Summary

• The Image of You is a psychological thriller that delves into themes of identity, deception, and family dynamics, creating a complex and toxic relationship between identical twin sisters.
• Sasha Pieterse's portrayal of Anna and Zoe showcases the drastic differences between the twins, from their personalities to their relationships with the male lead, Nick.
• Director Jeff Fisher's homage to classic erotic thrillers of the 1990s adds a twisted and compelling twist to Adele Parks' novel, making The Image of You a gripping and suspenseful watch.

The Image of You follows Anna and Nick on a whirlwind romance as they quickly fall for one another, but things take a turn when Zoe, Anna's identical twin sister, begins to stir the pot. Zoe is protective of Anna, but uses twisted manipulation tactics to test Nick's love for her sister, which sends them into a dark game of duplicity and lies. As Zoe digs deep, doing whatever it takes to prove she knows best, things take a dangerous and twisted turn.

The Image of You in many ways feels like a throwback to the erotic thrillers of the 1990s, akin to Basic Instinct, Body Heat, or Fatal Attraction. A love story poisoned by deceit and duplicity as it slips into a psychological thriller, The Image of You shows a complexly toxic relationship between two twin sisters with a twist that makes it even more juicy and compelling. Jeff Fisher, who helmed the project as director, encapsulates the feeling of Adele Parks' acclaimed novel.

Screen Rant interviewed Sasha Pieterse (Pretty Little Liars) about her new movie The Image of You. She discussed the complexities of playing two different characters and how she approached playing each of them. Pieterse also praised her co-stars and the collaboration process with Fisher.

Sasha Pieterse Shares Why The Script Was So Exciting: "It Surprised Me"

Pieterse shared her initial thoughts when reading Chris Silverston's script, including why she wanted to be involved in the project. She was also excited about the opportunity to play two vastly different characters with such a strong cast and crew.

Sasha Pieterse: I think the first thing I look for is something that's a little bit unique. A lot of these scripts, you can kind of see the twist before it happens and you're kind of like, Okay, I get this. It surprised me a little bit, which I was shocked by. I thought it was one thing and it definitely wasn't. So as an actress, that was something super intriguing and the thought of being able to play two characters and create two different people it was just super exciting.

So I was really excited with the idea. Jeff, our director, really wanted to use a lot of those influences that you mentioned, and Adele's writing is just so cool. The mixture of people involved in this was really, really fun. We had such a good time filming it, the crew, all of us, we were just really, really happy.

Now you also got to work with Mira Sorvino and Néstor Carbonell. They play Anna's parents, Alexia and David. Can you talk about working with them on this film and also the relationship dynamics that Anna has with both of them individually?

Sasha Pieterse: I wish I had more time with them. They were on set for five days, so it was jam packed. How do we connect immediately too? They're both phenomenal and so talented. I love the father-daughter relationship. I think that it's so sweet and you really see the pain on his face when things are falling apart.

There is this scene in the movie where he's talking to Parker and he thinks his daughter has died, and there's this tone in his voice that reminded me so much of when my dad gets emotional and it gave me chills and made me instantly sad. So he just has such a natural way about him.

I think with Mira, their relationship is toxic as well. She's an enabler and it's creepy in the best way. You're kind of watching it like, Oh, that feels so wrong. I think we really captured that well. So yeah, I mean all of it was playing. This is something that's for the most part outside of reality. So it feels like the way that you were reading the book, if you read Adele's book, it's like this journey, this story, it's fun. And we just wanted to capture that on camera.

Parker also does a great job as Nick. Can you talk about working with him and helping craft that dynamic with Nick?

Sasha Pieterse: I think what helps is that we became friends first. You kind of have to in this situation, but we have a lot of synergies. We've both been with our spouses for a while. We both have kids. We're both just in general, I think, in the same place in life in a lot of ways. That really helps. With these sorts of intimate scenes, it's a challenge. It can go very much in either direction.

Our intimacy coordinator was incredible, and the three of us, you rehearse and choreograph scenes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to come across natural on camera. So I will say we laughed a lot and there's just one of those relationships where you have to kind of find the balance of, Okay, this is what we need to stick to, but also let's feel comfortable.

You work it out and when you're friends, this is such a weird thing about an actor, but if you're friends, it doesn't matter and it makes sense and looks good on camera. You just got to find it, but in this case, you got to find it quickly because we filmed in about a month and a half. So you have to kind jumpstart that friendship and hope it works. And in this case it did.

This film pays homage to other classic film directors like Brian De Palma, Alfred Hitchcock, Nancy Myers is even a little wink to Mike Nichols, the graduate in there. Can you talk about the collaboration process of working with director Jeff Fisher?

Sasha Pieterse: I think with actually the whole crew, for the most part, Jeff really made an effort to give us examples of what he wanted. He had clips that he thought would work really nicely for certain scenes, stuff that he was pulling inspiration from. I know he worked really hard with that. So you want to do your best to make it happen.

Body Heat in particular was a huge one for him. He was really wanting to play a homage to that, and I think we got those pieces that he really wanted. You go with his flow. He really does have that vision of what he wanted. I think that it was just super fun. It's always fun to nod to those things because they're so iconic. I think it's balance between creating something that's new, but also bringing that fun inspiration from things that you already love.

Sasha Pieterse Reveals How Integral Mood Boards Were In Her Process Of Playing Twins

Pieterse also discussed her approach to playing twins, Anna and Zoe, and how she differentiated them. She revealed different techniques that helped her get into the right mindset for each character, especially with how quickly she would need to shift back and forth. While elements of this change were mental others, including wardrobe, hair, and makeup, were physical in their change.

Sasha Pieterse: I think initially, one thing that helped me was mood boards. I was like, Okay, this is one, this is the other one, and how do I accomplish that? So yeah, it's like, how do they walk? What do they love? What do they hate? Their tone of voice needs to be different. Their style is obviously different. You just kind of build people and build their backstories.

You might never talk about them, but you know that in your head. You want to feel like it's lived in. I mean, I had so many notes and sticky notes in my script. It was kind of ridiculous. It was like the scenes that they weren't in the scenes, that they were in together. I mean, it was ridiculous, but it was so fun.

Now, you talked a little bit about the mood boards and how many notes you had on your script. Can you share any particular methods or techniques you use to switch between Anna and Zoe during filming?

Sasha Pieterse: Mood boards help because I look at it. I also try and memorize scenes with both characters. Like, Okay, I'm this person and now I need to totally flip and use this script for the other person. This is my notes here, these are my notes here and get in the zone. But what's difficult about that is usually our turnovers are 15 minutes.

So it's like, Okay, I did this scene. I now I've got 15 minutes to change and my hair needs to change, my makeup needs to change, and I need to become a different person, but I'm always up for that. You don't get this type of chance a lot to play two people. So I was really into it. It's really fun.

Right now. Can you talk about how the wardrobe affects the change, even your movement or mannerisms getting into both Anna and Zoe?

Sasha Pieterse: I think all of that helps, right? It's like putting on a costume. It is putting on somebody different. Once that's established, I felt really sexy when I was Zoe in that outfit in my hair and makeup, I felt really confident. You kind of have to, but it makes you feel different.

Becoming Anna, it's softer in many ways, more comfortable, but you feel more normal, I think, in Anna's attire and her way of dealing with things. So one feels really comfortable, one feels like powerful and interesting. It's something that you don't get to do very often, like I said. So it's like it's creative, but it's also rewarding.

Sasha Pieterse Talks About "Understanding What Needs To Be Told And What Needs To Be Felt In Those Scenes"

Pieterse talked about the collaboration process with Fisher and how they created the dynamic between the twins. She also further explained how she connected with both Anna and Zoe, and broke down the relationship they each had with Nick.

Sasha Pieterse: Yeah, I think partly it's the actual function of it. We had certain restrictions where this is the TwinTech, this is how we can use it, so how do we make it seem the most realistic? How do we establish this scene so that you just get immersed in it and you don't even think about the possibility. You just see them as two people.

So of course we had that challenge and then we wanted to make sure that you liked both of them in some sort of way. So I think we just focused on those things first and then we filled in the gaps and had fun after that. I think their relationship is very toxic, and unfortunately, that's really entertaining to watch.

To find those nuances in those scenes and make sure that they're working, that's a good journey and that the audience is entertained by it. Those are all the really important things, is understanding what needs to be told and what needs to be felt in those scenes.

Yeah, you do such a great job. I almost completely forget that you're one person playing both of those roles. So I completely got immersed in that. Now, given that Anna and Zoe have different personalities and lives, what did you find to connect you to relate to both of them uniquely?

Sasha Pieterse: I think the bad girl side is something that I would hope I'm not like that. I hope that I'm not murderous and sadistic, but it is really fun to put on that type of character. It's like something that you wouldn't normally do. So it's exciting. I think then with the flip side, I'm left with, what would I feel like in this situation?

If I had somebody that was like this, that I really cared about, how do I approach that person? How do I keep them in my life? Do I try and make them better? Do I not? How does it affect me? And I think it's pulling from those feelings that really help. So one feels like you're playing, the other one feels like you're sympathizing.

Interesting. Now, what did you want to bring to both Anna and Zoe that wasn't on the page?

Sasha Pieterse: I think a lot of it had to do with power and control. It wasn't completely said, but I think, at least with Parker, we also established is with Anna, he had more control. Not in a negative way, it was just he was the one that proposed, he was the one that was moving things forward, even though she was just so enamored with him, he was the one that was, I think, kind of more in control in that situation.

And with Zoe it was completely the opposite. She took control, power, and made every decision, made it sexy, controlled him in so many ways. And so, poor guy, on set it was like, Okay, it's my turn. Okay, it's your turn. You just kind of figure it out and you play. It's such, like I said, a unique thing where he has to deal with one person. It's not even just two love interests that he's playing opposite. It's like, Oh wait, hold on. Who are you right now? It's different. It's fun

The Image of You explores themes of identity, deception, and family. How do you think that film handles those complex themes, and what are you hoping audiences take away from it?

Sasha Pieterse: I think a lot of it is that I just want you to have a fun ride. I want you to be entertained because at the end of the day, hopefully you don't have a lot of these dynamics in your own life. The message itself I guess is to be careful with those that you're falling in love with. You got to really ask questions, have good communication, understand their background, and what makes them the person that they are today.

So that's kind of a silly thing, like I said, because this is so far from a lot of people's reality, but I think that's the idea. You never know who you're going to meet and online dating can be fun, but also scary. You just got to look into it, maybe not get engaged in a month. There's options you can take.

About The Image Of You

The Image of You follows identical twins Anna and Zoe. When Anna meets a stock trader, she thinks he's perfect, but Zoe doesn't trust him, so she sets out to discover the truth about him.

The Image of You will be in select theaters and available to buy digitally on May 10.

Source: Screen Rant Plus