Olivia Rodrigo has revealed that she had to “walk out of the theater” while watching the Joaquin Phoenix-led A24 horror film Beau Is Afraid.
Speaking to Phoebe Bridgers for an Interview Magazine feature published September 5, Rodrigo. When asked if she’s a fan of horror movies, Rodrigo revealed: “I’m a big thriller girl, but I watch a few scary movies here and there”.
Rodrigo went on to add: “I convince myself that I see shit after I come home from watching Insidious or something. Also, I watched that new Ari Aster movie Beau Is Afraid and I got so scared.”
Explaining how badly the movie affected her, Rodrigo said: “I literally had to walk out of the theater. I have never had such a visceral reaction to a movie in my life. It felt like a bad acid trip.”
“That is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, but I was laughing the entire time,” Bridgers replied. “That’s the only reasonable reaction,” Rodrigo said. “Your body just can’t process it. You have to laugh.”
Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Beau Is Afraid’. CREDIT: TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock Photo
Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), the black comedy horror film follows mild-mannered but paranoid-ridden Beau Wasserman (Phoenix) who embarks on a surreal odyssey to return home to his mother. The film released in May in the UK.
Beau Is Afraid scored a four-star review from NME upon its release. Paul Bradshaw wrote in the review: “Beau Is Afraid is a nightmare in more ways than one. Nothing is real. Everything is frightening – even the funny stuff. Try and remember the story the next day and you’ll only pick out the images and sounds that burrowed into your head.”
In other Olivia Rodrigo news, the singer-songwriter will later this week release her upcoming sophomore album ‘Guts’, which is due to drop on September 8. The LP will be the follow-up to Rodrigo’s Grammy Award-winning debut album ‘Sour‘.
NME recently ranked 10 of Olivia Rodrigo’s best songs. See the full list here to check if your favourite track made the cut.