[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Cuckoo.]

The Big Picture

The film ‘Cuckoo,’ inspired by filmmakers David Lynch and David Cronenberg, merges weird vibes with a dark narrative.
Co-stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens discuss the film’s atmosphere, having trust in your director, and character dynamics.
Schafer shares her experiences working on ‘Cuckoo’ as her first film and returning to ‘Euphoria’ for Season 3, while Stevens is starring in Season 3 of ‘The Terror.’

From writer/director Tilman Singer, the horror thriller Cuckoo follows 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), as she tries to figure out where she fits into the life her father has chosen to live with his new family at a resort in the German Alps. What promises to be a tranquil change of scenery quickly becomes anything but, as the rebellious teenager clashes with Herr König (Dan Stevens), an uncomfortably creepy man who is clearly not interested in what’s best for her or her family. It’s weird at times and uncomfortable at others, while strange noises and occurrences lead Gretchen to realize something really isn’t right, and somehow her own family is involved.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, co-stars Schafer and Stevens discussed the film’s weird vibe, trusting their director, the scary anticipation Schafer experienced making this as her first film, why this character felt familiar to Stevens, and what it was like to find the unsettling dynamic between their characters. Schafer also talked about returning to Euphoria for Season 3, after not being sure that she wanted to continue acting, while Stevens has started filming Season 3 of The Terror.

Cuckoo (2024) After moving to the German Alps with her father and his new family, Gretchen begins to experience disturbing events. As she uncovers the town’s dark secrets, her father’s enigmatic boss, Mr. König, reveals a sinister interest in her mute half-sister, Alma. Tilman Singer directs this psychological horror featuring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens​Director Tilman Singer Runtime 102 Minutes Release Date August 9, 2024 Writers Tilman Singer

‘Cuckoo’ Takes Inspiration From Filmmakers David Lynch and David Cronenberg

Collider: This film is the brand of weird that reminds me of David Lynch and even Legion. Was that something you guys immediately got a sense of from reading the script? When projects are this atmospheric, I’m always so curious about what’s actually in the script and what comes from conversations with your writer/director and getting on set and seeing the environment. Did you know that was the vibe this had?

HUNTER SCHAFER: It read weird too.

DAN STEVENS: But if you’ve seen Luz, which is Tilman Singer’s first film, you’re aware of his Lynchian and Cronenbergian tone. That helps to make some sense of what’s happening on the page in Cuckoo. If I hadn’t seen Luz, I wouldn’t have gotten on board with Cuckoo as quickly as I did. I was like, “Oh, this guy knows how to make this work, and it’s gonna be weird, but it’s gonna look and sound very cool and very strange.” His ear for sound design is really masterful, I think. Apart from anything else, I knew I was gonna be in good hands. Anything I didn’t understand, he would either explain or I would just trust that he would make it work, in whatever he was creating. I didn’t need all the questions answered, necessarily.

Related ‘Cuckoo’ Review: Hunter Schafer Battles Dan Stevens In Gleeful Horror Trip Forget ‘Euphoria,’ this film is proof that Schafer needs more leading roles to sink her teeth into.

Hunter, because your character is so emotionally drug through everything. What allowed you to feel like it would be a safe space for you to create and experiment in?

SCHAFER: That was one of the scary anticipations going into this. This was my first movie and my first time working on a set that wasn’t Euphoria. There were all these things running through my head like, “This is gonna be really intense. Am I gonna be able to do this? This is a completely different environment and different format.” But the people I made this movie with were such a beautiful group of people that really felt like a family by the end, and it happened really fast. That’s one of the biggest things, when entering tumultuous emotional territories on set, knowing that if you go too hard or too far, or you freak yourself out or something, somebody is gonna be there to have your back, and it was like that the entire time we made this movie. There were takes where Tilman was holding my hand off-camera, just to make sure that I was good. It was so much fun. I had so much fun making this movie.

Dan Stevens’ Familiarity With German Culture Helped Inform His ‘Cuckoo’ Character
Image via NEON

Dan, you’ve said that you knew this type of German man. But how and why do you know this type of German man? And what type of German man is this?

STEVENS: There are all sorts of German men who I’ve met that fed into it, and German men that Tilman knew. I speak German. I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany since I was a child. It’s a country I know quite well. It’s a culture I’ve grown to know and love very well. So, when Tilman and I put our heads together, talking about the kind of man he was, initially I pitched him with, “This is what I would do with it. If you want that, then great.” And he was like, “Yes, exactly. More of that.” So, we talked about different kinds of men that we’ve met, and this guy is a particularly single-minded scientist. He’s a preservationist who is very singularly devoted to his craft, maintaining the legacy of this scientific endeavor, the wonder and awe that he finds in that, and the perverse beauty that he finds. When you put him in this world, you see how weird that would feel and look. It’s not one specific man that I met or that Tilman knew, but it’s an amalgam of this very singular type of is just like, “Obviously, this is the way, and any other way would be crazy.” That, to me, is a terrifying character, somebody who’s just so committed to the cause at the cost of almost everything.

Did you get to keep the little musical flute?

STEVENS: I don’t know if I did, actually. I should ask for that little recorder.

Related The 10 Best Dan Stevens Movies, Ranked He really is the Lion of Love.

What did you guys most enjoy about working with each other and exploring that very strange and unsettling dynamic between your characters? Is that something that you got to just jump in and discover with each other?

SCHAFER: Yeah. I just loved watching Dan work. It was really impressive. I had two years between when I got the role and when we actually filmed the project, but Dan came in very, very close to when we started shooting.

STEVENS: Weeks before, I think.

SCHAFER: Yeah, and he was able to bring this character to life in that amount of time. It was just so exciting, anticipating what he was going to do as Herr König on set, every day when he came to work. Everyone was really excited to see that. It’s one of the more humorous parts of the movie as well, which was really fun.

STEVENS: It was fun playing with the dynamic of quite how much of a problem Gretchen is. He doesn’t really like problems. If there’s a problem, it must be dealt with, and she’s just this persistent problem. It’s baffling. She’s this very curious creature. He’s a man who’s used to dealing with curious creatures, but this one is extra curious and problematic. There’s this weird little battle going on. Before it becomes an actual battle, there’s already this weird thing going on between them. It was fun to build from that into a full-on battle sequence.

Hunter Schafer Is Looking Forward to Returning to Her ‘Euphoria’ Character for Season 3
Image via HBO

Hunter, you mentioned this being your first set that was not Euphoria. It’s wild that in five years, we’ve gotten two seasons of Euphoria, but we know that you’re going to be shooting a third season soon. When you have such a long gap between playing that character, is it challenging for you, as an actor, to have that much time before you return to the character again, or do you feel like it works to your advantage to have time to go do other things, and then keep going back to her?

SCHAFER: I don’t know because it’s a new experience. I felt it when there was a gap with COVID, in between Season 1 and Season 2. With this gap, I’m excited because between Seasons 1 and 2, I didn’t work on anything, but between Seasons 2 and 3, I’ve been able to jump around and really experience what making a movie is like and playing different characters. I have to be totally honest, I wasn’t really sold on keeping up the whole acting thing. I feel like jumping around and learning more about the craft and experimenting with different characters has really allowed me to fall in love with it on another level. And so, I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned over the past few years to Season 3 and see how that will feel.

Related The 7 Things You Need To Know About ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Stock up on glittery eyeshadow, drugs, and drama in preparation for the new season!

Dan, you signed on to do The Terror, and it feels like you know what you’re getting into when you sign on to do something with a title like that. Did you know what you were getting yourself into?

STEVENS: Each season of that show is very, very different, which is a great thing. I sort of know, but we’re only in week two. Ask me in a few months.

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