Jessica Rothe on her new sci-fi thriller Affection and the future of Happy Death Day

"We’re incredibly invested in the third one going forward," Rothe tells Polygon. "We have some tricks up our sleeve."

In an industry that still treats genre like a pit stop on the way to something more “serious,” Rothe’s most notable roles — Happy Death Day, Boy Kills World, and Imposters, out later this year — underlines that it’s a genuine proving ground for performances that are as physically committed as they are emotionally grounded. That balance is pushed to a new extreme in Affection, a sci-fi body horror film that feels like a funhouse-mirror reflection of Happy Death Day and its Groundhog Day premise. In Affection, Ellie (Rothe) is afflicted with a condition that continually resets her memory, leaving her unable to recognize her own family. Something is clearly amiss, and the film’s central thrill is experiencing everything through Ellie’s eyes—confused, horrified, and, eventually, more than a little grossed out.

Polygon spoke with Rothe about Affection, the craft behind a great physical performance, and why genre continues to be her most fruitful creative home.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

You’re working with some pretty intense practical effects in Affection. What does that entail on set?

Well, a lot of different things. This project was such an amazing challenge, and one of the things that really drew me to it was the intense physicality demanded for the role. That's between the seizures and Ellie's physical experience in the world, but also the practicality of portraying variations of a person and finding the different physicalities for that. Then it all culminates with the practical effects that the incredible [special effects makeup artist] Dan Rebert put together. Every time we put the makeup on, it took about an hour and a half to two hours.

We got on really well. He discovered that I play Dungeons & Dragons, and so on our second time putting on the makeup, he was like, “Do you fuck with dwarf rock?” And I was like, “I don’t even know what the fuck that is.” [Laughs.] So we were just listening to dwarf rock and he was spray-painting my face at, like, four o’clock in the morning.

There are a few scenes where your character starts convulsing uncontrollably. It's believable and pretty scary. You’ve also really excelled at physical comedy in the Happy Death Day movies. What goes into a great physical performance?

I think just commitment and not being afraid to look stupid and really trusting your crew. With the Happy Death Day movies, [director] Chris Landon and I have such a deep friendship. From day one, I trusted him, and so I knew I could throw mud at the wall to see what would stick and he would protect me in the edit. And I really felt the same way with [Affection director BT Meza.]

BT was very specific about the way he wanted these convulsions and seizures to manifest, and how he wanted them to look. We were able to shape this together, and add to that the incredible Joe Cross, who was my co-star. I felt really safe with him. It’s really intense, especially in horror, to go from screaming and crying and then eating lunch. You need a decompression buddy to help take the edge off of things.

You’ve built a fascinating career in genre projects—slashers, action, now sci-fi body horror. What do those kinds of stories unlock for you as a performer that a straight drama maybe doesn’t?

In the genre space, you can explore very deep and evocative themes in a way that might be difficult for an audience to buy into in a more traditional, dramatic sense. Happy Death Day is all about loss and discovering who you really are and healing, along with jokes and slasher kills and running around. With Affection, it’s a story about domestic abuse and gaslighting in some ways, but because the sci-fi element is layered on top, I think it makes it a little more — not necessarily digestible for audiences, but it’s a different way to buy in.

Chris Landon always used to say, “We’re lacing our popcorn with truths.” That’s very true of some of my favorite genre films. You have an amazing time — you’re on a roller-coaster — but at the end of the day, you get to leave and have real conversations about the themes that were going on. I’m always looking for scripts and projects that do that. Also, horror people are just so fun to work with, and horror fans are the best. I feel very lucky to get to operate in this space.

Was there a specific role that unlocked that feeling for you?

I mean, Tree [in Happy Death Day] was a big one because I’m a very big people pleaser in my real life, and she’s so unapologetic. Granted, she’s a soft, squishy marshmallow on the inside and this hardened bitch on the outside. But that project really showed me how far I could push an arc for a character within the constructs of something that, more traditionally, people would think has limited growth — especially female characters in horror. Affection really captures the same thing because we get to meet so many different versions of Ellie throughout the film.

I work with an acting coach who does Michael Chekhov work, and it’s based on finding a physical gesture that unlocks something in you so that you can carry it into the scene. We found different gestures for each Ellie, and that specificity makes me excited when I’m working on a project.

Affection is a very intense film. Going back to what you were saying about screaming and crying and then going off to lunch, is it easy for you to unwind between scenes?

I use music a lot, both to rev up and rev down. We were shooting in Bovine, New York, which is gorgeous and very out in the middle of nowhere. We were shooting in this old house that I think was owned by Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island back in the day. It was beautiful and had so much history, and there was the calming aspect of the nature that surrounded us.

But when I went home, I would watch Parks and Rec. I couldn’t take in anything that was traumatic in any way. I needed fluffy, light, nice things; lots of cozy sweaters, lots of blankets.

Is Parks and Rec in the regular rotation?

[Laughs] Yes, it’s Parks and Rec, Friends, and, um, I got to admit some Secret Lives of Mormon Wives when it’s on. Just anything that I’ve either watched before or that is slightly trashy enough that I don’t have to think too hard.

My girlfriend hasn’t converted me to Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but it might only be a matter of time.

Oh, get ready.

Gilmore Girls is the big one right now.

You know what? You will feel better about yourself after watching Gilmore Girls. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, sometimes you need to, like, take a shower after watching [laughs], but man, it’s a trip. That’s a real horror story right there.

My introduction to your work was Happy Death Day, and there’s a lot of love out there for the franchise. How are things shaping up for the third film?

You know, it’s funny, ‘cause I had dinner with Chris Landon last week. Not completely randomly, but not specifically about the third movie. We talked about where things are and we’re incredibly invested in the third one going forward.

We have a little plan of what we can do on our end, because as you know, there’s so much that is up to the powers that be, which completely makes sense. How films are financed and where they get shot is ever-changing. But I’m going to go up and visit him, and we have some tricks up our sleeve. The thing that’s amazing about Chris is that he knows exactly what he wants to do. We’ve talked about the ways that I can be involved in finishing Tree’s journey because we both feel very passionate about it.

Is there a specific direction or idea you’d love to explore? Montages are so iconic in these movies.

I know, right? We have to have a montage. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m currently eight months pregnant and that has opened a lot of new experiences for me. I’m looking at the world in a different way. That’s been a really fun thing to talk about with Chris, who has two kids. That’s definitely going to influence part of this next iteration of what Tree is going through.

The thing that’s amazing about this franchise is that there’s so many ways it could go. It’s just as wild and freaky as whatever Chris Landon’s brain concocts, and then as weird as I can be [laughs] within that structure.