WARNING: Spoilers for The Visitor!At first glance, the premise of The Visitor may remind audiences of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, thanks to the mysterious painting that looks just like the film's protagonist. But there is much more thank lurks beneath the surface of this thriller, which inches ever closer to Rosemary's Baby as the story progresses. Now available to watch on digital and On Demand, the film was Justin P. Lange from a screenplay by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason.
The Visitor stars Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) and Jessica McNamee (Mortal Kombat) as a young married couple, Robert and Maia, who move back Maia's hometown after experiencing a shocking loss. While there, Robert feels strangely welcomed by the townspeople and strangely seen by a painting in their home that perfectly resembles him. With Maia refusing to acknowledge what he believes to be true, he grows more alienated among those who should be family.
Screen Rant spoke to McNamee about how she handled the nuances of her character, the familiarity she had with costar Finn Jones on set, and what draws her to thrillers like The Visitor.
Jessica McNamee Talks Collaborating With Finn Jones On The Visitor
What first spoke to you about The Visitor when reading through the script, or what made you take on the role of Maia?
Jessica McNamee: At first, the character didn't jump out at me on the page. I was kind of waiting to see where it was gonna go. As I was getting close to the end, it really went somewhere, so that was really nice. It was worth the wait.
But I took that notion into my discussions with Justin and with Finn, because I didn't want to just make her a two-dimensional character before the payoff at the end. I really wanted to make sure that we worked on making well-rounded characters and making sure that Finn in my relationship was really believable. Obviously, all of that adds to the climax at the end. I was really gung-ho about making her as nuanced and interesting as I could with what I had.
I loved your multi-layered performance. Without giving the climax away, what was it like to step into a character who knows much more than she lets on?
Jessica McNamee: Yeah, it's interesting, the way that my character is portrayed in the lead-up to the twist. Basically, there was a whole period of time when I was just gaslighting Finn. It was fun being the only one that knew this secret.
But it had to really inform my whole performance, which was really fun. In the end, when there is that payoff, I could all of a sudden just let it all out. It was like keeping a big secret from everyone.
Speaking of your relationship with Finn, what was he like as a scene partner for you? You spent most of the film opposite him, so how do you play off each other?
Jessica McNamee: He's really great. [Laughs] I was thinking how I've been asked this a couple of times, but imagine he wasn't! But he was the best. I met him in an Uber, and we were just meant to grab dinner. From the second we got in, we started laughing about something, and I was like, "Yes! You're my people." And we're still in touch; I still adore him. I haven't seen him since [The Visitor], because he's in New York and I'm in LA, but we're always texting. He's a great scene partner.
We both had the same kind of energy coming into this film, and the same desire to bring as much as we could and really develop our characters and our relationship. It was really easy, because we were each other's sounding boards. We gave each other advice, feedback, and notes. At times, I'd plant the seed for some ideas and let him mull on them, and he would do the same.
And Justin was great too, because he was very open to making it the most authentic and believable relationship. There were times when dialogue would change, because we weren't feeling necessarily comfortable with some of the dialogue at times.
It was a very collaborative experience from all ends, and we were very lucky because it was also during the time of COVID. We were fully masked, so it felt very impersonal at times because you can't see anyone on the crew. I didn't know what any of the crew look like. We were holding onto each other for dear life, and Finn's was the only person's face that I really knew on set. Literally, the people that we spent six weeks with, I wouldn't know what they look like. It's crazy.
The beginning really feels like an interesting meditation on grief, and how different people handle loss. I wonder if you had any thoughts on that, and the headspace Robert and Maia are in when we meet them.
Jessica McNamee: It's really interesting. I'm married, and I've got lots of friends that are married. But a lot of the time you get married, and there's still so much you don't know about someone. I'm an ex-pat living in America, and I understand this concept that you can be one person here, and then you can revert into a completely different person elsewhere—particularly when you're around family. I think everyone has a bit, where you got into turn into a petulant child sometimes with your family. Maybe I'm just that person. [Laughs]
But there's that element where you can know someone enough to marry them, and then not when you're thrust into this entirely different experience. Whether it be because of a new place, or some kind of grief or trauma, you get to see this other side of someone. At the same time, as they're moving countries, they are they're discovering how they each react in grief and in hardship. They had a miscarriage, and that really brought them to this place where they were quite fractured.
It's scary when you're married to someone and are finding out new things about them. That's something that people have to work through, so that's what they're doing. I feel like it's so relatable in that sense.
This is not your first go-round with thrillers. In general, what is it that draws you to them? What is your favorite thing about working in that atmosphere?
Jessica McNamee: I don't know. It's much of what I've been offered in the past too. I do love this genre, but it also seems to be something that I attract. It's kind of a mutual attraction, I think.
It's really fun to get dark and dirty in this place. Often, you're not allowed as a human being to react in these ways of fear and anger and violence. I think it's so fun that in this career, we get the opportunity to lean into these emotions that you so often have to quash. Maybe I'm just a bit dark, and I like to express myself in dark ways that I don't get to normal life. But they're fun.
I love that people get such a rise out of watching them too. It's always so fun to be in a screening and see people's reactions. That's why you make art, isn't it? To get a reaction out of people and affect them. And these films do it, that's for sure.
Yeah, it's definitely a cathartic experience. Also, I was reading Justin's bio, and it said he only wears red shoes. I must know: is this true?
Jessica McNamee: I've only seen him in red shoes, to be honest. I never thought about this! But again, he was masked; the poor guy was directing with a mask and shield. I swear to God, he was basically walking around in one of those Hazmat suits. So, the last thing I was looking at was his shoes. But in hindsight, he wears red sneakers. I'm seeing him tonight, so I'll have to report back.
He will be observed! I'm also very excited for Mortal Kombat 2. Do you have any hopes for Sonya in it?
Jessica McNamee: I mean, I hope I'm in it. [Laughs] She's the badass bitch of the whole thing, so I don't think she's going anywhere. I know nothing about this movie, though. They are keeping that script under lock and key.
I just hope for the fans' sake, and for my sake, that they bring in Johnny Cage. And I would be lying if I didn't say I'd miss having Josh Lawson back [as] Kano. I love that guy, and I love working with him. The great thing about Mortal Kombat is that they can kill people whenever they want, and they can also bring them back whenever they want. So, hopefully, they bring him back. That'd be great. But who knows? For all I know, I'm dead. [Laughs] No, I'm joking.
Since we've established that Finn is a nice guy, and we know he has fight training thanks to Iron Fist, maybe you can fight him in the next one.
Jessica McNamee: Crossover! Amazing. I'd love that. I kick his ass, I think.
Finally, what did you take away from The Visitor after working on it?
Jessica McNamee: I think it's that element that you don't ever really know anyone. Paranoia, that's what it was. And a reminder to into your family tree?
About The Visitor
When Robert and his wife Maia move to her childhood home, he discovers an old portrait of his likeness in the attic - a man referred to only as ‘The Visitor’. Soon he finds himself descending down a frightening rabbit hole in an attempt to discover the true identity of his mysterious doppelgänger, only to realize that every family has its own terrifying secrets.
The Visitor is currently on digital and On Demand before becoming heading to EPIX in December.