Trigger Warning follows Parker, an ex-Special Forces soldier who returns home after the sudden death of her father. She takes over her bar and begins investigating his death, believing there is more to the story. She soon discovers that not only is her hometown overrun by gang violence, but there may be a deeper conspiracy. It is the key to learning the truth about her father, but it also involves the most powerful people in town.

Jessica Alba leads an impressive cast, bringing her skills as an action star as well as a pathos to the complexity and depth of Parker’s pain and drive. Trigger Warning is director Mouly Surya’s first American movie, with producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, best known for producing the John Wick franchise, lending their impressive action know-how to the movie. 87eleven crafted impressive stunts that are not only intense and innovative action sequences but are also character and story-forward.

Screen Rant interviewed Alba and Surya about their new Netflix action movie. Alba broke down how she wanted to make Parker an action hero for both men and women, as well as how her past stunt work helped her prepare for the new John Wick-esque project. Surya praised Alba’s skills on set and explained why Trigger Warning was the perfect project for her first American movie.

Jessica Alba Explains How Trigger Warning Approaches The Action Hero Differently

Alba shared insight into her approach to Parker and how she hoped to make her a character that was layered and interesting for all audiences. She explained how, because the action genre is dominated by male creators, female characters can sometimes lack the complexities that would make them more relatable.

Jessica Alba: I was excited to do a genre that’s so dominated by men. Whether the script, the storytelling, the producing, and the shaping of the character and the stories have been pretty much through a men’s lens. I feel like as a woman, I’ve always felt a little bit robbed. I’ve always been like, Ah, it’s just not how we would do it. That doesn’t feel right.

And so I feel like sometimes in that perspective, the women can feel a little too stoic. They’re a little too wooden. They’re a little too not really attainable. They don’t feel like girlfriends I know. They don’t feel like the girl next door. They feel like these cold-hearted killers or they’re the damsel in distress. For me, I was like, I want to make a movie where men are going to be like, “Yeah, she’s a badass,” but women even more so are going to be like, “She’s a badass, and I love her.” They’re rooting for her and they can feel empowered watching her.

Surya revealed how her previous movie perfectly prepared her to tackle Trigger Warning with a familiar genre, while the Netflix movie still offered new challenges. She also discussed collaborating with Alba and praised not only her skills on set, but her attitude as well.

Mouly Surya: When I read the script, if you watch the last movie I’d done before Trigger Warning, it’s actually an Indonesian Western. So in a way, when I read the script, it felt familiar and not familiar at the same time. So there’s something new to it, something that I’ve never done, but in a way it feels close to what I did before. So in a way, it still feels comfortable, but not comfortable, which is perfect for your first American movie.

Working with Jessica, I’ve been a fan since, I’m still a fan now, but I’ve been a fan since I was in high school. Working with Jessica, I was so excited. I’ve always thought that she is such a strong actress, and she is very likable.

Jessica Alba: Am I? Am I likable in real life?

Mouly Surya: On set every day, yes, you are. Yeah, you have that image that I was actually, Oh yeah, that’s Parker. And then she injected that to the part and yeah, she’s amazing in it.

How Jessica Alba’s Past Work Helped Her Prepare For The Action In Trigger Warning

Alba is no stranger to action, having been involved in countless movies and television series that were stunt-heavy. She explained how some of her past work helped her prepare for Trigger Warning. However, she also heavily praised the stunt team from 87eleven that worked with her to prepare for the role, choreographed the stunt sequences, and worked with her stunt double to work out the scenes safely and efficiently.

Jessica Alba: I would say a lot of the training I had, certainly in Dark Angel, set the groundwork of my foundational skill set, but being able to learn something new and doing all the knife training and sword training, that was awesome. We worked a lot and they really, it’s incredible, they knew what would make me look the toughest, most believable, and the coolest all at the same time.

They worked out all the choreography with my stunt double. So by the time they taught it to me and I learned it, it was ready to go on set and the shots were all set up, and it was great. For an action movie like this, we don’t have a ton of time, we don’t have a ton of money, and so you have to be really efficient, and they executed very well.

About Trigger Warning

A Special Forces commando uncovers a dangerous conspiracy when she returns to her hometown looking for answers into her beloved father’s death.