An Interview with Darby Walker from ‘The Hatred’

Interview by Lois Kennedy

You may have seen Darby Walker on ‘The Voice’, but before she was on there she was cast in ‘The Hatred’ as the antagonist Alice. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer my little questions via email. (Thank you, Michael G. Kehoe, for shooting them back and forth.)

LK: Can you provide a little detail about your character Alice?

DW: Alice is a very dynamic character, there’s a lot of depth to her. She’s a young woman going through the natural growing pains of adolescence. She wants to explore and become her own person but instead she’s trapped on her family’s farm where both her and her mother are kept isolated from society due to her ex Nazi father’s distrust in humanity. We watch her go through the struggle of deciding to fight for her life and watch her take action. It breaks down the concept of evil and good, it makes it hard for the audience to decide what she is. You can’t help but sympathize with her.

LK: How did you prepare for playing Alice?

DW: As soon as I read the script I felt connected to Alice. I saw a lot of myself in her so when it came to preparing for the role I took the skeletons out of my own closet. It wasn’t acting, Alice and I became the same person. Everything you see are the honest emotions I felt, and I like to believe people will connect with the integrity of her.

LK: Was the makeup for Alice extensive?

DW: The makeup for Alice was intense! I sat in the chair for over 5 hours transforming into demonic Alice. It was such a mental trip to look into the mirror and see a monster looking back at me. It was probably one of my favorite parts of playing this role.

LK: Did you enjoy making The Hatred?

DW: Being a part of The Hatred has been one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had. You could feel the love from every single person in the cast and crew, everyone poured their heart and soul into the making of this movie. Not only that but I was able to perform most of my own stunts which challenged me and make me grow as an actress which is priceless.

LK: Do you watch horror movies on your own time?

DW: I do! I’m very particular though, I never watch them alone because I always become too involved with whatever I’m watching. I think there’s something pretty amazing about being able to make audiences feel their own heartbeat, to carry people throughout their nightmares in a safe and healthy way is such a remarkable art.

LK: Would you ever make another horror movie?

DW: I don’t really know, I think it would depend on the project. I remember my own excitement while reading the script for The Hatred, if another horror film comes along that makes me feel that same passion right off the bat I’d definitely consider doing it!

LK: Do you have any stories from the set that you want to share?

DW: Okay so there was one night when we filmed until 2 in the morning. I was in my heaviest Alice makeup and we were filming a scene where I walk down the stairs into the pitch black of the basement. The whole time we were filming it I kept getting  the weirdest vibes, I’d get goosebumps and completely felt like something was watching me. Later while talking to someone on the crew I learned that the newest owner of the house had warned us to not go into the basement alone because they believed there were spirits in the basement. It just made the entire experience so real for me.

LK: Do you find it more challenging to play a villain than a protagonist?

DW: I don’t find it hard at all because I don’t think of it as being that black and white. I don’t believe Alice is evil at all, I think she was a misunderstood girl who just wants someone to acknowledge her and just like a child she lashes out trying to find that attention.

LK: If there were a Hatred 2, would you appear in it?

DW: I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to find out. But if I can say anything I’ll say this, Alice isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That’s her home and she’s there to stay.

LK: If you could promote The Hatred in one sentence, what would you say?

DW: I hope you’re okay with not sleeping for the next couple weeks, I’m about to star in your nightmares.

Ka-pow! If you need reminding, here’s the trailer again: