Psycho Goreman centers its gory tale on Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna), a precocious kid who discovers a mystical amulet that grants her and her brother Luke (Owen Myre) control over an ancient alien overlord nicknamed P.G. Instead of being frightened of evil incarnate, Mimi rejoices at befriending P.G., taking him clothes shopping and demanding he plays with her.
Actor Nita-Josee Hanna recently discussed with CBR what it was like portraying Mimi, being around so many monsters from the brain of director/writer Steven Kostanski and what she enjoyed most about being the lead in her first feature film experience.
CBR: So, first off, I just want to say how much I love the film. And I loved your portrayal of Mimi in the film. It was so fun and so energetic. What was your favorite part about portraying Mimi in Psycho Goreman?
Nita-Josee Hanna: My favorite thing about portraying Mimi in Psycho Goreman is how much liberty I had with molding the character. I could put my own little twists or say something differently. And I feel like that's what made Mimi such a powerful character. I could say something different and still, be funny. And it still be Mimi. Just because I find that me and Mimi have similar personalities in the way that we think that we're always right. And that, you know, we're very quick on our feet, sometimes sassy. So yeah, I think that was my favorite part.
So, what is one thing that you believe you added to Mimi? That you looked at either with the script or with how you portrayed a scene and were like, "Oh, I think we could do this differently..."
Hanna: I think what I added the most to her is her sassiness. I remember going into a live audition with Steve. And I had done the scene once. And he asked me, you know, "Can you do it, but with a little bit less spiteful and a little less sassy? And then I did it that way. And he was like, "Oh, nevermind. Yeah, no, do it the other way. The other way is better."
What was the most difficult thing about playing Mimi?
Hanna: She was always energetic. Always. Always. Always. She was never serious. If it was, it wasn't more than two seconds, and usually her serious bits were sarcastic anyway. Yeah, I think the hardest thing for sure is being on set during those late hours and still needing to be that full of 10 out of 10 energy all the time. And quick on my feet. And you know, I'm just that type of person that I like to always be on my best game. So being on my best game at all times, whether it was two in the morning or two o'clock in the afternoon, I always try my best to keep my energy up and the spirits of the whole crew up really.
Did you ever get to play crazy ball with the cast and crew outside of the film? It looked like it would be really fun to play, so I hope you did!
Hanna: I think we talked about eventually playing crazy ball? The only big factor is that even though you hear me explaining the rules throughout the film, we don't know how to play.
[Laughs.]
[Laughs.] I don't think the rules were like written down or anything? I think it was just something that it sounds real when you hear it and you're like, "Yes, this could be a kid's game that you know, a brother and a sister could have made up." But I don't think it was really ever realized and thought out really. But that would be a very fun idea. It would be a very fun idea to get everybody to play crazy ball.
There are so many awesome monsters with so many amazingly detailed designs in this film. Who was your favorite monster on set? And did you get to interact with them besides P.G.'s character?
Hanna: Yeah, so, my favorite character personally has to be P.G. just because number one Matt was the nicest person ever. He was so sweet. And he really like tried his best to work with me in the most respectful way and work with a bunch of crazy kids on set. But, like even like when you looked at him, in person without ADR or like anything with his voice, the special effects on his [monster] skin was so detailed. There was little lines that you can't even see on camera, but you can see in real life, which I find super cool.
And each vein was like a different color or different shade of bright pink or bright purple. So he was definitely my favorite. And I did see I'd say 80% of the time that I saw Matt, he was in his suit. But the extra, you know, 20% that I got to talk to Matt, I loved him and everybody out of the suits. He was great. The whole cast and crew were really, really great.
What's one thing that you hope audiences will take away from the film and specifically your portrayal of Mimi?
Hanna: One thing that I hope people take away from the film is like throughout the film, me and Luke, we were always outside. We're always doing something in the woods. I feel like nowadays, especially with this pandemic, that we're going through, it's always great to take a step outside, you know? Go bond with your -- if you have sisters or brothers -- siblings because I know, when we began lockdown, or when we were in lockdown, I got to bond a lot more with my two brothers. I have an older brother and a younger brother. And we got to actually play outside like we used to, we used to play soccer and frisbee and it was really fun. So I think now that the whole world practically is going through the same thing. We can kind of come together and you know, explore outside a bit more. I think it's it only does you good.
This film is really gory. And I love gore. I love scary movies... But, it's also a family film, which is so interesting. Do you think that young adults your age are going to be psyched to see this fun film that's also gory and scary? Or do you think it's gonna turn some people off?
Hanna: I think that this is a very diverse film. So it can range from young adults to people all the way you know, in their 60s [or] 70s. I think that it's a very easy film to promote to kids and adults. So you know, it's not like a horror-horror film that you're always like [scared]. You get to have some relaxing moments that you can laugh at and enjoy as a normal comedy film. I think people are really psyched to see this movie. I'm very excited for it to be out all over the world. I know it has been through many, many film festivals and won so many awards that I'm so very proud of and excited.
But yeah, I think it's a very fun movie. And also gory, but I find that the monsters are so cool to see in this movie. They look so cool and so real. And if I just wish you guys could all see it in person because in person, it's even cooler, and it looks so sick. It's amazing.
So in the film, there's a lot of blood. Were there any moments where you were in character, but you yourself felt scared or creeped out?
Hanna: There was this one location that we would have to go to a few times, it's where PG fought with... people. It was a location we had to practically hike to go to. And throughout the entire film, it was raining and cold. And they hadn't scheduled it for that, but that's what the movie came off as and it came off as this mysterious [scene], which I thought couldn't have been better for the film. But, it was so muddy and like was on a mountain that we were climbing practically. And I remember, we had like wood panels everywhere. And after a while, the wood panels just sank into the ground. And we just kept putting more and more [panels up] and then the wood gets slippery... That was definitely a spooky location.
In the film, I don't think anything really scared me? I think I was just like, "Whoa!" 'Cause, this is my first interaction with the camera. I've been in musical theater. I've been performing since I was five years old -- singing and dancing and theater. So this was my first real ever gig with film. I loved it. I hope to do it for the rest of my life.
Of all the monsters in the film, who do you wish to survive that does not survive in the film? Any thoughts on how monsters could have played out differently?
Hanna: Huh, this is very hard. I would have liked for, hm, it would have been very interesting if PG could have converted perhaps Greg into a PG monster and that be their thing. And maybe, I mean, Luke could be one and Mimi could too and be like a little monster family. But you know what? Just keep your fingers crossed. There are always chances for sequels and part twos, which I hope could be a thing one day. But yeah, if there is, I better get a suit! And I better get a costume because I was kind of jealous seeing everybody in their costumes.
Speaking of kid monsters, poor Brain Alastair... I imagine being a giant brain all the time would be difficult. Was that a puppet on set?
Hanna: So it was this big, big, big bubble. And inside, there was a special effects member of the crew -- Chloe Houseley. Inside, there were these big like metal poles in it to move the arms. So when you see the arms moving in the film, that's her. And yeah, like crawling. I remember we had like little knee pads for her because she had to crawl on the cement and everywhere.
Is there anything else about the film or about your role as Mimi that you want your audience to know?
Hanna: I really hope they enjoy the film. Me and the whole crew worked so so hard on it. And it was such a great experience. I'm so happy that I got to portray Mimi. And I find that Steven has done an amazing job writing and directing this film. And I really, really hope everybody thinks so as well. And hopefully, we can all see each other in real life soon!
Written and directed by Steven Kostanski, Psycho Goreman stars Nita-Josee Hanna, Matthew Ninaber, Steven Vlahos, Owen Myre and Kristen MacCulloch. The film arrives in theaters and VOD on Jan. 22.