Max Minghella Interview: Directing Elisabeth Moss in His New Body Horror Movie Shell

Inspired by the "star-driven genre movies" of the '80s and '90s, actor-turned-producer, writer, and director Max Minghella returned to the Toronto International Film Festival with his sophomore feature, Shell. Starring Kate Hudson and his The Handmaid's Tale co-star Elisabeth Moss, this "love letter" is a darkly comedic body horror movie that examines the societal issues of beauty standards and questions the lengths we'll go to achieve them.

Samantha Lake (Moss) is an actress, and she's finding that, oftentimes, her career hinges on physical appearance for roles. Despite being ambitious and talented, Samantha's slightly unconventional look is hindering her when it comes to landing jobs. At the behest of her agent, Samantha agrees to undergo the mysterious Shell beauty treatment. When the treatment produces glowing results, the company's CEO, Zoe Shannon (Hudson), extends an invitation to Samantha into her health and wellness world, where dark secrets are hiding just beneath the glossy veneer.

Ahead of celebrating the film's world premiere, Shell director Minghella sat down with Collider's Perri Nemiroff at the Cinema Center at MARBL to discuss the film. During their conversation, he talks about the influential films of his childhood that sparked his creativity and passion for the craft, the challenges he faced even after his first feature, Teen Spirit, was a TIFF success, and why his cast, including Kaia Gerber, Elizabeth Berkley and more, were pitch-perfect in their roles.

#interview #filmmaking #shell #kaiagerber #elisabethmoss

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