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Katie Parker is always ready to take on a challenge of a supernatural-inspired project, whether it’s her turn on the limited series The Haunting of Hill House or currently filming The Fall of the House of Usher. Her latest is playing Rose, someone who’s largely unlike herself but opened new possibilities in the upcoming film Next Exit for her friend and director Mali Elfman. The film follows two strangers, Rose and Teddy (Rahul Kohli), who are about as dysfunctional as it gets but eventually comes together on a road trip brought on by a research scientist (Karen Gillan) who proves she can track people into the afterlife. Parker spoke with Bleeding Cool to break down Rose and Teddy’s dynamic and the rare opportunity playing Rose presented.
Bleeding Cool: Can you break down the dynamic between Rose and Teddy and how you and Rahul developed your chemistry on screen?
Katie Parker: The dynamic between Rose and Teddy is that he’s a little bit more open, and she’s just a closed book. On their journey together, she’s going to end something, and he’s going to do something great with his life. I think naturally, the way we individually approached the characters, we went with our own individual processes. Processes lent to the dynamic that you see on screen of this kind of rigid person, Rose, and maybe someone who’s like outwardly a little more open, Teddy. Both have these secret torments that they’re carrying together, and the way working with Rahul went was pretty seamless and easy. He’s such a skilled and talented actor. He’s an incredibly supportive person. He’s there for you in scenes. He knew Teddy inside and out. I didn’t feel like it was hard work ever to work with him. I just felt supported. Because he was so confident in his process, it helped me to open up, and I think you can see that dynamic between Teddy and Rose play out a little bit, just like his energy sort of opens her up a little more. I felt that as an actor, and I felt that as the character as well.
BC: What was the hardest aspect of trying to get Rose down? Was there anyone from personal experience you know that you drew inspiration from who helped drive your performance?
Parker: I thought about my own personal experiences and struggles in life and what holds me back from feeling fully exposed and alive in the world. I think every human being having the human experience can relate to break-ups. They’ve had deaths that have happened in their family line, mental illness, and traumas that happened to us along the way. I think just acknowledging my own journey was helpful and playing somebody else’s journey. Truthfully, I was very afraid to play Rose. I was nervous about playing somebody, for lack of a better word, unlikeable. Someone, when you meet them, they’re an asshole, and you don’t know why and continue to be so harsh and rigid until you start discovering why. That also was exciting to me because I don’t think we see many female characters portrayed that way in the hero’s journey. It was exciting to play somebody who’s waking up and awakening to their trauma. Then I looked to Mali to help me chart her journey, and she was there for me for any questions I had. She gave me a lot to read. She gave me a lot of images to look at. We talked about the character’s physicality, what she wears, and her hair color. I dyed my hair very dark to play her. Mali’s guidance was really helpful in finding Rose as well.
Next Exit, which also stars Rose McIver, Diva Zappa, Tongayi Chirisa, Tim Griffin, and Nico Evers-Swindell, premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10.
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