Jordana Brewster felt an instant connection to her Cellar Door character, Sera — especially when it came to the duo’s shared experience with fertility struggles.
“It’s always my job to portray my character’s experience authentically,” Brewster, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing the psychological thriller. “I struggled to have my sons and experienced Sera’s heartache firsthand. I did not want to sugar coat her experience.”
Brewster and her ex-husband, Andrew Form, welcomed sons Julian and Rowan via surrogacy in 2013 and 2016, respectively, after a few failed rounds of IVF treatments. Because of her own journey, the actress told Us she was dedicated to conveying the “huge toll” that infertility can cause on couples. “I became single minded and obsessive about fertility,” she recalled of her own experience. “And Sera goes down the same road.”
Directed by Vaughn Stein, Cellar Door follows Brewster’s Sera and her husband, John (Scott Speedman), as they search for a fresh start following a devastating pregnancy loss. Just as house hunting feels fruitless, they find themselves being gifted the home of their dreams from mysteriously wealthy homeowner Emmett (Laurence Fishburne) who provides only one caveat: they can never open the cellar door.
“When I first took possession she was in sore need of repair,” Fishburne’s character says of the 1918-Jacobean revival in Us’ exclusive clip of the film, which you can watch above. “I spent the better part of the decade renovating her, but eventually managed to get her restored. … It is kinda cool, isn’t it?”
When Sera and John express that they’ve been “striking out” when it comes to finding the right place, Emmett extends an invite for wine and dinner before eventually offering up the place for good. “I like to get to know the people that I’m helping,” he tells them. “May I convince you to stay for an early dinner, mix a little business with pleasure?”
While the expansive suburban-based home seems like the answer to all the couple’s problems, things quickly take a dark turn. The edge-of-your seat thriller is packed with twists from start to finish, deftly balancing the emotional trauma of Sera and John’s struggle to get pregnant with hiding secrets and unknowns around every corner.
Brewster and Speedman, 49, are asked to craft an undeniably complex and layered dynamic between the two of them, which Brewster told Us was easy thanks to the costars’ instant rapport.
“Sometimes you do have to fabricate chemistry which can be difficult. Luckily, Scott and I hit it off right away,” Brewster recalled. “He’s smart and charming and a very good actor. Most importantly, we both have a strong work ethic since we’ve been in the business since our 20s.”
Brewster joked that Sera and John’s “playful yet strained dynamic” also came fairly easily to her and Speedman due to their mutual “competitive” nature. “We teased each other a bunch,” she confessed. “John and Sera call each other out on their s—, so do we.”
Brewster’s connection to Sera ran deep in a variety of ways. From being a “mama bear” to the love she has for her husband, Mason Morfit — whom she wed in 2022 — the Fast and Furious star felt connected to Sera on a primal level. “I understand her sense of loyalty and her single mindedness,” Brewster said of the character. “I also relate to taking drastic steps to correct the past.”
Being that in tune with a character on a film as psychologically twisted as Cellar Door can be taxing, but Brewster told Us that she, along with Speedman and Stein worked hard at making sure things felt fun and light in between scenes.
“Our director, Vaughn, is a witty Brit. After every take he exclaimed, ‘Stupendous! Fabulous! Pitch perfect!’ I loved his endless array of expressions,” she quipped, adding that she and Speedman often “competed to see who would get the most elaborate compliment.”
Brewster also found her own ways to shake off the film’s dark material during her downtime from filming. “Running in the morning. Or tequila at night,” she told Us. “[That] helped me purge Sera.”
Cellar Door will be available in select theaters and on demand Friday, November 1.
