The Mirror interviewed Samara Weaving and Jimmy Warden about Borderline, a horror-comedy starring Weaving as a pop star whose stalker breaks into her home
The Mirror U.S. sat down with Samara Weaving and Jimmy Warden, husband and wife, to discuss their newest venture, Borderline.
The comedy thriller features Samara as Sophia, a ’90s pop sensation whose obsessive fan, Paul, portrayed by the remarkable Ray Nicholson, infiltrates her residence and becomes hell-bent on wedding her through whatever means required. The cast also boasts talent from Jimmie Fails, Eric Dane, and Alba Baptista.
Samara and Jimmy opened up about everything from collaborating as a couple to the creative spark behind the project, plus how they juggle horror elements with comedic moments. Borderline is available for streaming on Peacock across the U.S. and launches in the U.K. on 8th September.
READ MORE: 5 best films to watch on Netflix this month as new titles releasedREAD MORE: ‘Defining movies of the 2000s’ will stream totally free for one week only to mark anniversary
Samara has established herself as a genuine Scream Queen, with her standout role in the 2019 Radio Silence hit Ready or Not solidifying her status as a horror icon and mainstream talent. Jimmy is a screenwriter who crafted the 2023 horror-comedy Cocaine Bear, whilst his Borderline screenplay earned recognition on The Black List.
The pair first met on the set of Netflix’s 2017 slasher The Babysitter before exchanging vows in 2019, reports Mirror US.
Regarding their professional collaboration and keeping their romantic bond separate from work duties, Jimmy explains they’re “pretty good at putting on different hats” based on the circumstances, particularly since their relationship began on set and both grasp the realities of show business life. The duo reveals that their deep knowledge of each other’s quirks proves invaluable when collaborating professionally.
“I will say that the shorthand is great, though. There was one day when Jimmy’s note was, ‘Okay, you look at me like you’re really annoyed,'” Samara revealed, whilst Jimmy chimed in: “Yeah, it’s like, ‘I left my wet towel on the bed. Yeah. Give me that death stare.'”.
Jimmy continued by explaining how their marriage actually enhances their professional partnership, as the foundation of trust enables them to take bolder, creative chances.
During our chat, the couple couldn’t stop singing each other’s praises in an utterly charming display of mutual admiration.
Discussing Sophia’s character, Jimmy revealed: “I wrote it obviously with her in mind. One, because it would be fun, and two, because I knew that no one could do the role better than she could.”
He added with a grin, “She goes and does all her cool movies and then she’ll throw me a bone every now and again.”
Samara, meanwhile, heaped praise on Jimmy’s scriptwriting talents, acknowledging how his words unlock her finest performances and establish the atmosphere that translates to the final product. When discussing the film’s inspiration, the director acknowledged that Madonna served as a “point of inspiration” for Sophia’s character and the unfolding storyline.
During the mid-90s, the pop icon endured a terrifying encounter with an obsessed fan who was hell-bent on marrying the superstar and made death threats against her, as she revealed during his 1996 court case.
The stalker subsequently escaped from the psychiatric facility where he was being held, mirroring the character Paul in Borderline, which also shares its title with a Madonna track featured in the movie, reimagined by The Flaming Lips.
“It was the type of thing where I’ve always been sort of fascinated by that night where because that just feels like it’s stranger than fiction,” Jimmy explained.
“I also knew that in that time period, she had been having a fling with Dennis Rodman. So in my head I was like, ‘Okay, what if these two nights were the same?'” he revealed, alluding to Jimmie Failes’ character DeVante Rhodes, a professional basketball player with bleached hair who ends up donning a wedding dress during the film. The director has cited films such as Misery, Scorsese’s The King of Comedy, and The Bodyguard as key inspirations for Borderline.
“We were just sort of trying to blend and mesh all of these tones together and make that into one character, which is Paul. And I think that through it all… he adores Sophia.”
Ray Nicholson, son of Jack Nicholson, takes on the role of Paul, earning high praise from co-stars Samara and Jimmy for his dedication and spontaneous improvisations.
Borderline skilfully intertwines terror with unexpected comedy, particularly in a memorable scuffle between Sophia and Penny, portrayed by Alba Baptista.
Jimmy delved into the challenge of marrying humour with grave themes, stating, “If we’re trying to create some sort of empathy and compassion for this guy that is doing all this crazy s— I feel like if the crux of why he’s doing it comes from passion and love, then it’s a little easier to get there by the end. When you make someone funny, then you’re kind of gonna love them.”
He elaborated, “I think because the way Ray was playing it, some of that stuff is just genuine reactions. And Sam lets the audience sort of exhale at certain moments of, ‘This is insane,’ but her being weirded out instead of freaked out in some of the subtler moments, helps the audience sort of relax a little bit into the tone of the movie.”
Samara chimed in, “I mean, I think the script did that, it’s a really hard tone to do. But I think it comes from your reaction to some of the things that Paul says and does. The tone was so clear on the page. The tone was so clear from the script that it made my job very easy.”
The duo teased the possibility of future joint projects, though they kept mum on the specifics. Samara’s latest flick, Carolina Caroline, is set to debut this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Borderline will hit the streaming services in the U.K. on September 8 on Prime Video.
