“Trap,” the latest thriller from the brilliant mind of director M. Night Shyamalan, tells the story of a father and daughter who attend a pop concert where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event. How did this thriller about a serial killer trapped in a concert venue begin?
“‘Trap’ was created by me and my daughter Saleka from our conversations together about music and movies,” Shyamalan proudly shares. Saleka, who plays Lady Raven in the film, also wrote the fictional artist’s songs featured in the concert.
Saleka, a professional singer-songwriter, says that her dad’s passion for filmmaking is one of the purest things she’s ever seen anyone have a passion for. “What’s interesting to me is that he tells such dark stories, because I think he is such a positive person,” she says. “You see that positivity in the context of these dark situations, and you know that he thinks the universe is good. It’s a key throughline in a lot of his movies. And I think this is another example of that. It’s beautiful to watch. That makes me feel safe on set, and it makes a lot of people feel happy and joyous to be here. It’s like we’re living the dream. He feels that and so we remember that every day.”
Josh Hartnett, who plays Cooper, also has great respect for Shyamalan, especially because of the way the director works. “I was given a big ream of the storyboards, which is basically the film,” shares Hartnett. “You could flip through it and you could see every shot… for someone to come that prepared and then show up and actually live within it… I think he does that because he feels what the actors are going through. You can see him behind the camera, really experiencing it, wanting to be there 100%, to see how it will be experienced by the audience. Later, he can then put it together in a way that’s going to be most effective for the audience. It just shows what a master he is of this craft. And I think because of all that, he really enjoys the process.”
Shyamalan is also all praises of Hartnett. For the role of Cooper, Shyamalan wanted an actor who is a big risk taker. “When I met Josh, he looked me in the eye, and I just knew he was ready to do anything – there was an energy, an electricity coming off of him,” says the director. “I think for audiences, one of the great reasons to come to this movie is seeing the amazing performance that Josh gives.”
“Trap,” distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, opens in cinemas July 31. #TrapMovie