Clayton (Timothy Granaderos, 13 reasons why) is an aspiring actor desperate for a role as a demonologist. He’s been called back and is willing to do whatever it takes to get Donald (Emile Hirsch, In the wilderness), who is also on the hunt for the role. In an effort to get a head start, Clayton contacts Eliza (Radha Mitchell, Man on fire), an expert in diabolical knowledge, to help him prepare. What begins as a foundational exploration of demonology quickly turns into dark rituals that force Clayton to face his past and question Eliza’s intentions.
“I think this story in particular is psychological in many ways,” Granaderos noted, “there’s an element of authenticity to it. To me, it felt like a therapy session that just unravels and gets crazier and crazier as the film progresses.”
“This movement is like watching a train wreck. You have an idea of what to expect… you meet a woman named Eliza, who has the persona of some sort of acting coach, but she’s a demonologist, and she’s obsessed with this particular demon that she worships and eventually conjures up, and she’s going to take this young actor on the ride of a lifetime,” Mitchell added.
Also in the cast of Devil’s workshop are Sarah Coffey, Brooke Ramirez, Miles Doleac, and Chris von Hoffman, who was also the writer and director.
Timothy Granaderos and Radha Mitchell in Devil’s Workshop
Granaderos and Mitchell deliver strong performance Devil’s workshopwho usually play off each other as scene partners, in addition to the layers they bring individually into their performances.
“I made a whole backstory if it wasn’t there,” Granaderos said. “I spoke to Chris who was like an encyclopedia of information for this particular story…it’s always a little weird preparing as an actor preparing for an audition,” he joked.
Some of the things he and Chris would talk about were the “emotional subtext,” as he explained, “Clayton, like most people, is vulnerable at its core, but don’t necessarily let the world in. I think it was important for us to start somewhere and let it grow into something towards the end, for better or for worse. He went on to note how Mitchell also helped make the most of his performance because “she’s so interesting in the ways she doesn’t let you fake it in any way, which was really helpful to me that day.”
“Every day we get up and look at each other and the next set of events, and he was willing to experiment, let go of his ego and play the part,” Mitchell noted of the scene sharing with Granaderos. “I don’t think it would have been possible without an actor of his kind of dedication and talent. We were very lucky with him and I was happy to work with him.”
“We had a chance to get a sense of what the other person would bring to the scenes, but honestly, I think I figured out what I was doing on set, using years of experience, but it was a collaboration, also with Chris who was open to things being a little fluid and flexible,” Mitchell added.
Demonology in the Devil’s Workshop
As the film progresses, the escalated demonology becomes more and more urgent between Granaderos and Mitchell’s characters. In one scene, without giving too much away, we can see the use of effects to really ramp things up. “It was as incredible to see it that day as it was on camera,” Granaderos said when asked about this pivotal scene. “It looked great and honest…so it made it easy to be a little scared and shattered by it.”
“I don’t really recommend it as a positive life experience unless you enjoy sitting still for an hour with your head covered in stuff,” Mitchell joked. “I was surprised given the magnitude of this project, we didn’t have a lot of time to shoot and it wasn’t a huge budget. I thought it was daring to do… and we were lucky enough to work with people, especially in the VFX department who were quite experienced.”
“I’m just excited for this movie to come out,” added Granaderos, to which Mitchell echoed similar sentiments, commenting, “I think they [audiences] will like this story. I’ve never seen anything like it. I think it’s really cool.”
Devil’s workshop comes to us from Lionsgate and is expected to release on September 30, 2022 in select theaters, on demand and digitally. It will then receive a later release on Blu-ray and DVD on November 8.