Moses Sumney, the star of “MaXXXine,” is not entirely sure if his role in the series “The Idol” led to his casting opposite Mia Goth in Ti West’s new horror thriller. Regardless, he takes pride in the fact that the final film in the X trilogy marks his first significant big-screen acting credit.
Sumney shared in a recent Zoom conversation that he auditioned for “MaXXXine” before “The Idol,” starring The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, even premiered. However, the buzz surrounding “The Idol” likely helped his chances of landing the role in Goth and West’s film.
“With ‘The Idol,’ everyone was talking about it so much that I can only assume my name started floating in the ether in Hollywood. Then I was asked to audition [for ‘MaXXXine’] and I said, ‘Okay. That’s crazy. Sure,’” Sumney said, laughing. “It took a few months before Ti told me I got the part and I was really surprised because the other people who auditioned for it are who I would call ‘real actors.’ I was thinking, ‘I’m just this guy who sings songs,’ so when he told me I got the part, I said, ‘Okay. Really? Sure!’”
Before landing “MaXXXine,” Sumney’s only major screen credit was his role as Izaak—a follower of Tedros (The Weeknd)—in “The Idol.” However, he was no stranger to Hollywood. Born in California, Sumney has been part of the Los Angeles music scene for the past decade, rising to prominence in 2017 with his critically acclaimed debut album “Aromanticism.”
Sumney’s songs, like “Doomed,” have appeared in hit series such as “Orange is the New Black” and “Westworld,” and his track “Quarrel” was featured in “Dear White People.” He also made inroads in Hollywood by appearing on-screen in Bianca’s (Tessa Thompson) band in the 2015 hit “Creed” and collaborated with Thompson and Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Görannson on the film’s soundtrack.
In “MaXXXine,” which is now in theaters, Mia Goth stars as Maxine Minx, a Hollywood porn star and peep show performer who finally gets her big break in 1985 by landing a role in director Elizabeth Bender’s (Elizabeth Debicki) gothic horror film “The Puritan II.” However, real-life horror is unfolding in the streets as the infamous serial killer, the Night Stalker, is on a murder spree in Los Angeles. When friends of Maxine are murdered, LA detectives Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Torres (Bobby Cannavale) come to her looking for clues, making her nervous due to her own murderous past. A seedy LA private detective, John Labat (Kevin Bacon), starts following Maxine and threatens to expose her bloody criminal history.
Sumney plays Leon, Maxine’s close friend who operates a video rental store in the same building where she lives. Since “MaXXXine” is set in the mid-1980s, Leon’s video store is a recognizable part of the cultural landscape, marking the era when VHS tapes opened the home entertainment market. Although Sumney was born in 1992, he remembers the era before the shift from videotapes to DVDs, Blu-ray, and eventually digital formats.
“The ‘80s were a little bit before my time but I did catch the last wave of video stores,” Sumney recalled. “It was a cultural artifact and it meant a lot to my childhood. So, I appreciate as an adult being able to be in one [for ‘MaXXXine’]. They built that store entirely [for the movie]. It didn’t exist like a store that was still operating so they built it from the ground up and it really felt like home. It felt warm and homey and I appreciated it.”
Sumney felt extremely fortunate to work with both Ti West and Mia Goth in “MaXXXine,” as most of his scenes are with Goth. The experience felt surreal to him.
“It was definitely crazy because I’ve been well aware of both of them for a long time,” Sumney said. “So, to have such a large role in this movie and essentially play Mia’s best friend in it, I had to put the blinders to avoid those pinch-me moments where my mouth would be open in every shot. So, I realized, ‘Alright, I’m here for a reason. Let’s play it cool.’”
Sumney admired Goth’s acting depth, especially her vulnerability in the audition scene for “The Puritan II,” where she delivers a painful soliloquy while staring directly into the camera.
“Her ability to tune everything out and go deep down inside is something I really respect and admire,” Sumney said. “It was a wonder to see that in real life. She drops in and is very committed to the choices that she makes and is committed to bringing the best life possible to the character. She doesn’t let anything get in the way of that. I think it’s really impressive.”
For Sumney, “MaXXXine” was a great first film experience because he could bring his natural sensibilities as a musician into playing Leon, and in turn, bring what he experienced working as an actor back to his music career.
“They are so symbiotic,” Sumney said of the way his music influences his work as an actor. “I think as a musician who likes to make things very heartfelt and emotional, I found that connecting with my emotions was very easy when I started studying acting and developing this character.”
After shooting “MaXXXine,” Sumney went straight back to the recording studio and made an interesting discovery.
“I actually found that the acting actually informs my work [in music] even more than the other way around because you have to tap into your emotions so readily as a singer and a writer,” Sumney said. “As a singer and writer, I already know where the emotion is and how deep I want to get into it is up to me—but it’s all there because I wrote it.”
As an actor, though, Sumney had to learn about connecting to words that someone else wrote, which made him think differently about how he approaches the creative process while recording.
“With acting, I have to develop tools to readily at the drop of a dime connect with my emotions and express how I’m feeling, and that unlocked an entire world of writing and emoting for me,” Sumney said. “In my music latest project that comes out in a couple of weeks, it was really easy going into that because not only do I have to connect and emote, I’ve also learned how to play characters in the music.”
Also starring Halsey and Giancarlo Esposito, “MaXXXine” is now in theaters.
Source: Forbes
