Russell Crowemight as well have been a powerful, active “volcano” as far asThe Exorcism’sdirector and co-writerJoshua John Milleris concerned. Miller’s newhorrorfilm is now playing in theaters, and the co-developer ofQueen of the Southwas tasked with guidingThe Exorcism’sOscar-winning star through the making of the movie. And in a brand-new interview, Miller revealed it was like witnessing a “volcano” where watching Crowe was concerned. Miller toldCBR:
“More often than not,I think those larger-than-life personalities do what they do because they’ve been cut from a cloth that’s tattered and ripped,and there’s a tremendous amount of pain — and then add fame to it.I think with Russell, he’s such an incredible maestro of his instrument and work.I don’t get intimidated by a lot of people. I don’t think I was intimidated by him.I just saw a volcano in front of me, every day.”
The Exorcism
A troubled actor, Anthony Miller, portrayed by Russell Crowe, begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His daughter, Lee, played by Ryan Simpkins, suspects his erratic behavior might be due to his past addictions or something far more sinister. As the film progresses, the line between reality and the supernatural blurs, leading to a tense and chilling climax.
Miller continued:
“I just knew that this is part of his genius,and we just have to walk carefully around it,and carefully guide this very powerful natural guy,because his talent is clearly not overly trained. I think it’s raw talent.You’re dealing with someone whose talent is just so from the hip, that it’s not intimidating, it’s just I don’t know where the lava’s going to come out.And I think you’re going to have to just carefully manage it and bring that to the screen.”
Joshua John Miller Addresses The Exorcist Curse
As most horror fans already know,Joshua John Miller is the son of Jason Miller,who famously starred as Damien Karras inThe Exorcistand its 1990 sequel,The Exorcist III. However, where the unknown is concerned, the question becomes: Is there a curse on the 1973 film? Miller says, “evil exists in people,” but he doesn’t buy into curses, even when there is oftentimes one associated with his dad’s classic movie. Miller elaborated in an interview withMashable:
“I don’t believe in that stuff. What I do believe is that evil exists in people,and I think that making movies is always a complicated game.In the Hollywood movie system, you’re always in strange negotiation with various elements, people who are probably morally compromised.It’s just the nature of the world we’re in, right? And I think that the only cursed experiencesI really had during this — were with some of the people I had to work with in the process.”
Adam Goldberg on Reuniting With Russell Crowe for The Exorcism and Why Directing Is Like Parenting
The beloved character actor and filmmaker spoke to MovieWeb about working with his A Beautiful Mind co-star all these years later.
So, how isThe Exorcismfaring? The Russell Crowe-led horror flick is struggling with both critics and fans. At the time of this writing,The Exorcismregisters only 30% on the Tomatometer, while the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t much better at 50%. Be sure to check outMovieWeb’s review ofThe Exorcism,which proclaims that “Russell Crowe nearly saves a meta horrorshow.”
The Exorcismis now playing in theaters.
