Natalie Erika James’ characteristic directorial debut, Relic, acquired crucial acclaim at Sundance in January 2020, however then, like all the things else, it was misplaced within the shuffle of the world-altering pandemic. The horror movie — which had backing from the respective manufacturing corporations of the Russo brothers and Jake Gyllenhaal — used the style to ship an allegory on dementia and the ache that accompanies our older family members’ getting older course of. The low-budget Australian-American co-production nonetheless managed to make just a few million {dollars} at 2020’s beleaguered international field workplace, however all in all, Relic deservedly put James on the studio system’s radar. 

In March 2021, the Japanese-Australian filmmaker was employed to co-write and direct the Julia Garner-led House 7A for Paramount+. This time, she had assist from the manufacturing banners of John Krasinski (Sunday Evening Productions) and Michael Bay (Platinum Dunes). Whereas the title gave the sport away to sure cinephiles, the manufacturing didn’t instantly disclose that House 7A was a prequel to 1968’s Rosemary’s Child. And given the authorized baggage that comes with the latter’s filmmaker, Roman Polanski, James, understandably, needed to weigh the appreciable cons earlier than lastly committing.

“One of many massive concerns was ensuring that there was a separation between [Apartment 7A] and the unique movie’s creators not being concerned on this one,” James tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So we had these discussions previous to beginning a redraft of the script. We additionally tried to reference Ira Levin’s authentic ebook as a lot as we probably might and use that as supply materials. However, on the identical time, as a result of the unique movie is so iconic, it’s form of an unavoidable comparability.”

James’ psychological thriller is concerning the tragedy of aspiring singer-dancer, Terry Gionoffrio (Garner), who was the recipient of Minnie (Dianne Wiest) and Roman Castevets’ underhanded benefaction earlier than Rosemary and Man Woodhouse moved into the neighboring house, 7E. In Rosemary’s Child, Terry and Rosemary (Mia Farrow) bonded within the Bramford constructing’s creepy laundry room, prompting Terry to inform Rosemary about her seemingly great benefactors, the Castevets. Lower than a minute later when it comes to runtime, the Woodhouses found Terry’s lifeless physique on the sidewalk after her obvious suicide.

House 7A does have a short laundry room scene with Terry and somebody who seems to look lots like Rosemary, but it surely ends earlier than any such change can occur. It additionally takes place at a degree in James’ story the place Mrs. Gardenia, the tenant who resided in 7E earlier than the Woodhouses, was nonetheless dwelling on the Bramford. James acknowledges that the scene was, in truth, purported to be the start of the Rosemary’s Child scene between Terry and Rosemary, but it surely was repositioned in post-production on account of the place House 7A’s Terry was in her arc. It simply wouldn’t have made sense to have a chipper Terry, per Rosemary’s Child, communicate so glowingly concerning the Castevets within the hours main as much as her demise. (Previous to this interview, I unknowingly handled House 7A’s laundry room scene as a wink and a nod to the longer term scene between Terry and Rosemary, and that the blonde lady was solely meant to be harking back to Rosemary, not really Rosemary.)

“I actually shied away from wanting to indicate Rosemary’s face or any form of interplay. It felt, surprisingly, like a step too far to only recast Mia Farrow, although Minnie and Roman [Castevet] are reimagined of their approach,” James shares. “So that you’re proper concerning the lack of continuity from the unique with Mrs. Gardenia nonetheless being round. Within the edit course of, there’s at all times issues that should be shifted to greatest inform the story, so, sadly, that was one of many sacrifices.”

Under, throughout a latest dialog with THR, James additionally discusses the haunting piece of music that serves as a standard thread between her personal childhood fears, Relic, Rosemary’s Child and House 7A. 

So the “Für Elise” scene in Relic, was that you simply leaving a path of breadcrumbs in case you ever bought to make a prequel to Rosemary’s Child sometime? 

(Laughs.) That’s so humorous. It’s really a track that’s been haunting me since childhood. After I was in Prep [at age five], they used to play classical music, and I used to have these actually intense nightmares about my mother dying. In order that was why I selected that for Relic. However you’re completely proper that it’s a haunting factor in Rosemary’s Child, as nicely. I watched that movie very early in my teenagers, so all of it got here collectively. (Author’s Observe: Beethoven’s “Für Elise” recurs within the background all through Rosemary’s Child, as a close-by tenant learns to play it increasingly more proficiently.)

In fact, I additionally caught your use of it in House 7A, however at this fee, possibly you must simply hold tucking that piece of music into all the things you do. It’d be your individual private Easter egg.

(Laughs.) 100%, yeah. I’m about to shoot one other one in six weeks, so, yeah, I’ll take that on. I’ll credit score you for that.

Rosemary’s Child has such a wealthy world to play in, creatively, however given the elephant within the room (Roman Polanski), did it’s a must to deliberate for a bit earlier than getting concerned? 

Yeah, completely. Generally, I used to be undoubtedly skeptical of constructing remakes, however even a prequel to a giant IP, that was one thing that I didn’t essentially see for myself. However one of many massive concerns was ensuring that there was a separation between [Apartment 7A] and the unique movie’s creators not being concerned on this one, as nicely. So we had these discussions previous to beginning a redraft of the script. We additionally tried to reference Ira Levin’s authentic ebook as a lot as we probably might and use that as supply materials. However, on the identical time, as a result of the unique movie is so iconic, it’s form of an unavoidable comparability. 

In taking over the venture, a very powerful thematic thread for me was the assault that Terry experiences, and I wished to inform that story in a approach that makes use of the horror style to painting that have. Her journey has an actual coming again to self, and there’s an actual triumph in that, although she’s cornered on the finish. So these had been the sorts of issues I used to be fascinated about when taking over the venture.

Individuals who know Rosemary’s Child inside out had been tipped off by the title, but it surely appeared like there was as soon as a plan to maintain House 7A’s prequel connection as quiet as attainable. Was that truly the case? Or was everybody simply ready for the precise time to unveil it within the advertising and marketing? (Author’s Observe: When THR lined James and Garner’s involvement, neither story talked about any connection to Rosemary’s Child.)

I’m not too certain. When it was introduced, there was no direct connection to it, so possibly that call hadn’t been made but, probably. However I actually can’t say. I’m undecided in the event that they meant to only do a shock reveal, however after we had been taking pictures, there have been undoubtedly some rumors and stuff occurring. So I believe it was like, “Let’s maintain till we work out what the plan is.” 

Casting Minnie Castevet, as a follow-up to Ruth Gordon’s Oscar-winning efficiency in 1969, should’ve been a frightening train. So how quickly did two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest enter into the equation?

She got here up very early. On condition that she has such an exquisite historical past of portraying these extremely superb, larger-than-life characters, however with such grounded realism as nicely, she appeared like a extremely thrilling match. We had been actually aware of making an attempt to create a Minnie efficiency that stood other than Ruth Gordon’s very iconic efficiency. So we spent plenty of time on the lookout for the correct of voice or the precise reference for that voice. We ultimately landed on Mae Questel, who’s most identified for voicing Betty Boop. In order that felt like an fascinating mixture of candy, however unhinged, as nicely. And other than the voice, we additionally took a unique strategy when it comes to wardrobe simply to distinguish the 2.

Did the studio have any blueprints or supplies from Rosemary’s Child of their archives nonetheless? Or did you simply print out each body of the film and work off of all that? 

It might’ve been so nice to have had a number of the authentic props. There was a lot consideration to element that went into recreating the Bramford units and the furnishings contained in the Castevets’ house. The one relic that we had was a body from the unique movie. It was a shot that regarded into the Dakota Constructing’s courtyard, and we used it as a base. We VFX’d that after which used it in our movie as an establishing [shot]. We shot in London, and it’s set in Sixties New York, so one of many tougher issues was to have sufficient establishing and world constructing pictures.

Did you continue to ship a crew to NYC to shoot the exteriors of the Dakota Constructing? 

We undoubtedly did shoot there, however that was extra for plates that had been used at the side of VFX and the London location the place we shot. You’re simply going there to get stills, primarily, and there’s actually no drone pictures trying down onto the Dakota. 

There’s a laundry room scene that’s meant to be harking back to the one Terry and Rosemary have in Rosemary’s Child, however Mrs. Gardenia continues to be dwelling in 7E at that time in your story. (Rosemary and Man Woodhouse ultimately moved into her house after she handed.) So how shut had been you to truly displaying Terry’s perspective on the primary time she met Rosemary? 

I used to be at all times actually aware of the actual fact that there have been already so many parallels to the unique movie, and we had been making these actually aware choices about utilizing the Bramford and protecting sure design options very constant. However I actually shied away from wanting to indicate Rosemary’s face or any form of interplay. It felt, surprisingly, like a step too far to only recast Mia Farrow, although Minnie and Roman are reimagined of their approach. So that you’re proper concerning the lack of continuity from the unique with Mrs. Gardenia nonetheless being round. Within the edit course of, there’s at all times issues that should be shifted to greatest inform the story, so, sadly, that was one of many sacrifices.

Naturally, I went into House 7A with the expectation that Terry’s demise could be depicted, as a result of we noticed the instant aftermath of her demise in Rosemary’s Child. However realizing what evil the Castevets’ coven was as much as in each motion pictures, I really discovered myself rooting for her demise in the long run. It’s triumphant in a bizarre approach as a result of it’s on her phrases and towards the coven’s. 

Yeah, it’s fairly darkish, isn’t it? It’s what I used to be describing earlier than about her coming again to self. She’s a personality whose bodily autonomy has been snatched from her within the worst approach attainable on a number of fronts. So, although the precise end result is sort of tragic, you do root for her as a result of she does take again management in the one parameters that she will be able to.

The primary time I ever noticed Julia Garner, I stated that she must play Madonna in a biopic. Years later, Madonna really forged her to star in her biopic, however as of January 2023, it misplaced momentum till Madonna confirmed herself rewriting in July 2024. Anyway, now that you simply’ve had a front-row seat to Julia as a singer and dancer in House 7A, do you wish to watch her tackle Madonna much more now? 

Oh my god, in fact, and it’s wild that that was your first impression of her. I might watch Julia in something, however listening to the tales about coaching with Madonna, I might completely like to see that movie.

As soon as Rosemary is drugged by the chocolate mousse, she has a partial hallucination the place she imagines herself on a ship. So there was one thing in her unconscious that put her at that location. In Terry’s case, she has this prolonged musical theater sequence, presumably as a result of her desires have at all times been tied to the stage. Am I on the identical web page as you? 

Yeah, utterly. I used to be referencing the Broadway musicals or movies that she’d seen rising up and sure imagined herself starring in, as nicely. In order that was undoubtedly the monitor we had been taking place.

Whenever you assume again on this expertise many a long time from now, will you possible recall these taking pictures days first? 

Yeah, I believe you’re proper. The choreography scenes had been fairly new for me. I’d by no means executed a giant dance sequence earlier than, and the expertise of the dancers, in addition to how all the things works along with the manufacturing design, was fairly unimaginable and thrilling. It gave me the same feeling to doing stunts on Relic and simply with the ability to play with the craft. There’s one thing comparable between stunts and dance sequences, simply when it comes to what you’re making an attempt to realize and the way the digicam strikes. So I cherished each second of it.

Lastly, you talked about earlier that you simply’re about to shoot one thing. Are you able to share any details about it?

Sure, I’m doing one other psychological horror, and this one’s referred to as Saccharine. It’s a few lady who eats human ash to reduce weight, and he or she turns into haunted by the ghost of the particular person she’s consuming. So it has a little bit of an absurd bent to it, however I’m very excited and we’re taking pictures right here in Melbourne.

Properly, I look ahead to listening to “Für Elise” in it. 

Sure! (Laughs.)

***
House 7A is now streaming on Paramount+.