Elsie Fisher Would Like To Cast Jennifer Coolidge To Play Her In Her Biopic
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You may recognize the wonderfully talented actor Elsie Fisher from roles in Eighth Grade, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Castle Rock.
You may also recognize her for winning Halloween 2021 as Colin Robinson from What We Do in the Shadows. Sorry Heidi Klum, but Elsie reigns supreme in my mind.
Elsie's latest film foray, My Best Friend's Exorcism, an '80s horror comedy based on the best-selling novel by Grady Hendrix, arrives on Prime Video September 30, just in time for spooky season.
In it, Fisher plays Abby, a high school girl whose longtime bestie Gretchen (Amiah Miller) is trending towards the popular kid's table, putting pressure on the relationship. When the pair, along with two other friends, venture off to the woods with an Ouija Board, a demon decides to take up residence in Gretchen, and their friendship is strained even more. With the help of shopping mall evangelists, hot priests, and the eternal power of BFF necklaces, Abby must try to expel the demonic captor and save her best friend. It's got big Stranger Things energy (down to the synthy score), and the whole time, I just kept repeating to myself "Elsie Fisher is such a gem. Put her in literally every movie that is made next year." Her and Gretchen's perm wig. Also a star.
On the eve of My Best Friend's Exorcism's release, I chatted with Elsie about all of her favorite movies.
We discussed how she prepared for the role of Abby, horror films she loves, and all the movies that bounce around in her mind. (Bet you didn't know that she quotes Borat.)
Here's my conversation with Elsie about all things movies:
1.Matthew Huff: What movies did you watch to help you prepare for the role?
Elsie Fisher: "Certainly, in some aspects, sort of the original The Exorcist movie. Having the phrase ‘exorcism’ in your title, I feel like you have to live up to that specific film. This is more of a book I read, I guess, but sort of Nancy Drew. Just young, teen protagonist mystery movies, I feel like are pretty great for getting into that role.”
EF: "I actually weirdly sort of drew inspiration from Succession too, which isn’t a movie, but you know.”
MH: "Tell me a little about that."
EF: “First off, I’m just a Succession mega fan. I am annoyingly in love with that show because it’s so good. Both Nicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen’s characters are so interesting to me, and their dynamics feel so removed from the rest of the show in this very visceral and real way. They have this extra element of realism but absurdism. It’s very campy I guess, and our movie is very campy. Something about Tom’s character kind of reminded me of Abby, too. There are moments when Abby is trying to do the right thing, but is also, like, not manipulating people, but also trying to get what she wants. And she’s not always necessarily likable, but you can empathize with her. And I feel like I see that in Tom Wambsgans."
2.MH: My Best Friend's Exorcism is a horror comedy, but are you a big horror fan separately of starring in this film?
EF: “Yeah! That’s something I really sort of fell into. Because my first project right off of Eighth Grade was this show Castle Rock, which was a Stephen King horror. And I feel like when I did that, I felt an urge to start sort of investing myself in horror. Ever since, I’ve been super into it. Just kind of movies from all over. I’ve been watching a lot of Kiyoshi Kurosawa films like Pulse and Cure. Really great films."
3.MH: What kind of movies do you think your character Abby would like?
EF: “I’m trying to think of what kind of stuff was out in 1989. I don’t know if she’s there yet when we meet her, but I think in the future, Abby would be into cool French New Wave. I think she’d maybe be watching Cleo from 5 to 7 and be like, 'Wow I love this!'"
4.MH: What's the last great movie you've watched that you weren't a part of making?
EF: “I just watched, actually for the first time, Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl. That film is just so good. She is just such a compelling performer, especially as Fanny Brice. There is just something so beautiful and grandiose about musicals, and especially a musical that is about being a performer that, I don’t know, really calls to me, and is sort of a dream project. Not that I see anything like that happening soon for me necessarily, but that’s something I watched and was like wow maybe one of these days?"
MH: "Have you or are you going to see the current Broadway production with Lea Michelle?"
EF: “I actually am, and I’m really excited about it. I got myself and a friend tickets, and we’re gonna go see it next month.”
5.MH: What's a movie you loved and watched often as a kid?
EF: “Who Killed Roger Rabbit? That was a super classic for me as a kid. And that’s such a fun one too, because it’s sort of in the realm of kid-friendly movie, but you watch it with this new perspective when you get older.”
6.MH: What's one movie role you would love to play?
EF: “Maybe a mockumentary. Christopher Guest isn’t really making too much stuff, I feel like, anymore, but something along the lines of those movies. I would love to do This Is Spinal Tap.”
7.MH: If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only watch three movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?
EF: "I think I’d bring the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. Let’s go Matthew Macfadyen. Bring it back."
EF: "I’d bring Fantastic Mr. Fox."
EF: "Maybe, like, Blazing Saddles. I’m trying to think of things that I have watched, and then immediately after, I’m like 'I could watch that again right now'".
8.MH: What is something that is coming out that you're excited to watch?
EF: “It's already out, but I really want to see Emily the Criminal. I’ve heard really really good things about that, and I think Aubrey Plaza is just great.”
9.MH: What's one movie that you loved and feel like not enough people have seen?
EF: “I really enjoyed Funny Pages, which just came out. It's starring the impeccable Daniel Zolghadri of Eighth Grade fame. Eighth Grade alumni! I mean Owen Kline is just such an incredible director. Everyone go see Funny Pages! It’s crazy. It’s crazy wacky, but I love it!”
10.MH: What's an older movie that's on your to-watch list?
EF: “Oh let me pull up my Criterion Channel really quick. I have a list. Oh, I really want to watch the original Irma Vep film. Cuz I watched the show they have on HBO, and I thought that was fantastic, and now I want to go back and do my due diligence and watch the film.”
11.MH: What's the last film that made you laugh?
EF: “This is going to sound insane, but I watched Eraserhead yesterday again. And there are so many parts of it that are really disturbing. I guess I’m just also a person who laughed when they watched Hereditary for the first time. I guess it's like a human response.”
12.MH: What's the last movie that made you cry?
EF: “I watched this film, A Taste of Honey, which is a 1961 film by Tony Richardson I think. That one really got to me. It’s about a woman who lives with her mother, and then she has a one-night stand, and then has a child. She has a life with her gay coworker. It’s not incredibly intense in the drama department, but I don’t know, I found the performances to be really compelling, and it was just a really beautiful story I feel like."
13.MH: What's your comfort movie? Something you could curl up with at the end of a bad day.
EF: “I would watch Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. That’s another one I would want to bring on a desert island. Yeah, that would be number four because that’s so good.”
14.MH: What movie do you quote the most often?
EF: “Borat for sure. Like embarrassingly often, and I started doing it on the nose, you know like 'My wiiiiife' and now I can’t stop. I’ll like tell people 'chenqui', and it’s really embarrassing.”
15.MH: What's an existing movie franchise that you'd like to join as a new character?
EF: "This probably doesn’t count as a franchise, but I’d love to have like a little cameo in a Jordan Peele film or something. You know have a little Barbie Ferreira moment [in Nope}, where I’m just peeking in for two seconds. 'Cause then also, hopefully, you don’t know too much of the plot of the movie, or you can stay away from it and then watch it later.”
16.MH: What's a movie you pretend to have watched, but haven't actually seen?
EF: “I pretended to have seen Uncut Gems for a long time. I have seen it since, but there was a long period of time where I was like 'That movie was crazy guys!'"
17.MH: Who would you want to play you in a movie?
EF: “I’d love sort of like a strange choice. Like a Jennifer Coolidge or something. Or someone like Joaquin Phoenix, who doesn’t look like me or have my mannerisms at all, but I’d love to see what they do with the role."
MH: "Watching Jennifer Coolidge or Joaquin Phoenix play you in Eighth Grade would be the highlight of my entire existence."
EF: “Right?! I think that would be really special.”
18.MH: If you could invite three actors/directors, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
EF: “Nicholas Cage would be one of them for sure. This is hard. I think Lady Gaga, and I’m trying to think of a director now to bring together the trifecta. Maybe those two and, like, Taika Waititi. I think that would be a really interesting dinner party because I think of those three very separately. I’d kind of love to almost just be a fly on the wall and see what their conversations would be like.”
MH: "I would also gladly watch a movie that Taika directed that starred the three of you."
EF: "I know. Get them on the phone."
19.MH: Lastly, what is one movie that made you want to be an actor?
EF: “I guess semi-recently, I had watched Red Rocket again. I just appreciate when people like Simon Rex, he really has that movie. And I think that’s such a beautiful thing as an actor, and really gives me a renewed love of the craft. Just knowing that you can be interesting and be amazing. You know, it makes me excited."
Stream Elsie Fisher's latest film, My Best Friend's Exorcism, now on Prime Video.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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