Heather Matarazzo Q&A

The 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' star discusses becoming the victim of torture porn exclusively from the set of 'Hostel: Part II'

First things first – what’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do so far on this shoot?

I had to hang upside down for two full days 15 feet in the air while I got sliced and diced. So I guess I would constitute that as interesting.

Sounds like fun.

The easiest way I can describe it is that it was like an out of body experience for two days. I was in a complete daze. The only dailies that I watched were of the torture scenes a few days later and I didn’t feel like it was me.

So are you a horror fan?

I’m not a fan, but not because I think it’s stupid or silly. I get extremely horrified, which I guess is the point, but I’ll literally watch the film with my eyes closed, or through my fingers, or try to blur my eyes.

Had you been looking to do a horror film?

No, the script came to me and I really liked it. I live in New York so I wasn’t able to go out and meet them, so I auditioned and put myself on tape then I flew to LA to meet with Eli [Roth], and met with Lauren [German] and Bijou [Phillips], and we talked then I got the offer.

Had you seen ‘Hostel’ before you got the script?

I got it after I auditioned and before I got the part. I watched it with Eli’s commentary so it was less horrifying.

That’s wimping out a bit.

Well maybe now my horror film experience will be different after watching this film.

Can you tell me a little bit about your character Lorna?

She’s a girl who lives in a bubble. She’s very manic and everything’s very pretty and fabulous. She has moments throughout the film where you see her break out of that manic-ness and you get to see a glimpse of a girl who is in an extreme amount of pain. Who is extremely sad. Eli wrote a very strong character, but was smart enough to write it so I could grow and give her layers and see where I could take her.

He’s been criticised for not being able to write strong female characters in the past, so are these women different?

Well he did a good job this time. I think he’s tapped into a woman’s strength and her vulnerability, but I think that’s also in part down to him trusting me and Lauren and Bij – he’s not so stuck with the words on the page and if something is not working there’s room for improvement. It was very much a collaborative effort.

He’s mainly known for the gore, but would you say Eli is also an actor’s director?

Everyone’s a critic and everyone’s going to say what they want to say, but you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. He’s one of the sweetest, most supportive directors I’ve ever worked with. I set my bar incredibly high, and then he’ll set it a little higher. It’s almost like a competition to see what he can get out of me without overdoing it and how far I can go. He’s really stretched me in ways that I never thought possible. I feel like it’s just the beginning of a very special relationship between him and myself.

How do you prepare for that torture scene?

You don’t. You just go and do it. I just did it. Everyone has their own way, but it’s pretty self-explanatory – you’re hanging 15 feet in the air, pretty much completely naked, getting a metal sythe up and down your back with your hands cuffed behind you and a gag in your mouth. And we were shooting nights – enough said.

‘Hostel: Part II’ is in cinemas now.

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