‘Your Monster’ Star Melissa Barrera Says She “Never Felt Anything Weird” About Kissing a Monster: “It Just Felt Very Natural”

By Anna Menta

Melissa Barrera is fresh to beryllium nan caller shriek queen.

“I person truthful overmuch respect for truthful galore iconic shriek queens that person travel before,” Barrera told Decider successful a caller Zoom interview. “That anyone would telephone maine that is specified a immense honor.”

The 34-year-old Mexican character made a sanction for herself successful Hollywood aft she landed nan lead of In nan Heights, nan 2021 movie adjustment of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical. But since past she’s each but taken complete nan scary genre—first arsenic nan prima of nan 2022 Scream movie and its 2023 sequel, Scream VI. She was dropped from nan adjacent Scream movie aft she voiced support for nan Palestinian group successful nan warfare successful Gaza—a arguable determination from nan franchise’s accumulation company—but quickly bounced backmost pinch a caller vampire scary comedy, Abigail, released by Universal earlier this year; and now successful Your Monster, a charming indie scary rom-com that opens successful theaters today.

Written and directed by Caroline Lindy, and based connected Lindy’s 2020 short of nan aforesaid name, Your Monster stars Barrera arsenic a down-on-her-luck crab diligent named Laura, who is unceremoniously dumped by her longtime fellow while recovering from a awesome surgery. While mourning her break-up, she discovers a monster (played by Casual star Tommy Dewey) surviving successful her chamber closet. The monster is quick-tempered but sweet, uncouth yet charming, and handsome nether that hairy face, successful a Beauty and nan Beast type of way. Sparks fly. Even if monster-loving isn’t your thing, Barrera and Dewey’s effortless, electrical chemistry is intolerable to resist.

“Honestly, I ne'er felt thing weird astir him being a monster,” Barrera, who is besides a shaper connected nan film, said. “It conscionable felt very natural.” That said, location were a fewer logistical problems erstwhile it came clip to make retired pinch those Beast-like prosthetics.

“His beard would travel disconnected and, like, get connected me,” Barrera admitted pinch a laugh. The character said to Decider astir kissing monsters, nan Your Monster ending, and why she keeps coming backmost to scary movies.

Photo: Will Stone / Vertical Entertainment

DECIDER: Can you commencement by telling maine astir embodying this character, Laura, arsenic good arsenic really you developed her arsenic a shaper connected nan film? She felt different from nan different characters we’ve seen you play.

MELISSA BARRERA: It was awesome to person Caroline [Lindy, nan writer/director] to talk to astir Laura, because it’s loosely based connected what she went through. Caroline is not a philharmonic theatre actress, and she has a awesome narration pinch her parents, truthful it’s not each her. But I sewage to talk to her astir nan process of post-breakup, post-cancer, nan authorities that she was in—how angry she felt, really powerless, and conscionable shitty she felt—and nan rage that came retired of that.

Thankfully, I’ve ne'er been successful a position wherever I’m I person cancer, but I person had my adjacent stock of heartbreaks that are debilitating—that are that consciousness for illustration they’re for illustration eating distant astatine you, consuming you. I emotion a bully drama, truthful it’s easy for maine to entree those acheronian places and to spell into that achy hole. The instrumentality for this was really to make it funny. lt besides is simply a comedy, truthful really do I play nan truth, but besides make judge that group are laughing pinch her, and not astatine her. That was a challenge. But nan progression of nan Monster and Laura’s narration felt truthful natural. It happened arsenic Tommy and I sewage to cognize each different arsenic actors, and arsenic we started improvising and having nosy pinch each other.

You and Tommy Dewey really do person this awesome chemistry that propels nan communicative forward. Talk to maine much astir moving pinch him. What is it for illustration making retired pinch personification pinch a batch of prosthetics connected their face?

[Laughs.] I mean, nan prosthetics were truthful incredible. Dave Anderson [head of typical make-up effects] has 2 Oscars nether his belt—he knows what he’s doing. The measurement that he designed this disguise was truthful perfectly aligned pinch each musculus connected Tommy’s face. So it didn’t consciousness for illustration thing different than a face. The only point was that his beard would travel disconnected and, like, get connected me. The small creases successful nan rima would commencement to peel, truthful they had to re-glue them. But honestly, I ne'er felt thing weird astir him being a monster. It conscionable felt very natural. I deliberation that’s a testament to really bully Tommy is.

Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

[Spoiler warning: If you haven’t watched Your Monster yet, skip this adjacent question!]

I want to talk astir nan ending, which is simply a small ambiguous. In your mind, is nan monster real, aliases is he successful Laura’s head? In different words, did Laura termination her ex connected her own?

I debate. The romanticist portion of maine wants to deliberation that he’s real, and that they’re going to thrust disconnected into nan sunset correct aft this number. There’s nan very evident dropping of nan ruler astatine nan end—that is nan execution weapon. It is simply a communicative astir falling successful emotion pinch your soul rage and nan metaphor of your soul monster. I consciousness for illustration a batch of group will opportunity that it is each successful her head, and that she was falling successful emotion pinch nan disfigured parts of herself. It’s that beautiful emotion communicative of coming into your own, uncovering your voice, stepping retired of that darkness, and unleashing each that you are into nan world. But… I want to judge that nan monster is real.

You’ve been taking complete nan scary genre these past fewer years pinch Scream, Abigail, and now Your Monster. Is location thing astir this genre you support coming backmost to? How do you consciousness astir being branded a Scream Queen?

It’s a tremendous grant to beryllium called that. I person truthful overmuch respect for truthful galore iconic shriek queens that person travel before. That anyone would telephone maine that is specified a immense honor. I emotion horror. I’ve fallen successful emotion pinch really overmuch nosy you person connected a scary set—the things that you get to do that you don’t get to really do successful each nan different genre. Like being covered successful blood—I’m benignant of addicted. The astir breathtaking scripts that I’ve gotten successful nan past fewer years person been scary movies. It says a batch astir nan genre and really it’s pushing nan boundaries—how there’s a batch of for illustration very breathtaking up-and-coming filmmakers that are doing wacky things successful scary films and conscionable support astonishing us. I’m not an character that would say, “I’m only going to do scary movies.” But I emotion doing scary movies and I want to proceed to do scary movies.

Photo: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

Over nan past year, successful ray of nan massive decease toll successful Gaza, a batch much group are saying precisely what you said successful the station that sewage you fired from nan Scream franchise. Have you heard from anybody progressive successful making that determination pinch an apology, aliases thing else?

No, nothing.

Have you spoken to Neve Campbell, now that she’s announced she’s returned to nan franchise? How you consciousness astir that?

No, we haven’t really spoken. I deliberation everyone makes their choices, and what they deliberation is champion for them. I afloat respect what group deliberation that they request to do, to support going successful this life.