Warning: SPOILERS for Beau is AfraidBeau is Afraid is the latest unexpected and nearly unexplainable odyssey from the mind of Ari Aster. But unlike his previous horror efforts, Midsommar and Hereditary, Beau is Afraid deals much more directly with motherhood and generational trauma even as the filmmaker blurs the lines between reality and fiction more than ever before. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Beau, with Armen Nahapetian playing his character in flashbacks, and each arc of his journey home has him interacting with a host of strange characters.
Parker Posey (Lost in Space) plays Elaine, Beau’s first love and the only woman with whom he’s interacted romantically. During one of the flashbacks in Beau is Afraid, teenage Elaine (portrayed by Outer Banks‘ Julia Antonelli) and Beau connect, and she demands that he wait for her when they are separated. This compounds his already existing fear of sex, which has been implanted by his mother, and culminates in total chastity and repression until he meets Posey’s Elaine once more at his mother’s funeral. But their reunion only re-traumatizes Beau in unbelievable ways.
Related: Beau Is Afraid Ending Explained
Screen Rant spoke with Posey about tackling the many layers of Beau is Afraid despite only piece a small piece of the large and unwieldy puzzle, working with Joaquin Phoenix again after Irrational Man, and shooting her latest film simultaneously with The Staircase.
Parker Posey Talks Beau is Afraid
Screen Rant: Even though you are not in Beau is Afraid for too long, I think you’re destined to be one of the most talked about aspects of the film. Is that a dream situation for you as an actor?
Parker Posey: No, I don’t like to be in the spotlight in that way. It’s a little nail-biting, but that’s okay.
How do you approach something that’s so cerebral, so wild, and yet equal parts tragedy and comedy, especially in your role?
Parker Posey: I got two parts at once. I worked as Freda Black in The Staircase, which I was shooting in Atlanta, and Beau is Afraid, which was shooting in Montreal. Two dark ladies at the same time, and I just knew the schedules were gonna bump up against each other and make it very edgy — which it [was]. I worked night shoots and then had a day and a half to go back to Freda in Atlanta and do all-day shoots.
What’s so fun about working with professional artists in this kind of caliber is that Ari is so special, and so is Joaquin. It’s in their hands, really, so you just listen. We had a few meetings on Zoom, and I was pretty nervous about all of this. I was holding hands and touching people’s sleeves and [going] like, “This is all going to be fine. And then going, “What an experience to go into unknown territory for me, and to do something so vulnerable and so funny.” Without giving too much away, the unexpected and part of it is you don’t really know who she is, where she’s been, and what she’s become.
It must have been nice that it was a reunion for you and Joaquin, which gives you a sense of comfort.
Parker Posey: When you work with Joaquin, especially, you just trust. So, the vibe of this was great. I wouldn’t say it was chaotic; it was organized chaos. But also, lots of people just sitting and hang out. You kind of want a lot of pots on the stove at once, so you’re not focused on something and so everything can be seamless. Especially when you’re doing a small part in a big film. It’s easier, I think, to carry something yourself than it is to kind of have to do the detective work on the outside to make sure you’re fitting in the world that you’re going to be [part of].
That was an interesting preparation, as was getting a life cast, which was prosthetics. That’s so why there are two parts of my body. It was just funny. I mean, we were laughing so hard, you know?
About Beau is Afraid
A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer-director Ari Aster.
Check out our other Beau is Afraid interview with Amy Ryan & Nathan Lane.
Beau Is Afraid is now in theaters.
