Meagan Good may have acquired superpowers for her small role in this year's "Shazam!", but in the new film, "The Intruder", she needed a safe word for her fight scenes with Dennis Quaid.
That's right. Instead of using a stunt double during her physical scenes with the veteran movie star, Good decided to throw down and go full tilt on screen. There's something instantly admirable about that when meeting someone, seeing their commitment to the job.
Good stopped in St. Louis last week to discuss the role of Annie Russell, who along with her husband Scott, played by Michael Ealy, runs into some trouble with Quaid's Charles Peck in the thriller. The couple buys his old family estate, and think it's their own to model, update, and live out their days on ... until Charlie is unable to let go.
Annie is far too trusting in the film, and Good talked about the difficulty in playing someone who falls for too many things. In the end, she trusted her director, Deon Taylor. "He's very intentional. He directs as a director, and then takes a thousand steps back, and sees it as the audience. He wants to create those moments for the audience," Good said. "He wanted me to get there authentically, so once I leaned into what Deon intended, it was easier to understand."
When asked by Kevin Brackett of ReviewSTL.com, about Quaid's crazy character and matching his dedication to the role, Good was all about meeting him right there at the line of authenticity.
"There's some pretty intense scenes, and I was like, 'Just go for it. I'll give you a safe word,'" Good said.
She had a stunt double available on set, but she declined because action is what the actress wants to do.
One of the better things about the movie was Good's Annie taking charge, and not Ealy's Scott. So many films lean on the male to save the day, and Taylor's film goes the other way. "We talked about that. Deon told Michael he wasn't going to be the guy who beats everyone up. All that was very intentional. For me, it was just fun. Getting there organically, and how she feels about Charlie," Good said.
One of the underrated supporting characters in the film is the house where most of the film's action takes place. Good had mixed feelings about the majestic location. "It's so beautiful, but it's slightly creepy. We were getting cabin fever. There was this one room. Anywhere I got near it, there was a weird spirit that made my skin crawl. We thought it was haunted," Good said.
It helps that Good loves scary movies.
"My all time favorite scary movie was "Halloween 5", and it had a little girl who just a year older than me (Danielle Harris). She's the reason I wanted to become an actress," Good said.
She would pretend to throw herself down the stairs, beat herself up, and do other things because she adores the horror genre, as you can see with her roles in "Saw 5", "The Unborn", and "Venom".
The acting bug got the 37-year-old actress early, and Good put it into action quickly. She took her first acting role in a television show called "Gabriel's Fire" in 1991, playing a character called "young girl." She would have a small role in the highly popular comedy, "Friday".
A lot of television roles flooded her first ten years, but a notable role in Rian Johnson's "Brick" showed what she was capable of. Good is one of those actresses who can easily mix into an ensemble, but you always wonder what would happen if she got a project of her own. "The Intruder" is a big step in that direction, with Good sharing top billing with Ealy and Quaid.
A science fiction fantasy action flick with Paul W.S. Anderson isn't that too far off from that goal. Good recently wrapped "Monster Hunter", a film with Milla Jovovich, Ron Perlman, Diego Boneta, and Tony Jaa that arrives next year.
If there is one reason to see "The Intruder", it is the finale where Good's Annie gets to go toe to toe with Quaid's Charlie. Why? In that moment, the film works, but it also gives you an idea of what the actress wants to be. An action star. She wants the action, and it's apparent there.
"The Intruder" opens in theaters this Thursday night.
