Read our exclusive interview with actress Sarah Butler, who plays the lead role of novelist Jennifer Hills in the new ‘I Spit On Your Grave’ remake. The movie follows Jennifer as she travels to a remote cabin to write in solitude for a few months, until several men from town show up and start to beat her. Out of revenge, Jennifer strikes back at her tormentors and physically abuses them. The movie, which is based on the controversial 1978 movie of the same name, is set to be released theatrically on October 8, 2010.
Shockya (SY): You started your career guest-starring on such TV shows as ‘Prison Break’ and ‘CSI: New York/Miami.’ The ‘I Spit On Your Grave’ remake is your first major movie role, so what was it about Jennifer Hills that made you want to play her?
Sarah Butler (SB): Jennifer gets to go through so much. To be able to portray such a huge range of emotions. To go from one place that was a life-changing experience, and then come out completely changed on the other end is something actors dream about. It was a complete honor for me to play a role like that.
SY: What was your reaction when you first found out that you got the role?
SB: I was really excited. But I had to warm up into it, because during the auditioning process, I was given the script. Of course, I was completely shocked. My initial reaction when reading it was “I could never do anything like this, this is so terrible.” I actually spoke to a lot of people I respected, like my manager. He was completely on board. Usually he’s very protected of every decision I make, every project. Usually, if there’s nudity or violence involved, he tends to just say no to it. Surprisingly enough, he was really excited about this one. Asking friends who are actors, “Would you want to do a role like this?” They said yes, “I would die to do a role like that! It sounds like so much fun to carry a movie like that.” By the time I had booked it, the reason I had was that beyond the audition, I was so excited about it. The more I thought about doing it, the more I thought about how I could play with this character. Lisa Hamilton, our producer, and Steven R. Monroe, our director, wanted to make sure I was completely on board. Part of my auditioning process was them sitting me down, asking me “Okay, are really ready to play something like this? We know how intense this is.” The more we talked about it, the more I wanted to do it. I was so ready to go all the way with this.
SY: Did you feel any pressure while filming to make your portrayal of Jennifer as memorable as Camille Keaton’s in the original?
SB: I didn’t, but that was just because it’s such a detrimental thing to do as an actor. You just go and play and pretend. If I was thinking about trying to replicate her performance in any way, I probably would have done a really terrible job, and I knew that. But the main focus was the experience I was having as Jennifer, and that’s what I was doing while I was filming. After shooting, I was definitely hoping that we made the fans of the original and the fans of Camille’s performance, we made them happy. But that was kind of in retrospect. But it’s turned out great. It’s turned out all the fans support our version, and we’re happy about that.
SY: When the original film was released, it was considered controversial for its graphic use of violence. Why do you think it was so controversial back then?
SB: Back in ’78, when it was released, and then in ’80, more massively, no film had dared pushed the boundaries that far, with nudity and violence and rape. Still rape is one of the most sensitive issues, and I know, for us, when we were going through the MPAA, trying to get an R rating without chopping the movie up so much, regular violence is one thing. They can allow a lot of violence, you see a lot of these crime shows, and they do show a lot of graphic violence and gore, and that’s okay with the general public, for some reason. But when you add in the factor of sexual violence, and rape, it completely becomes unacceptable in most people’s eyes, and it’s much more difficult for people to deal with. Even now, that is a huge controversial topic, and I could only image 32 years ago what that was like.
SY: In your version of the movie, do you feel it was necessary to include so much violence to get the audience to empathize with Jennifer?
SB: Yeah, definitely, that’s the huge part. There’s a balance in the film, and the audience has to go through so much terror and pain with Jennifer, in order to make it worth the end, and make the pay-off so sweet, and to get everyone on my side when I’m doing these terrible things to these guys. It’s a very violent film, and it’s very difficult to watch, I know that. The first time I screened it, I cried. I think that people need to know when they’re going to see this film, they can’t go in thinking it’s going to be a day in the park. People have to know what they’re getting themselves into when they’re going to this film. If they know that, they can really get some entertainment, as odd as that is, out of this film. If you’re not into violence in films, I could understand why they may have a problem with the film.
SY: ‘I Spit On Your Grave’ has a similar theme to ‘Last House on the Left.’ What makes your movie different from other movies in this category?
SB: It is, I guess, quite similar. A lot of people have said that. I think we had the unique opportunity while shooting our film, that despite the fact that (the original’s) completely cherished by a lot of fans, it admittedly could use some updating in some aspects. So it was cool, with the complete backing of Meir Zarchi (the director of the original), he was on board as our executive producer, we took the bones of his film, and we actually remade into something that, I don’t want to say is better, but is more current. There are definitely aspects, I think, today’s audiences will be able to relate to more than the original. Meir himself will say that. He is very proud. Our film was actually a remake that we felt was completely justified. Those other remakes out there, like ‘Last House on the Left,’ have big shoes to fill. It’s up to each individual viewer to think if the shoes are filled or not.
SY: What is it about the horror genre that draws audiences in and makes it so appealing?
SB: I don’t know! I guess it’s that audiences loved to be scared. I mean, I remember as a kid, ‘Scream’ came out. As much as I was terrified of it, I was excited, it made me giddy. I think that there are people who love that feeling. But personally, the older I’ve gotten, I’ve become a wuss. Those movies are kind of tough for me to watch if I want to get a good night’s sleep. But there is a huge audience out there that really appreciates those films, stepping in and feeling like they’ve lost complete control. There are such maniacal things going on in these films. That must be it!
Written by: Karen Benardello
