Melina Matthews says she had no idea what Lady Lash would look or sound like when she signed on to the horror film Crawlers. In an interview with Lena Jackson of Iconic Original Media, Matthews explains how a costume fitting in Lisbon, Portugal, gave the character her British accent and diva attitude, why she chose to invent Lady Lash’s backstory instead of researching it, and why the spider and flame scenes were the hardest to shoot.
Key Takeaways From the Interview
- Melina Matthews plays Lady Lash in the horror film Crawlers.
- She says the film’s team reached out to her, and she signed on because she loves horror and genre films and found the character fun, adventurous and exotic.
- Lady Lash’s look and voice came from the costume Matthews saw at fittings and a makeup test in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Matthews chose not to research the role. She built a backstory for Lady Lash herself.
- She says the most challenging scenes involve spiders and flame. Her favorite scene is the one where Lady Lash realizes the outbreak is a spider infection.
- Her answer to the final question: Lady Lash’s apartment is a work apartment.
About Crawlers
According to the film’s press materials, in Crawlers, a catastrophic infestation of venomous and deadly spiders sends an apartment building into lockdown. Trapped inside by a police-mandated quarantine, building manager Serena (Matilda Lutz) and her residents battle to survive as the creatures multiply by the second. Armed with her intimate knowledge of the complex, Serena may be the only one who can keep them alive-if she can confront her deepest fear.
- Directed by: Ángel Gómez Hernández
- Written by: Jayson Rothwell
- Starring: Matilda Lutz
- Produced by: Scott Strauss, Peter Welter, Jayson Rothwell, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Josh Weinstock, Alexandra Milchan
- Executive produced by: Andrew Schwartzberg, Jon Shiffman, Diarmaid McGrath
- Runtime: 81 minutes
How Did Melina Matthews Land the Role of Lady Lash?
Matthews says the film’s team reached out and asked whether she would be interested in playing Lady Lash. Once she read the script, she knew she had to do it. She found the character fun, adventurous and exotic, and she loves horror and genre films. She adds that she fell in love with Lady Lash because of the career the character has and the twist at the end of the film.
How Did a Costume Fitting Shape Lady Lash’s Look and Voice?
When Matthews first read the script, she had no idea what Lady Lash would look or sound like. She says even the director was not sure at the beginning whether the character would be American or British. After a few weeks, Matthews was flown to Lisbon, Portugal, for fittings and a makeup test, where the team had designed an amazing costume.
That look settled it. With that hair, makeup and outfit, Matthews decided Lady Lash had to sound British and had to sound like a real diva: sarcastic, fun, nonchalant and eccentric. For her, not knowing what she would do until she got there was the most exciting part, and it was a surprise.
Why Did She Skip the Research for Lady Lash?
Jackson asked whether Matthews studied the lifestyle and career of a character like Lady Lash. Matthews says she did not do much research. Because Crawlers is a fantasy world, she wanted to create her own little world instead of basing the character on other people’s real-life experiences.
Instead, she imagined the kind of childhood Lady Lash had, her experiences with men and her relationship with her father or past boyfriends. In Matthews’ view, Lady Lash is probably someone who has suffered a lot, left home early and become independent very young. That made her very resourceful, Matthews says, and that is how the character’s personality was forged.
What Role Does Lady Lash Play in the Story?
In the conversation, Lady Lash is described as one of the few tenants who is kind to Serena, the building manager played by Matilda Lutz. She brings a bit of fun and a bit of wine to a film about trying to survive a night of quarantine and lockdown, and the discussion points to the breaks and beats that gives the story, as well as the sense that Serena has someone she can trust when some of the other tenants are a little bit mean.
What Were the Hardest Scenes to Shoot?
Matthews says the most challenging scenes in a horror film are usually the ones where she has to kill spiders or use a flame, because they are technically difficult. She had to calculate where to use the flashlights and the gas, because the light also helps illuminate her face. “It’s little tricks,” she says.
Which Scene Was Her Favorite?
Matthews’ favorite scene is the one where Lady Lash realizes it is not a virus but a spider infection, and Serena comes into her apartment and makes a discovery. She will not say who is involved because it is a spoiler, and neither will we. Matthews says she laughed all the way through the scene and called Serena’s reaction brilliant. The other character’s reaction, she adds, was just as funny.
Is Lady Lash’s Apartment a Home or a Workplace?
Jackson’s last question was just for fun: was this Lady Lash’s living apartment or her business apartment? Matthews says she had never been asked that before. Her answer is that Lady Lash may have a few apartments around town, and that this one is her work apartment. She points to the client in the box and to an apartment with no books or anything very personal in it. It is now her official answer, she says, for the rest of her interviews.
Full Interview Transcript
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity, including the removal of filler words and false starts.
Lena Jackson: As I was saying, I’m Lena Jackson with Iconic Original Media, and I’m glad to talk to you today about your new film, Crawlers. It’s definitely in time for spooky season, and I want to congratulate you, the rest of the cast and the crew for creating this, because it definitely did what it was supposed to do. I went to sleep squirming in my bed. First and foremost, how did you hear about this film, and what made you sign on and want to be a part of it?
Melina Matthews: Well, the film’s team reached out to me, asking if I’d be interested in playing Lady Lash. When I read the script, I thought she was the most fun, adventurous, exotic character. And I love horror movies. I love genre movies. So I thought, I had to do it.
Lena Jackson: Yes. This definitely isn’t your first horror film.
Melina Matthews: No. I fell in love with Lady Lash because of the career she has and that beautiful twist at the end. I was just like, “Oh, perfect. That’s why she said, ‘Don’t worry.’”
Lena Jackson: Perfect. What were you most excited about when taking on the role of Lady Lash, discovering who she is as a person, delving into that character and breaking her down the way you needed to?
Melina Matthews: I think the most exciting thing about the character was not knowing. When I read the script, I had no idea what she was going to look like or what she was going to sound like. Not even the director, at the beginning. He said, “We don’t know if she’s going to be American, if she’s going to be British.” And then, after a few weeks, when I was flown to Lisbon, Portugal, for all the fittings and the makeup test, they had designed an amazing costume, and I thought, “Okay, this is it.” I had no idea what she was going to look like, so I based my character on the look. This diva look. I thought, with this look and this hair and makeup, she has to sound British. She has to sound like a diva, a real diva: sarcastic, fun, nonchalant, eccentric. And that was the most exciting thing: not knowing what you’re going to do until you get there. It was a surprise.
Lena Jackson: Oh my goodness, I love that. Did you research her lifestyle and her career? How did you go about that research? What avenues did you take? Were you picking up a book, or finding different things? There are pages on Instagram where you can search that lifestyle and how they move. How did you do that?
Melina Matthews: I didn’t do a lot of research for that, because I thought, I’m just going to create my own little world. It’s a fantasy world, so I didn’t want to base it on real-life experiences from other people. She’s a dominatrix, but we don’t know how many clients she has in this building. I have no idea. So I had to create on my own, without doing too much research. I just thought about what kind of childhood she had, what kind of experiences with men she had, the fact that she wanted to dominate them, the kind of relationship she had with her father, maybe, or with past boyfriends. It’s probably someone who’s suffered a lot. She’s had to maybe leave home quite early and become independent very early in life, and she’s very resourceful. So I think that’s how her personality was forged and created.
Lena Jackson: Oh, wow. Yes, because I can see that throughout the film. I can see how that backstory played into the film. I can see your work showing throughout every scene, because she was extremely resourceful. And yes, she had the dominatrix career, but she was also one of the few tenants who was kind to Serena.
Lena Jackson and Melina Matthews (in conversation): I agree. A bit of fun, a bit of wine, a bit of “Let’s all relax and live life a little.” She gave the film nice breaks and beats of, “Oh yes, this film is about trying to survive the night, the quarantine, the lockdown,” but she also gave you a break where you can see, “Oh wow, Serena trusted who she can talk to,” because some of the tenants were a little bit mean. They get what they deserve, and I loved that. I was like, “Oh yeah, the people that survived deserve it.” Absolutely.
Lena Jackson: For you, what scene was most challenging, and what scene was most exciting for you?
Melina Matthews: I think the most challenging scenes are always the ones where you have to kill spiders or use that flame, because it’s difficult technically. It’s always about technical aspects when you’re doing a horror film. Because of the lights, I had to calculate where I had to use the flashlights and the gas and all of that, because that also helps light my face. So it’s all very technical. It’s little tricks. And I think the most fun scene that I shot is the one when she realizes that it’s not a virus. It’s a spider infection. And Serena comes into my apartment and discovers one man in my box. I’m not going to say who, because it’s a spoiler, but it’s so much fun to see that person come out of that box wearing that. It was a lot of fun to shoot. I was laughing all the way through the scene, and Serena’s reaction was brilliant. And the other character’s reaction, I’m not going to name him, was also so laughable. That was a lot of fun to do.
Lena Jackson: And this is my last question, just for fun. Do we think this was Lady Lash’s living apartment, or just a business apartment?
Melina Matthews: Oh my god. I’ve never been asked that question. That’s a really good question. I don’t think I’ve been asked that before. Maybe she has a few apartments all over town. Maybe two or three. But I think maybe her work apartment, because of that client she has in that box… for maybe, let’s say, three or four days. So she knew she had to stay in that place, because the apartment doesn’t really have any books or anything very personal. That’s a great question. It’s my belief now that it’s a work apartment. That’s what I’m going to say from now on in the rest of the interviews: this is a work apartment.
Lena Jackson: That’s amazing. Thank you so much for giving me your time. We have to wrap up here.
Melina Matthews: Thank you.
Lena Jackson: And to end off, everyone visit www.iconicoriginalmedia.com and, of course, follow us on Instagram at @iconicoriginalmedia. Thank you so much again.
Melina Matthews: Thank you, Lena, for taking the time.
Interview by Lena Jackson. Video by Iconic Original Media.
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