We recently spoke with filmmaker Alexander Sharp about his feature film Wired Shut which is now available via Digital and VOD. The horror-thriller follows a famous novelist who is not able to speak while recovering after reconstructive jaw surgery. He soon faces a life-threatening secret with an unexpected visit from his estranged daughter. Directed by Alexander Sharp, Wired Shut stars Blake Stadel, Natalie Sharp, and Behtash Fazlali. We asked Alexander about how he got into filmmaking, working on Wired Shut with his sister Natalie, the current state of the horror genre, and lots more. Check it out below.
Image credit: Karolina Turek
When did you decide that storytelling was something you wanted to do?
Alexander Sharp (AS): I remember basically being convinced at the age of 7 that I wanted to be an archeologist after watching Indiana Jones. When I found out the job description was more about taking toothbrushes to fossils and less about dodging poisonous darts and giant, rolling boulders, I realized I was still obsessed with the “dream” of it. I started taking acting classes with my sister, Natalie, and started making my own movies after school with my friends. I have definitely killed my sister multiple times.
What is your favorite thing about filmmaking?
AS: Cinema is an incredibly powerful medium. I love how it, done right, essentially makes a group of strangers in the dark feel the exact same thing at the exact same time. You go to the movies and everybody laughs at the same time, everybody cries at the same time, everybody jumps at the same time. They remind us that we aren’t alone in the universe. And then, of course, I love what Fincher says about movies that “scar”, which is something along the lines of the fact that nobody looks at the ocean the same way again after watching Jaws.
What can you tell us about Wired Shut?
AS: It’s a home invasion thriller with elements of horror, but at its deep core it’s a drama between a father and a daughter trying to reconnect, Reed (Blake Stadel) and Emmy (Natalie Sharp). All Reed wants is to apologize to his daughter, but he literally can’t because his jaw is wired shut. The villain Preston ((Behtash Fazlali), was inspired by Robert DeNiro’s Max Cady in Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear. Peter [Malone Elliott] and I wanted to do our own version of that kind of “gone-off-the-deep-end” psychopath that is equal parts terrifying and entertaining.
What do you think of the current state of the genre of horror and thriller?
AS: Even if you look at the last decade, there are too many instant classics to name them all, between Ari Aster’s work, Mike Flanagan’s work, what Fede Alvarez is doing with the Don’t Breathe films, masterpieces like Fincher’s Gone Girl. There are so many to go back for as well as look forward to.
What was it like working on this film with your sister, Natalie Sharp?
AS: Fun. Lots of fun. Nat’s one of the most talented and mature actresses I know. She could play anything. She’s also not terribly insecure or vain. I find it difficult to work with actors that are hoping to block a scene around their bad hair day. And, certainly in this genre, you can’t “look good” all of the time. We want to see the sweat and snot run down in order to make the thing genuinely disturbing, because that’s what people look like when they’re severely under slept whilst surviving a slasher. I can’t stand it in movies when the character is running for their life and they’re still totally airbrushed and always appear to be under a softbox, which is of course enormously convenient for the cinematographer’s reel. Nat’s not interested in anything but telling the story the way it should be told for the weightiest emotional response: she’s an actor with a storyteller’s mindset, not a model’s.
What were some learning lessons for you working on Wired Shut?
AS: Features take so unbelievably long to complete, and it’s so easy to, halfway through the process, start making a completely different movie than the one you were making the week before, consciously or subconsciously. First, you write it and that takes months. Then, you get feedback on the script and it starts to feel a little different, ideally better. Then, you cast actors in the roles and suddenly the story has identities. Then, you shoot it and the world takes shape. Then, you cut it together and put music over it and it feels even more different than before, and so on. There are so many opportunities, at every stage of the process, to lose direction. I learned that I needed to be incredibly patient, breathe, and hold firmly onto the memory of its conception – the idea I fell in love with in the first place – otherwise, it’ll drive you insane and you’ll either never finish it or you’ll Frankenstein the thing to the point where it isn’t recognizable to you.
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Follow Alexander Sharp: Instagram
Watch Wired Shut HERE
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