Natalie Dormer is taking on supernatural forces in the horror film The Forest (out January 8), playing a woman searching for her twin sister in Japan’s Aokigahara Forest, known for a high incidence of suicide. The shoot itself took its toll at times on the 33-year-old actress and costar Taylor Kinney, with Dormer saying, “I think we got pretty hysterical at some points.” She tells Us Weekly how she mastered her scream for the film and which of her loved ones she would haunt.
Q: The Forest primarily takes place in Japan’s “Suicide Forest,” which is haunted by the angry spirits of those left to die. Do you believe in ghosts and hauntings?
A: I have no reason to believe in ghosts, but I believe in energy. I think that if a lot of bad stuff happens in one place, then a location can hold an energy. That is one of the reasons I’m intrigued by the Aokigahara Forest.
Q: If you were a ghost, who would you haunt?
A: I would probably haunt my family but in a very positive way. You know, leave the keys out when they’d been lost or when someone drops them down the side of the couch. Or feed the cat if someone forgot. Only good haunting for my family.
Q: The Forest filming locations included Serbia and Japan. Did you have a chance to enjoy your time in either country and explore at all?
A: I loved being in Tokyo. We were there for a week, and it would have been wonderful to stay a little bit longer. I did as much touristy stuff as I could manage in that time, like going to some local temples and fish markets. Checked out some really great sushi restaurants and some shopping, and then also got to visit the real Aokigahara Forest and go up to Mt. Fuji. The lakes up there are such a beautiful part of the country, so I really enjoyed that. And Serbia is beautiful, too, the actual Serbian Forest and the Tara National Park where we shot. Stunning mountains, woodland area — I was really pleasantly surprised at how really beautiful Serbia is as a country.
Q: Shooting in foreign countries, you and your cast mates must have had time to bond. What are some of Taylor’s quirky habits?
A: Yes. Taylor likes to draw on tablecloths. When you’re having dinner with him, it will get to a point in the evening where if he finds a pen nearby, or he’ll steal one off the waiter, he likes to draw on the paper tablecloth. That’s always amusing.
Q: Were there any behind the scenes hijinks that ensued?
A: I think we got pretty hysterical at some points. When you’re standing in the middle of a forest at 3 a.m. in the morning, and you’re cold, and you didn’t sleep properly the day before because you were trying to sleep in the day, which is completely unnatural, and you’re being bitten by a lot of insects, then yeah, hysteria kinda sinks in.
Q: In The Forest, you’re searching for your missing twin sister. After filming this, do you believe in special psychic twin powers?
A: Having spoken to some identical twins, I believe that some do have a sixth sense. I don’t think all of them have it, but it didn’t seem implausible to me that Sara and Jess could have the connection that they have.
Q: You have been working nonstop over the last few years. How do you relax in your downtime?
A: [Laughing] I love to catch up with friends because I’m away so much. I love to see friends, and cook and just eat and hang out. I love to run, do yoga or read.
Q: This movie has a lot of terrifying scenes. Did you have to practice your scream before shooting?
A: I would do voice exercises on days when I knew I had to do lots of screaming. Like a singer, I would do scales. I just did a vocal warmup before days when I had to do a lot of screaming, and there were a lot of those days.
The Forest is in theaters everywhere on January 8th. Visit TheForestIsReal.com for more details.
