Elisha Cuthbert first rose to fame playing Jack Bauer’s perpetually-in-strife daughter Kim Bauer on hit television show 24. Despite having worked since she was eleven, it was her role on this ground-breaking series that catapulted her to stardom. This heightened profile led to small roles in the likes of Love Actually and Old School, as well as starring roles in House of Wax, Captivity, and The Girl Next Door. Since then she’s been steadily working within the world of both television and film; her latest project, The Cellar, marks a return to the horror genre for her.
Where once she played the teenage roles, The Cellar positions Cuthbert into the role of mother as she plays ad executive Kiera Woods. Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar sees Cuthbert’s Keira tackle every parent’s worst nightmare when her teenage daughter, Ellie (Abby Fitz), vanishes. What makes the ordeal even more mysterious is the fact that Ellie vanishes within the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face, or risk losing her family’s souls forever.
Now a mother herself, Cuthbert was drawn to the part of Keira as it allowed her to explore that side of herself. Although covering off plenty of horror tropes, there was enough material within the mother and daughter dynamic to appeal to her and entice her back to genre. In the lead up to The Cellar’s arrival onto Shudder, we spoke with the Canadian star to find out more. We discussed her thoughts on the film, as well as a trip down memory lane as we talked about the delightfully wonderful The Girl Next Door.
The Cellar arrives onto Shudder from Friday 15th April 2022.
