Alicia Witt’s ‘Longlegs’ Performance Was So Dark She Refuses to Watch it: ‘It’s What Came Out of Me That I Don’t Want to See’

Jack Dunn

July 13, 2024 at 12:30 AM·3 min read

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs,” which hits theaters July 12.

Although Alicia Witt is a key player in the mystery of Osgood Perkins’ satanic horror film “Longlegs,” she made sure to steer clear of the screening at Monday night’s premiere.

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Witt described her time shooting “Longlegs” as “the most cathartic experience” of her life, during which she fully surrendered to her character Ruth Harker, the maniacal mother of Detective Lee Harker (Maika Monroe). Having had to facilitate several unholy killings throughout the film, Witt tapped into the “darkest material” she had ever accessed as an actor to prepare for the role.

“When I did get the role, I had about six weeks. I journaled, I made playlists, I thought about her thought process, what she experienced as a child and what her darkness was,” Witt explained. “By the time I got to set, I could let it all go and discover what she was going to do and say. It’s for that reason that I’m not watching the movie. It’s what came out of me that I don’t want to see.”

Perkins, Witt and the rest of the “Longlegs” cast walked a black carpet July 8 outside of the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to celebrate the premiere of what could be 2024’s most terrifying film.

“Longlegs” follows pseudo-psychic Detective Lee Harker as she tracks down a satanic serial killer (Nicolas Cage) who forces fathers to murder their families.

Cage, who goes through a horrific transformation as Longlegs, dedicated his performance to his mother, Joy Vogelsang. He made sure to emphasize that she “wasn’t satanic,” but noted she was “contending with a lot of things” that ultimately inspired the role.

“I thought about the way she spoke and the way she moved,” Cage said. “Some people said, ‘[Longlegs] is Tiny Tim.’ He’s not Tiny Tim, he is Joy Vogelsang. So I owe it all to my mom.”

One of the film’s many climaxes comes when Lee Harker interrogates Longlegs after days of intense investigation. It was also the first scene Monroe saw Cage in full makeup on set. As she joined Cage in the interrogation room, the microphones picked up her heartbeat, which was racing at 170 BPM.

Although terrified, Monroe said shooting the interrogation was “one of those scenes” that “you dream of” as an actor. Throughout the entire filming of “Longlegs,” Monroe explained she was “waiting for that scene” and was “so excited” to go one-on-one with Cage.

“I mean, working opposite Cage, it’s incredible,” Monroe said. “From an actor’s standpoint, being across someone so familiar, and yet completely disguised, it was a pleasure.”

“Longlegs” hits theaters July 12.

See more photos from the premiere below.