Interview: Erin Moriarty on ‘Catching Dust’, Independent Cinema & Acting Superpowers
In Maker’s Dozen, we ask folks in and around the film industry 12 questions and have them ask one of us.
Erin Moriarty is an actress whose credits include Captain Fantastic, Monster Party, Jessica Jones, and as Annie January/Starlight in the Prime Video series The Boys. She stars in the new Stuart Gatt feature Catching Dust, which hits select theaters and VOD on August 23.
In this interview, Erin talks about filming an indie movie in 35mm, why tears don’t equate to good acting, her dream collaborators, and more!
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
1. What’s the Erin Moriarty origin story?
I started out in musical theater and loved it. I also wanted to be a singer, and I got an audition for Annie in New York City. I worked really hard on preparing for the audition and then I got it. And then I got on stage and it was the happiest I’ve ever felt. So acting is what I chose to do.
2. What made you say yes to Catching Dust?
It was the character of Geena. I love a script that defies any kind of label, and I really do think it does. We label it as a thriller, but it’s really much more complicated than that. It’s about the messiness of being human, and Geena is messy and paradoxical and confused and lost. She’s someone who is so curious that she’s still able to transcend the sheltered environment she comes from and the suppression she’s going through to start to find who she is, which most of us can’t do even when we have things set up correctly for us.
3. You said this movie “couldn’t be closer to your heart.” Why is that?
It’s because I was able to film an independent feature, and there are less independent features made today than there were when I started. I wish there were more and I hope there begin to be more. The cast was so supportive. We became a family. The director Stuart Gatt was so collaborative and intelligent and specific, but without ego. This character resonated with me on such a profound level that the stars aligned in a moment that I don’t expect to align that way again. It just checked all the boxes.
4. There are so many stunning shots in this movie. What’s your favorite?
The one in the kitchen with the knife is an amazing shot. I don’t know how they thought of it. I’m in the kitchen holding a knife and you see the camera floating above the trailer. The way it just takes flight is something you just don’t see anymore. It’s so cinematic. And because the landscape was so grand in scale in a way most films aren’t anymore, it felt like an older movie. Older movies and foreign movies are the ones I gravitate towards, and this feels like it’s in that realm of honesty and visual aesthetics.
5. The movie is gorgeously shot in 35mm. As an actor, what are the challenges to shooting on film versus digital?
Shooting in series—in other words, I like going from one to the next with no interruption. I like to stay in the zone, so that was the primary challenge. But it’s a brilliant practice transcending that and proving to yourself that you can do it. I would never sacrifice the fact that this was shot on film, and I would do it any day.
6. What’s a good piece of direction you remember getting from Stuart Gatt?
Oh gosh, there were so many moments. There was one moment at the very end of the movie where he really guided me through when to find the emotion. At that point I felt so connected to the character, my heart had cracked open and I couldn’t hold back tears, and tears don’t equate with good acting. We think they do a lot of the time with actresses, but they don’t. Stuart helped me reel it in and find the right moments. And I thought, that’s someone who knows what’s honest as opposed to what some directors might think equates to just good acting.
7. What’s something about Jai Courtney most people wouldn’t expect?
He comes across as really tough, because he is, but the soul of that man is deep and warm. When I got the role, we had lunch and within three minutes of meeting him, I knew I was going to be OK and felt so safe. And you need to feel safe when you’re playing opposite someone. I thought to myself, I feel so lucky to be able to work with someone who is just a good human. And during that lunch, which turned into a six-hour lunch, she said to me: “I’m here for you. I’m here to watch you make Geena fly in the way she needs to.” The fact that he said that speaks volumes of who he is, and it’s not because he said that about me. He could say that about any actress. He’s a giver. He’s a lovely, lovely dude and in my heart as a family member forever.
8. Are the Canary Islands overrated or underrated?
Underrated. Love it, love it, love it.
9. What’s a superpower you gained over four seasons on The Boys that you brought to this film?
Having a voice and being able to speak out on behalf of myself.
10. What’s your go-to advice for aspiring actors?
Attack it like you’re an athlete. Don’t be lazy. Find a technique that works for you. And study, study, study.
11. Who is your dream movie collaborator?
The Safdie Brothers and Frances McDormand.
12. You’re also a great singer, so we gotta know: What’s your karaoke song?
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston.
+1. What’s your question for us?
What would your last meal on earth be?
Kevin: Probably a burger, fries, and a milkshake. That’s the Midwestern in me.