Jane Levyhas really had her work cut out for her in the horror genre. She headlined a double dose ofFede Alvarezfilms - two of my absolute favorite horror films of the decade - and boy did those characters go through a lot of extreme scenarios during their fights for survival. There was the blood rain, arm-ripping and then some in 2013’sEvil Deadand then Levy powered through a home invasion nightmare in the 2016 release,Don’t Breathe. As much as I lose myself in both movies, after watching them, I’ve always got to stop and think about how much a performance like that has got to take out of you.
But of course,Evil Deadis one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time and Levy is part of that legacy. Even though she’s already made a big contribution to the series, I just had to ask her if she’d be willing to give even more, especially now that we know thatEvil Dead Nowis in the worksfrom writer-directorLee Cronin. During Levy’s upcoming episode of Collider Connected in honor of her NBC seriesZoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, I asked her if she’d return to theEvil Deadfranchise and the role of Mia if Cronin offered her a part in the new film. Levy simply replied, “No.”
Clearly I’m a big fan of the 2013Evil Deadmovie and Levy’s work in it, so I would have been thrilled if she was down for more, but first off, who can blame her for not wanting to live in that kind of world and headspace for another extensive shoot? And two, just look at Levy’s resume! One of the things I’ve come to admire most about her is her range and her eagerness to keep exploring it. Here’s what she told me when asked to name something that she’s done for a show or film that she’d rather not do again:
“Screaming for my life is something that I’ve done enough of. Not saying I’ll get rid of horror all together because I just watchedDoctor Sleepthe other night; I Ioved it. I was like, horror films are so rich and they’re so fun to watch. I love them so much. So I’m not poo-pooing on all horror films; I’m just saying I’m not sure I want to spend a whole three months of my life running and screening for survival.”
So while another horror movie isn’t high on Levy’s priority list at the moment, we do still haveDon’t BreatheandEvil Deadto watch over and over again. And on top of that, if you haven’t watchedZoey’s ExtraordinaryPlaylist, it’s a phenomenal binge watch that you can jump into right now on Hulu. For anyone brushing it off as a silly NBC musical, trust me when I tell you it’s a joy to watch but also an emotional wallop that earns every tear you’ll shed.
