Eva Green Talks Psychological Thriller ‘Nocebo’

Opening in theaters November 4 and on demand and digital November 22 is the new psychological thriller ‘Nocebo’ from director Lorcan Finnegan.

The new film stars Eva Green (Casino Royale) as Christine, a fashion designer who suffers from a mysterious illness that confuses her doctors and frustrates her husband, Felix (Mark Strong).

Help finally comes in the form of a Filipino caretaker named Diana (Chai Fonacier), who uses traditional folk remedies to reveal a terrifying truth.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Eva Green about her work on ‘Nocebo,’ her first reaction to the screenplay, describing the traumatized character, Christine and Diana’s relationship, how it affected her marriage, and working with director Lorcan Finnegan.

Moviefone: First of all, how did you get involved in this project and what was your first reaction when you read the screenplay?

Green Eva: It was actually during COVID. Lorcan sent me the script and I actually saw the film, ‘Vivarium,’ a few months earlier. I really like the atmosphere which is very quirky, a bit claustrophobic and distracting, and I’m really excited. The idea of ​​working with him alone is exciting.

Then I read the script and I thought it was a bold project. This is not just a horror film for the sake of being a horror film. It’s quite psychological. The bond between the two women is very interesting.

MF: In the film, your character goes through a traumatic experience, both physically and mentally. As an actress, how do you prepare for those scenes and is it tiring?

FOR EXAMPLE: Yes, but it’s quite fun. I mean, it might look tiring on screen, but, it’s kind of exhilarating as an actor to let the demons out and go to extremes. We are so controlled in life so this is a good opportunity. With Lorcan, he has a very dry sense of Irish humor, so it helps not to fall into deep depression. But, it was fun, really.

MF: Can you talk about Christine and Diana’s relationship, and how Christine became dependent on it?

FOR EXAMPLE: Christine’s journey is quite interesting, because at first she seems quite confident, active, and like a normal person. Then he received a phone call that completely destroyed him, and after that he developed this very mysterious disease.

She is quite unique, this woman, this Filipino maid named Diana. At first, Christina is quite suspicious, but Diana quickly gains her trust by becoming the perfect nanny. She cooks amazing food and she even manages to cure some of Christine’s symptoms.

So, they really bonded like that. Christine became so indebted to Diana that their relationship changed, and the maid became her master. I really like that. Actually, one of my favorite movies is ‘The Servant.’ So, that’s kind of an echo to this.

MF: Can you talk about how Diana jeopardized Christine and Felix’s marriage, and what it was like to work with Mark Strong?

FOR EXAMPLE: I think the fact that this is a very strong relationship with Diana, and that angers Felix who thinks that Christine’s illness is psychosomatic because of something that happened in her past and that she feels guilty about.

He became very jealous of this relationship. It’s almost like you would think at some point that Christine is in love with Diana now. It seemed like she was a goddess or something, and she didn’t listen to Felix anymore.

But Mark, he’s a very gentleman. He is very kind. I remember shooting that scene when I was arguing with him towards the end of the film. I remember one night I threw these shoes at him, and I was like, “Oh my God, I hurt him.”

He’s like, “No, no, I’m fine.” But she’s so beautiful, and we’re so lucky to have her. He is a strong actor and very charismatic. So, it is very important to have such a strong man in the house.

MF: Lastly, can you talk about watching director Lorcan Finnegan carry out his vision for this project?

FOR EXAMPLE: I mean, Lorcan knows exactly what he wants. He is very visual. He has an amazing imagination. He talked a lot with his cinematographers, and they really wanted to do something different, with an interesting point of view.

I know that they both really love Polanski Cinema, like ‘Repulsion’, it’s all about creating this disturbing and oppressive world. They really work together, and it’s very contagious.