LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� One of the few moments of levity 鈥� the Neon horror film about a Satanist serial killer 鈥� happens when Maika Monroe鈥檚 character, Lee Harker, meets her co-worker鈥檚 young daughter.
It鈥檚 obvious the analytical FBI agent doesn鈥檛 spend a lot of time around kids. Her stoic, awkward personality is comically heightened by this interaction with the child, who asks Harker to do things she obviously has no interest in, like seeing the girl鈥檚 bedroom or coming to her birthday party.
Critics the 31-year-old鈥檚 鈥淟onglegs鈥� performance 鈥� which says something when you share the screen with . But her calculated, offbeat character is even more impressive given Monroe鈥檚 affable, almost whimsical personality.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a kind of childlike quality to her that is extremely compelling and graceful and charming,鈥� said Cage of his co-star.
Her endearing approachability is perhaps at least somewhat attributable to the fact that she has always kept Hollywood at arm鈥檚 length. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 necessarily like being fully consumed in this world,鈥� Monroe said in a recent interview.
Neither of her parents work in the entertainment industry and only reluctantly agreed to start driving her to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara for auditions as a kid while she balanced school and her kiteboarding hobby. And instead of obsessing about getting her big break after years of trying, Monroe took some time away to be a professional kiteboarder in the Dominican Republic when she was 17.
鈥淚 was pretty much like, 鈥楢cting just isn鈥檛 for me.鈥� I go to classes, I work on my lines, I work so hard for these auditions, and I feel like I鈥檓 doing all the things and it just isn鈥檛 clicking,鈥� Monroe recalled. 鈥淚t was so frustrating. And it was getting to a place where it just wasn鈥檛 feeling good anymore.鈥�
But she wasn鈥檛 ready to give up entirely. Although she got rid of her agent, Monroe kept her manager, who would occasionally encourage her to send in audition tapes.
In almost a year, she only sent in four or five. She didn鈥檛 hear anything back 鈥� until she did.
Monroe enjoyed being a professional athlete and said it gave her a healthy perspective on her career, but as soon as she was cast in 鈥淎t Any Price鈥� alongside and she rushed home. Soon after, her big break did come with David Robert Mitchell鈥檚 2014 cult indie horror film,
鈥淭here鈥檚 been so many ups and downs and so many times where I question, like, 鈥榃hat the hell am I doing here?鈥� And it鈥檚 such a tough industry, just mentally,鈥� she admitted. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been probably two other times throughout my career where I鈥檓 like, 鈥業 can鈥檛 do this anymore.鈥� And yet I just keep getting pulled back. And at the end of the day, I feel like this is what I鈥檓 meant to be doing and this is what I鈥檓 good at.鈥�
Rather than look back on her time as a kiteboarder as a detour, Monroe said it was formative, especially since she competed at a time in the sport when women were considerably outnumbered. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for the strength that I felt. I felt powerful and strong. And it was just like a very important experience for me,鈥� she said.
Superstition makes her reluctant to admit it, but she said this feels like a turning point in her career. She is set to reprise her role as Jay Height for Mitchell鈥檚 鈥淭hey Follow,鈥� which is scheduled to begin production early next year.
But Monroe said she initially worried a sequel 10 years later might just be a cash grab or ruin the original.
鈥淚 was like, 鈥極h no鈥� ... because it was just so iconic at that time when it came out and the way that it ended,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I always had faith in David. He鈥檚 so particular about what he does. Clearly, he does barely anything because he鈥檚 so picky. It has to be on his terms, his scripts. And yeah, I read it, and I was like, 鈥極h, okay. This is how you do it.鈥� So, I have high hopes.鈥�
Although 鈥淚t Follows鈥� and 鈥淟onglegs鈥� have been Monroe鈥檚 most high-profile horror films to date, her list of acting credits within the genre is an extensive one.
鈥淚 want a goddamn rom-com. Come on. Good God. What am I doing?鈥� she joked about her reputation as a scream queen, but said that she鈥檚 happy to stay in the world of scary movies if it means continued creative fulfillment.
鈥淭he most interesting roles, the most interesting stories and scripts that I鈥檝e been sent usually fall under this genre and usually end up being the films that I鈥檓 most proud of, not only as a whole, but my performance. And I feel like the most growth as an actor happens through these.鈥�
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
