotics, powerful humans who can manipulate reality. When Detective Danny Rourke (Affleck) believes one of these hypnotics may be the key to finding his missing daughter, Rourke enlists the help of another hypnotic, Diana Cruz (Braga), a psychic who can help him track down the mysterious Dellrayne (William Fichtner).

In the interview, which you can watch in the video above or read below, Braga discusses what it was like reading the Hypnotic script for the first time, saying she knew “that kind of roller coaster vibe” would be a challenge to put to screen, and explains what it was about the project that convinced her “jump on board.” Braga also talks about Rodriguez’s filmmaking, what she’s working on next with actress, writer, director and producer Brit Marling, Apple TV’s Dark Matter series, and if she’ll be involved with Akiva Goldsman’s I Am Legend 2.

COLLIDER: How surprised were you when Akiva [Goldsman] said, “Oh yeah, I'm working on the I Am Legend sequel?”

ALICE BRAGA: [Laughs] How surprised? I was super surprised and very curious. I was almost jumping on the phone and saying, “Can I please be in it? Can I please be in it? Can I please be in it?” I'm a huge a Akiva fan, I think he's such a wonderful writer, and he basically was the first writer that I got to see the [work part] close from coming to the US. It was my first American film, I was very excited to hear that they were continuing with the movie. I hope they do! I don't know where they are with it, but I hope they do.

I would imagine if it does get made that you will get a phone call.

BRAGA: I hope so! Because it was such a joy to work with them. And also, it's interesting because I was 23 when I did the film. It's been such a long time ago, and I did so much work afterward. I think I grew as an actress, as a woman, and as everything, so it would be nice to revisit that material, that team, to reunite with Akiva who is a screenwriter that I deeply admire. Do you know him?

I do, but not like friends. He knows what he's doing, he's gonna land on his feet.

BRAGA: He's amazing.

Yeah, but I do think it's gonna take the real time, the 20 years, to help with the story. Anyway, I would be shocked if you don't get a phone call. So jumping into why I get to talk to you, one of the things about this movie that really impressed me was how Robert edited it. It is so fast-moving but it never feels fast. It's just a really well-edited film, and it obviously keeps you on your toes all the time. What was it like reading the script for the first time and then seeing the finished film?

BRAGA: Yeah, it was interesting because it was the first time that I was understanding what kind of genre style and filmmaking he wanted to do with this film. But the main question was, reading a script like this, you always can imagine, it's like reading a book; you imagine a world, you imagine those twists and turns, and that kind of roller coaster vibe that the script had already, but you put that on its toes to bring it to life, I knew it was going to be a challenge, and that's why I was so curious to jump on board.

Whatever Robert invited me to do, I would say yes. I've always wanted to work with him. I did work with him on a different project, but he was a producer for Predators, but I've never worked with him as a director. So, I knew that he was going to pull it off in any way because he comes from this type of filmmaking, he comes from independent filmmaking, he comes from, “Just grab your camera, just go and just do it!” And it was exciting to have him on set already thinking how he was going to edit because he edits his films and he also DPs his films. This one he's the co-[director of photography], him and and Pablo [Berron], another DP. So it was interesting how he directs the scene and sets the scene, already thinking how he's gonna edit. So I do think that helped for a film like this, for a story like this, that there's so much going on and there's so much twist and turn, that he already had a vision on how to film, already editing his mind.

What is it like reading a script like this for the first time though? I kept on guessing, but I can't imagine reading it where you don't know. What was it like?

BRAGA: I think it was exactly what you said, it was basically like, “Wait, what?” And then, “Oh, oh!” And I hope people feel that when they see the film because reading the script, it felt like a lot was going on. It was interesting as a read. It was different than everything that I was reading at the time, but also, when you read the script with the director that is like Robert attached already, you kind of read the script thinking of how he's gonna make that. It was interesting to read with that vision, to kind of be like, “Oh,” and a bunch of things I didn't expect that kept on coming. So I really hope the audience goes through the same journey, to the same arc of being like, “Wait, what? That changed, or this or that!” I really hope. It's hard to talk about the film without giving spoilers for example.

Yeah, it's one of those, believe me. What is the scene that you got on the first take that you didn't think you were going to get on the first take, or what's the scene you thought would be easy, but ended up taking all day?

BRAGA: I think the scene that was easy that he took all – can I say not the last scene, but like one of the last scenes where we are coming to a house, and Robert really loved the house, but he didn't love how the other side of the house looked, to do a shot this way and one shot this way. So we had to shoot everything this way, then do a company move to a different location to then shoot the other side of the scene, which sounds very easy, but once you're talking about a production, a company move from a location to a different location to shoot the other side, it took way longer than what I read in the script and expected. It was challenging as an actor to keep that emotion, and create that world and the environment.

What was faster was the motorcycle, which I thought it was going to take much longer, and it was much faster because we were at Troublemaker Studios. So it looked like it was a longer track, but it wasn't, we were just going in circles, and the way that he filmed it kind of cheats of where we were and all that, but also it's his mind so there's a lot of things that happens.

I've been to Troublemaker Studios, and it's pretty crazy, his backdrop. Because as I was watching the movie, I'm like, “Oh, yeah, I recognize that from [Alita: Battle Angel].” Working with him has to be like guerilla filmmaking.

BRAGA: 100%. He's like that, he has that in his DNA, and he's very much passionate to filmmaking, but the simplicity of it. He doesn't want to overthink about it, he just wants to keep on doing, and I think it's a way of doing, it's a choice, and it's his DNA. So once you're in it, you just need to go along with it, and he wanted it to seem like a Alita, he didn't want to hide that, it was okay for him to show that. So I thought it was interesting.

Yeah, and again, it also saves a ton of money reusing sets.

BRAGA: Especially after COVID because the film got really hit by COVID, and as soon as COVID ended, or almost ended for everybody, that challenge of how to keep financing a film, it was very uncertain. I think now we're getting off of it, of, “Okay, now it's back to normal,” but a lot of films were affected by COVID and ours was, for sure.

Also, most people aren't going to recognize that it's his backlot. The average person is gonna be like, “Oh, they built that.”

BRAGA: It’s so funny that all of us would know so much about Troublemaker that it feels like, almost, an homage to Troublemaker, that film. How much he used Troublemaker in it.

He does it on every film. Listen, I'm a big fan of Brit Marling.

BRAGA: Oh, I love her!

I believe you shot Retreat. What can you tease about that project?

BRAGA: If you're a big fan of her, you like the OA?

You could say I do, yeah.

BRAGA: Yeah, she's a wonderful actress, but a brilliant writer as well. A really, really brilliant writer, and the scripts were just phenomenal. Her and Zal Batmanglij did a brilliant work on the script. It's a very classic whodunit story, but in a beautiful, interesting environment with really wonderful actors, so it felt like a theater group. I think it's gonna be a wonderful miniseries, and Brit is not only acting and writing, but she's also directing, and it was a joy. I look up to her a lot, and it was just a joy to get the chance to work with her. It’s an honor!

I can't wait, I honestly can't wait to see it. My last thing for you, what are you actually going to film this year? Do you know?

BRAGA: I've just finished a show for Apple called Dark Matter, but that's gonna come out only next year, so I'm still waiting to hear when, but it's in a year to come. I just finished that, it's gonna come probably next spring, I think.

And now, I'm supporting the writers’ strike. I don't know what's coming up next. I have developing some projects in Brazil, I have a production company there. I'm producing some stuff, and reading and writing. I have a podcast that I'm gonna do there as well, but for now I'm supporting the writers’ strike and trying to see what's gonna happen next.

Hypnotic is in theaters now. You can watch our interview with writer-director Robert Rodriguez below.