Liu, Froseth Detail 85-Take Ordeal on Refn's 'Her Private Hell' at Cannes Premiere
Updated
Updated · Vulture · May 18
Liu, Froseth Detail 85-Take Ordeal on Refn's 'Her Private Hell' at Cannes Premiere
3 articles · Updated · Vulture · May 18
Havana Rose Liu and Kristine Froseth said making Nicolas Winding Refn’s Cannes-premiering 'Her Private Hell' became a sob-inducing "private hell," with climactic scenes requiring 85 takes and leaving them hyperventilating, voiceless or "crispy and lost."
Refn shot with no fixed script and kept reshaping scenes on set, the actresses said, pushing them to slow down into a trance-like style after coming straight from a high-intensity New York play.
Froseth said one late-shoot scene was so emotionally overwhelming she could give only one take, while Liu said another key scene had to be repeated because heavy mist obscured the camera’s view.
The two said their offscreen friendship helped them endure the Copenhagen shoot, where they lived together, cried together and coached each other through spirals as Refn demanded dozens of retakes.
The out-of-competition horror thriller marks Refn’s first feature since 2016’s 'Neon Demon' and follows its Cannes premiere with cast attention focused on the film’s open-ended meaning and grueling production.
How does a film about media algorithms handle its own viral hype after a record-breaking standing ovation at Cannes?
Does a 12-minute ovation for an out-of-competition film challenge the main Palme d'Or competition's prestige at Cannes?
After a near-death experience, how did director Nicolas Winding Refn translate his personal trauma into the film's mysterious plot?