Against Type
Whatever script we as writers want to write, an audience will bring their own associations- ones which can get in the way of our story, or if used well, enhance it.
This month I finally caught up with Heretic, the 2024 psychological-horror film by Beck/Woods in which two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), are trapped in the home of an eccentric loner, Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), engaging in a deadly game of cat and mouse for survival.
I was taken aback by the directness with which Heretic addresses The Book of Mormon, the international stage show-sensation.
Straight off the bat, the pop-cultural reputation of Mormonism is a stick the central duo are beaten with, before expectations flip (not only are they aware of the musical, but Barnes is actually a fan), to leave us on their side.
Heretic (2024)
Instead of tiptoeing around the elephant in the room, they address it head on, something we can all learn from as writers; as a result, these girls aren’t naïve victims, but real people to relate to.
Indeed, that was probably part of writer-director pitch, the “why now” of their movie: to make Mormons relatable, to redeem them as “just like us”.
Another part of Beck/Woods’ pitch would have been Hugh Grant playing against type, as the movie’s scheming psychopath, Mr. Reed. When creating a character with a particular actor in mind, writing against type can be a great hook for your performer. When that actor is “bankable”, it can also be a selling point to your audience.
Indeed, Grant-as-psycho was a big reason why I wanted to watch Heretic. In the end, however, it also proved to be bad casting. In my opinion, Grant was far too debonair for the loner, who, whilst an academic of sorts, needed to be a lot creepier.
How about you? What against-type performances have you loved from actors in anything you have seen? Or do you disagree with me about Heretic? What did you love about this movie as a writer?
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