Grace Caroline Currey is no stranger to film audiences. She starred as Carol in Annabelle: Creation, Becky in Fall, and Mary Bromfield in DC’s Shazam! films. Now, she takes on the role of Violet in the barking-mad A Breed Apart, from directors Griff and Nathan Furst.
Fortress of Solitude chatted to Currey about A Breed Apart, which can best be described as Jurassic Park with rabid dogs hunting down social media influencers. She spoke about what attracted her to the part, the most ridiculous scenes from the movie, and the Wonder Woman fan art calling for her to be the next Amazon warrior in the DC Universe.
Fortress of Solitude: Why A Breed Apart? What was it about this specific movie that drew you to it?
Grace Caroline Currey: I’ve played a lot of characters where I was crying almost the whole movie – specifically in Fall – and it’s a heavy role to play. It felt really fun to get to play someone like Violet, who’s got tattoos, an acerbic attitude, and is sarcastic and strong. She just seemed like a really fun character to play, and I had a blast playing her. I actually haven’t played anyone like her before. So, really, it was Violet that made me want to do it.
For me, A Breed Apart feels like Jurassic Park but with dogs, where you’re supposed to cheer when the people get attacked. Am I correct here?
[Laughs]. That’s a really good reference. Our set designer was a big Jurassic Park fan, so there’s definitely some influence in some of the set design, which I loved. I’m a huge Jurassic Park fan. But half the fun is just what are these creatures, or dinosaurs, or dogs in our case going to do next, and how are they going to get these influencers?
What was your favorite and most ridiculous scene from the movie?
Oh, that’s a good question. I just watched it with an audience, and we were laughing frequently, because it’s such a wild ride. There’s a moment where Page Kennedy’s character Big Farmer Jay ends up hitting one of the dogs, the dog bites on the coat hanger, he swings the dog around in the air, and everyone’s screaming. They actually put a camera on the coat hanger and Page swung it around, which was great to watch. And he’s just so hilarious, so anything he was doing, I was cracking up. That was a pretty wild scene to shoot with him, throwing that coat hanger all the way around.
And Joey Bragg, who plays Vince Ventura – his scene where he meets a miserable experience. His physical humor … We were dying. But also his stunt double did a full-on flip that was crazy to watch while wrestling the dog. I mean, I could go on and on. There’s a lot of ridiculous scenes. [Laughs].
I was surprised to find out that this movie was based on the Wes Craven-produced film The Breed from 2006. I know the tones are slightly different, but did you watch the older movie to prepare for this one at all?
Yes, I watched it while I was in Guatemala filming [A Breed Apart]. I felt a little bit of – not total similarity – but Michelle Rodriguez in The Breed reminds me of a Violet-esque person. And yeah, our tones couldn’t be more different, could they? But it’s still within that fun “what’s going to happen next?” scenario. And I love that we reference a production of The Breed that went wrong. [Laughs]. It’s kind of meta like that. That’s one of my favorite things about it.
Was the film always meant to have a comedic tone from the get-go?
The script was a pretty wild read. It felt very poppy and energetic. When I chatted with Griff and Nathan [Furst], they brought up Kick-Ass and Tropic Thunder – and just a kind of irreverent, playful energy with it. So, yeah, that was kind of the jump from the get-go.
The comment section under the YouTube trailer for A Breed Apart is pure gold. I need to read one comment in particular that I jotted down, because it made my day: “It’s taken some time, but showbiz is finally making some good movies again.”
[Laughs].
As an actor, I’m sure you recognize the tongue-in-cheek nature of the film. But how do you communicate this to your fans who might not necessarily be in on a joke?
I would say that this is one of those movies that if people are in the mood to have some fun, they’ll have fun. And if they’re not in the mood to have fun, then they’re not going to have fun. I really hope this finds people who need to laugh and enjoy the horror genre and any tropes that might be present within the film. Yeah, I’ve read some funny comments. I’ve responded to a few, just because it’s been kind of fun. Maybe I’m being a little bit like Violet. I’ve had to jump in and be like, “Hello.”
But yeah, I mean, it’s a good time. And I remember when Fall‘s teaser came out and the comments were really harsh about it, and then it found its audience. That’s what you hope with these things, right? It’s that the people who will enjoy it will find it. And there’s so much out there. There’s so much content these days, right? It’s crazy. It’s like anyone who loves anything could find their thing that they want to watch. So, hopefully, we’re providing something for those people who love this sort of thing.
In the calmer scenes – the ones without the rabid CGI dogs – I saw real dogs there. What was it like having the actual pups on set? I always hear the toughest things in every movie are usually animals and children, because they’re both unpredictable. So what was that like here?
Oh, my gosh. They were the sweetest things ever, and it was hard to make them look scary, because their tails were wagging and their tongues were out. They were such good boys. They were just the sweetest things, but so professional and would run and go on their cues. Obviously not the scariest things in the world, so there’s a little bit of a fantasy twist with A Breed Apart, because German Shepherds are just the loveliest dogs; they were really lovely to work with. I mean, what kind of job is it that I get to go to set and interact with dogs? It’s so fun. They were so sweet, and it was such a highlight.
That’s good to hear, because my Chihuahuas were traumatized by the trailer when they saw it for the first time.
[Laughs]. Oh, no. [Laughs].
A Breed Apart marks a reunion for you with Virginia Gardner after Fall. What was it like sharing the screen with her again, since you two share quite a few scenes together in this movie?
Oh, my gosh. I love Ginny. I just want to work with her on everything. I’ll take her anywhere I can take her, and I hope she takes me with her too on other adventures. But this was a fun one in Guatemala, and we found ourselves saying, while we were waiting between takes, “What are we going to make next together?” So, she and I have sort of been brainstorming on what we want to make and what stories we want to tell, and I’m looking forward to doing that with her.
In closing, I have one last question that our readers want to know. Have you seen some of the fan-created images calling for you to be the next Wonder Woman? And if so, what do you think about it?
I have. It’s very sweet. It’s an amazing thing to be in a time where people can post things and their ideas online. Anytime I’ve seen it, I just kind of go, “Well, that’s crazy. [Laughs]. That wouldn’t happen.” But it sure is sweet to think that a few people out there think of that. That’s a really tall order for anyone to fill; those are big shoes. So, if anything, I just feel honored that anyone would imagine me in that sort of thing. But, my goodness, that’s a fantasy, that’s something. [Laughs].
The interview was edited for clarity.
RELATED: The Last of Us’ Tati Gabrielle Talks About Video Game-Accurate Moments and Joel’s Shocking Fate
On May 16, A Breed Apart (starring Grace Caroline Currey) barks its way into theaters and on digital.
