(Photo Credit: Prime Video)
ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Killer Heat stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley about the murder mystery movie. The duo discussed their characters, doing dialogue in Greek, and more. Directed by Phillipe Lacôte, it is now streaming on Prime Video.
“A thrilling, contemporary mystery in classic noir style, Killer Heat follows private eye Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an American expat in Greece, hired to investigate the supposed accidental death of young shipping magnate Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden) on the island of Crete. The victim’s sister-in-law (Shailene Woodley) doesn’t believe the official police report. But what exactly happened to Leo, and why? Despite the sun-drenched beauty of its exotic Mediterranean locale, Nick finds darkness at every turn: where the rich and powerful Vardakis family rule like gods, where jealousies run deep, and anyone could be a suspect,” says the synopsis.
Tyler Treese: Joseph, Killer Heat is based on this great short story and is the title tale of Jealousy Man. In the source text and in the movie, it’s this exploration of jealousy, not just in the mystery, but also within your character. What about that element really drew you in and made you wanna be in this project?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Yeah. Those are my favorite detective movies, and it is when the mystery that the detective is solving runs parallel somehow to a mystery within the detective, him or herself. That’s when I feel like these stories can sort of transcend the genre and become about something more than just a murder. Something that we can all relate to whether or not we’re in the middle of a a murder case.
This is a story about jealousy, and jealousy is a demon that human beings all over the world. No matter what country you go to or what time in history, everybody is a universal demon. There’s a story about someone who’s succumbed to that monster in their head, telling them that they’re not good enough, that someone else is better, and turning it into a murder mystery.
Yeah. I love how this movie ends and how it all comes together thematically.
Shailene, I loved your performance in Killer Heat. Your character marries into this rich family, and there’s just such a fun dynamic. They’re all kind of miserable and dysfunctional. How is it acting out those toxic family moments in the film? It’s very fun to see.
Shailene Woodley: Yeah, I mean, it was fun. I think fun is the perfect word. I had a blast making this movie. Penelope, I felt for her a lot. It was really devastating to be in a situation that you feel stuck in, that you feel like you can’t escape. We kind of see where that emotional stasis leads her and the extremes and the journey that she goes on to kind of understand how she can find an outlet to relieve herself of toxicity. But I think it’s a common thing that a lot of people experience not knowing how to leave a relationship, especially when there is a massive family dynamic around that kind of concretes this bond in a way that doesn’t necessarily always lead from a place of love.
Joseph, how was it brushing up on your Greek for Killer Heat? You sounded good to me. I don’t know Greek, so I’m not really the best judge, but you fooled me as you sounded great.
Gordon-Levitt: Well, one thing I’ve developed as an actor is a strong short-term memory. I can remember things for a few hours while I’m shooting them, and unfortunately, I learned a whole bunch of Greek for this movie and I don’t remember almost any of it. But we shot in Greece, so I was surrounded by people who could help me. When I was learning those Greek lines, I would just turn to the production assistant or whoever and say like, “Will you say this again for me?” Because I wanted to hear them say it with a proper accent. That made it fun.
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