(L-R): Anika Noni Rose as Naomi Cole and Ian Foreman as Isaiah Cole in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, “Quoquo ... [+]
The new highly anticipated Showtime series, Let the Right One In, has audiences captivated as it takes a more nuanced approach to a modern vampire story. The show is inspired by Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel written in 2004 and Tomas Alfredson’s 2008 Swedish film about a child vampire and her parent. I recently had an opportunity to speak with Anika Noni Rose who plays Naomi Cole and Ian Foreman who plays her son, Isaiah Cole about the show and how it explores topics centered around humanity and even addiction.
What attracted you both to Let the Right One In?
Ian Foreman: When I auditioned for this show, I "had" just finished a Christmas film, and I remember being super excited about it because of the character. I could see that he was a kid like me. I was that kid that experienced bullying in school, and the kid with interests in things that not many other people like. So, when I got the audition, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to show what I could do. When I auditioned, I thought I did super well. Looking back on all my auditions, I now see how much I've grown.
I try to not look back on the past so much, but I remember it being a long process. It took about three weeks for me to get the callback, and when I did, I was very excited because I had not gotten many callbacks previously. I was still pretty green in the industry, and pretty nervous because I knew I could book this. But I didn't want to do the wrong thing or jeopardize my chances of getting this role.
I tried to be myself, have fun with it, and luckily I got the role, and I was grateful for that. Not very long after, I had a chemistry read with Anika. I remember I was super nervous because there were a whole lot of people there. I got butterflies in my stomach and I kept reminding myself that had to remember what I prepared for. Luckily, I connected very well with Anika and the day after I booked it. I remember that day, I was crying. I ran up and down the street and I yelled from the top of my lungs, “thank you God”
Anika Noni Rose: Ian, you shouldn't worry about looking back on the past because you did do a super great job. It was a really good audition. So, don't knock yourself. It was a good audition and that's why you got it. I will tell you that they asked me at the end, who did I think was the one and it was you. It was the work that you did and you committed to the work.
For myself, I love vampires. I love vampire lore and I loved the movie when it came out. So, when the audition came around I was actually in Canada shooting MAID for Netflix at the time. I was like, “Oh, I really loved that movie. Let me give it a chance.” I read the scenes that were sent to me and I thought it was very well written. I saw a real person in this woman that was on the page and I was interested to see where this would go.
in Canada shooting MAID for Netflix at the time
One thing that was important to me going forward was that this woman was real. That she was well rounded and that we got to see a full and complete representation of a person. Not somebody just shunted into mom category or being a detective hunting down the same clue every week or having a eureka moment. That's boring to me.
I had a good conversation with the team and they assured me that this was somebody who was going to be a thorough person and that it was important to them also. I also have read the book, and the book is very deep and heavy. I think that they're doing a really interesting adaptation for today and a narrative of the streets of New York City — allowing the city itself to really hold the story up as well.
How do you feel this show is such a great adaptation to the original film?
Anika Noni Rose: You're not going to watch this and be watching the movie again with different people in New York, City. There's a lot of humanity involved in the show. There is a lot of what it means to be family and what you would do to protect your family and the ones that you love. We also explore addiction and how addiction turns people into monsters. We look at the fact that monsters are different depending on what angle you are looking in on. Somebody's monster is someone else's child, and I think those are really important things to be talking about. Particularly, in this time and space where we are going through another epidemic with drug use. When thinking about the crack epidemic, there was no empathy. People were considered to be monsters and savages. They were thrown behind bars for addiction.
There should have been a way that we explore helping that person. But that was a different drug with a different face – mostly Black and Brown faces. But let’s be clear — the crack epidemic affected people from all races. People of color were just put on the forefront. But now we have a new epidemic with a new face and now it's time for empathy. Now, suddenly it's time to figure out how we can help people. So, it’s an important time to look at addiction and to look at it through a different lens. The show is not a documentary. You're not going be consciously thinking about the opioid or crack epidemic while watching the show. It's a different lens. It's wrapped into this fantasy, but there is a message without walking away feeling like you’ve been in class and were just lectured to.
But the show does lightly touch on topics related to ourselves as human beings sharing this space as a society. I think it was very smart of the showrunner, Andrew Hinderaker to think of. On the show, there are loads of people dying in New York, and I'm trying to figure out why. At the same time there's a vampire in the community and a new drug on the street. So, my role on the show is to figure how things connect and to learn more about this new drug that turns people vampire like beings. But isn't that what drugs do? Drugs turn people into people that feed off of other people.
(L-R): Ian Foreman as Isaiah and Anika Noni Rose as Naomi Cole in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, “Anything ... [+]
You made the comment that someone’s monster is someone else’s child, can you elaborate a little bit more on that?
Well, that’s the truth. For example, in our show, Eleanor, played by, Madison Taylor Baez lives next door to me. Eleanor is a vampire. She presents as a 12-year-old, but she's actually 20 something years old. But the forward movement of her physical aging has stopped because of vamprism. Somebody seeing Eleanor drink a gallon of blood immediately would think “that creature has fangs let’s put it down.” Now, let's look at it from the other side. A man opens the door — watching this young girl drink a gallon of blood, with fangs and all, and he's looking at her with love and care and sympathy on his face.
Why? Because that's his child and that's the only way that child is going to survive, and because of that, he has seen and had to do and deal with awful things. But he wants to keep his child living and nourished and okay until he can find a way to make her something else, to bring her back to herself. That's his plan. That's what he wants to do. Does that make her less of a monster? No, not from, our angle walking in. Does us seeing her as a monster make her less of his child? No. Not from his angle walking in. I think that we forget that everybody started somewhere. Everybody started innocent, everybody started new, everybody started unscathed, the world takes its toll.
What do you both hope viewers of the show walk away with every week as they watch?
Anika Noni Rose: Honestly, I want people to have fun. I want people to watch the show and have fun and enjoy it. I also want something quietly in the back of their minds – thinking later. I want them to fall in love with these children who are so beautiful and so good at what they do. I want them to be drawn in. I don’t think it’s a message show. Although there are messages, I don't think it's a message show and I don't think somebody should be watching it planning to make it their next just say no campaign. So, I hope that people just get caught up in it, and recognize that something different is happening here. It's a different type of vampire story.
Ian Foreman: I want people to walk away knowing that family is all you got. When you're no longer under your parents' wing, the world doesn't have any sympathy for you. The world might treat you like you're worthless. But that’s why you have to stay close to your parents and the people who love you so they can build you up. I also want people to see that it isn't about what's on the outside, it's about what's on the inside. It’s not about race or gender, it’s about what's on the inside. How kindhearted a person is.
What other projects are you both working on or plan to work on?
Ian Foreman: A couple weeks ago, I just wrapped a film. But I can't say much about it, but I It's also in the horror thriller genre, and I'm excited for viewers to see the end product.
Anika Noni Rose: I'm doing a lot of Disney right now. A new television show is happening in the land of the Princess and the Frog, and that's great. I've got my hands in the producing basket. There are some other things that I'm not allowed to talk about yet but that I am really excited about. Frankly, I'm also really looking forward to the holidays and just unplugging from everything.
