Writer-director Caroline Lindy makes her feature film directorial debut with 2024’sYour Monster, an original project that blends horror, comedy, and romance. The genre-defying movie follows a young aspiring actor named Laura Franco, whose recent injury has waylaid her Broadway dreams, and whose heart is shattered after her boyfriend broke up with her while she was in the hospital and went on to stage a play they worked on together. In the midst of her grief, she discovers a monster living in her closet with a mission in mind to teach her self-love.
Lindy’s casting is one ofYour Monster’s strengths, in large part thanks to leading ladyMelissa Barrera (Scream&ScreamVI)portraying vulnerability and repressed rage in equal measure as Laura. Tommy Dewey (who recently brought Michael O’Donoghue to the big screen inSaturday Night) is also a revelation as Monster, whileThe White Lotusstar Meghann FahyandCivil War’s Edmund Donovan round out the cast. By combining romance and horror tropes with top-notch acting and fantasy-level visuals,Your Monstertells a captivating tale about inner demons and self-worth.
Your Monster Review: Melissa Barrera & Tommy Dewey Are A Perfect Pair In Dazzling Horror Rom-Com
This genre-defying rom-com is a fantastical experience that reminds us of the magic of movies.
ScreenRantinterviewed Barrera and Dewey about how they connected totheir characters inYour Monster, what the prosthetics did for the movie, and which scenes stood out most in their minds.
Melissa Barrera Likens Her Character In Your Monster To Her Own Industry Heartbreaks
“I’m very familiar with that feeling of deep despair; wanting to just literally quit life.”
Screen Rant:Your Monsteris an original film that explores themes of inner rage, self-love, and empowerment in such a creative and beautiful way. Brilliant job. Melissa, how did you connect personally with Laura Franco’s journey, especially her experience of heartbreak and self-discovery amidst such challenging circumstances?
Melissa Barrera: I mean, I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak. I haven’t had a heartbreak in the romantic sense in a while because I’ve been with my husband for so long, but there are other ways to get your [heart broken] — especially in this industry. So, I’m very familiar with that feeling of deep despair; wanting to just literally quit life.
But also, it was very easy for me to connect with Laura because I’m also a musical theater nerd. It’s also my dream to be on Broadway, and literally one of the first lines in the script, Laura says it’s her dream when Jacob offers her the role. She’s like, “This has been my dream for so long.” And so, immediately, I was like, “I know who this person is.”
Tommy Dewey Let The Prosthetics Do The Talking In Your Monster
“It’s really just connecting, ironically, on a human level with Melissa.”
Screen Rant: Tommy, Monster serves as the catalyst for Laura’s transformation. Can you share your approach to bringing that charm and depth to such an intriguing role? And can you talk about the challenges of conveying emotion through makeup and prosthetics?
Tommy Dewey: I think the key to Monster, and I’ve said this before, was not playing Monster. That incredible prosthetic — shout out to Dave Anderson and his team for that — does a lot of the work for you. Then it’s really just connecting, ironically, on a human level with Melissa and rolling up our sleeves and getting into the acting work of developing that chemistry.
I think to get really nerdy and actor-y, if Monster is playing an action, it is to heal her. Sometimes that’s tough love; sometimes that’s crying with her — whatever it ends up being.
I’ve got to say I was a little nervous about being expressive enough, but that apparatus is so incredible. It matches every crow’s foot, every wrinkle. I mean, it’s that fine-tuned. If I move, it moves, and it’s so nice to not bring your vanity to set. I will cop to being a vain person, and to be able to be like, “I don’t look great today. I look like a monster…” That self-consciousness that you bring to work sometimes just doesn’t exist, and what a great place to be to perform.
Your Monster Stars Were Competing With Superbowl Chaos In One Of Their Most Memorable Scenes
“It was a lot of elements that were working against us in that moment.”
Screen Rant: Can you both talk about the dynamic between Laura and Monster, and how it evolved during the film? Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging or rewarding to shoot together?
Melissa Barrera: Oh my God, that oner. That long scene after the Halloween party out in the park; that was a long scene. It was negative something degrees Celsius. I don’t know what Fahrenheit would be.
Tommy Dewey: It was negative on both scales.
Melissa Barrera: Negative on both scales. It was freezing. It was raining! We didn’t know that we had a certain amount of time because of the permits of the park or whatever. There was a football game that had happened…
Tommy Dewey: It was the Super Bowl that just let out! Oeople were pouring out of bars, recognizing Melissa, being like, “Hey!” And then seeing her standing next to me and my Monster, being like, “What are you two doing on the street corner in Hoboken this late at night?”
I’m interrupting you, but we thought we were getting into traditional coverage, so we were like, “Hey, we’re just doing this long oner, but we’ll be able to…” And then at some point, Caroline [Lindy]’s like, “This is the shot. We live or die with this shot.” I think we got two full [takes].
Melissa Barrera: Yeah, that was it. It was a lot of pressure. It was a lot of elements that were working against us in that moment. Also, Dave was like, “We don’t know if his face is going to fall off because of the rain, so let’s go!” It was insane. It was very stressful, but I think in the end it worked out
Tommy Dewey: I was melting!
And then all the stuff in the house, all those — I’m abusing this metaphor, but the tennis match stuff between the two of us early on in that house? I wouldn’t call that challenging, but it was just a delight. To show up and meet Melissa, and find out she’s game to do that kind of work, that’s why you do this gig. That was really fantastic.
More About Your Monster (2024)
Your Monster tells the story of the soft-spoken actor Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera), who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster (Tommy Dewey) with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart, and fall in love with her inner rage.
Your Monster
Cast
Laura Franco is a soft-spoken actress whose life unravels, only to find an unexpected ally in a mesmerizing monster residing in her closet. As she rebuilds her confidence, Laura’s relationship with the creature forms the heart of this narrative.
