The Watchers Star Dakota Fanning Praises Ishana Night Shyamalan's Directing Debut

Summary The Watchers is Ishana Shymalan's directorial debut, centered on an artist who is stalked by mysterious creatures in a strange forest.

Star Dakota Fanning praises Shyamalan's clear vision, noting how she blends horror and fantasy throughout.

Fanning also describes her experience on the Coop set, which enhanced the cast's performances thanks to its surreal and eerie nature.

The Watchers follows Mina, an artist in her late twenties, who gets stranded in an expansive forest in Western Ireland while working an odd job. She manages to find shelter in the forest but becomes trapped with three strangers. However, things take an even more mysterious turn as they are stalked by enigmatic creatures each night.

The Watchers is the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan. She also wrote the screenplay based on A.M. Shine's novel by the same name, with M. Night Shyamalan serving as a producer. The cast of this creepy folklore-inspired tale is led by Dakota Fanning, who gives a soulful and pathos-filled performance as Mina.

Related 10 Best Dakota Fanning Movies, Ranked From animated classics to some of the best movies from some of the greatest living directors, these are the best films featuring Dakota Fanning.

Screen Rant interviewed Fanning about her work on The Watchers. She discussed Shyamalan's directing style and her character Mina's journey of self-discovery. She also shared how the Coop set helped her get into the mindset of her character and expressed interest in returning to the Ocean's Eleven franchise.

Dakota Fanning Praises Ishana Shyamalan's Blending Of "The Fantasy And The Groundedness"

The Watchers is Shyamalan's directorial debut, but it leans into the horror and fantasy that many of her father's movies do. While she is playing in a similar genre, The Watchers allows her to make her mark and stand out as a director, especially as she also wrote the screenplay. Fanning explained how Shyamalan had a clear vision and was the leader on set in every way, showing her ability to communicate her vision.

Dakota Fanning: Totally. Ishana wrote the script and directed it, and it's hard to believe that it's her first time directing a feature. As a human being, she's just a really lovely and kind person, so she's a joy to be around. As a director, and I think you find this a lot with people who have written the material, she has a very clear idea of what she is looking for visually and [when it comes to] directing actors. I always knew she would have an answer. Obviously, when you're making a film where you're dealing with things you can't see, the only person you have to look to is the director to guide you when you're not exactly sure what you're going to be looking at sometimes. So, it was super helpful for her to be so clear. I think she did such a wonderful job of blending the fantasy and the groundedness of the story. and I think she's obviously learned a lot from a very talented person in Night. They're just a real family of artists, so it was fun to be around that energy.

Can you talk about the character of Mina and her self-discovery through this set of terrifying circumstances?

Dakota Fanning: I think we meet Mina at a crossroads in her life. I think something that a lot of people experience is that in-between moment where you're not a kid and you're not a seasoned adult either. She's in this place of trying to find something that she's missing, and she's looking for something. And of course, she happens upon very strange circumstances and is building who she is and rebuilding who she is through those strange circumstances and the other characters in the film. And she's figuring out something about herself along the way.

You described the set of the Coop as one of the most unusual that you've ever been on because it has this sense of claustrophobia and containment, but it's also a place where you're supposed to feel safe. Can you talk about how that set helped inform your performance in those scenes?

Dakota Fanning: There was a Coop built actually in the woods for the exteriors of it, and then on a stage, the interior of it was built. And for a while, we were working with the mirror in, so you're acting and also looking at yourself a lot of the time, which is sometimes not exactly what you want to do. But I think it helped build that feeling of the characters being watched because you're looking at yourself, but then there's something on the outside that's watching you. Then it turns into this window during the day, and it's this peaceful environment, but that something surreal is going on that you can't see. Sometimes it felt like, "Ahh, what's going on?!" And I think that was sort of helpful to all of us because I think the characters are feeling like that a lot of the time. Like you mentioned, you're supposed to feel safe in there, but you're also not exactly sure what you're being protected from, and ultimately you're trying to get out of something that's containing you. It's that kind of push and pull.

Dakota Fanning Wants To Return To The Ocean's Franchise

Fanning briefly appeared in a cameo for Ocean's Eight, although she wasn't part of the con. When asked, Fanning shared her interest in returning to the franchise and potentially crossing paths with Clooney's Danny Ocean.

Dakota Fanning: I would love to! Yeah, I got to be in Ocean's Eight for a little second, so I got to have a taste of that. I'm a huge fan of those films for sure. That'd be super fun.

About The Watchers

Close

A young artist gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland, where, after finding shelter, she becomes trapped alongside three strangers, stalked by mysterious creatures each night. This forest isn't charted on any map.

Check back soon for our other interviews for The Watchers:

Georgina Campbell

Ishana Night Shyamalan

Your browser does not support the video tag.

The Watchers hits theaters on June 7.

Source: Screen Rant Plus